Abstract

SZTEINBERG, Gabriela; BRENES, Paula; ARCE, Heilen  and  SEVIAN, Hannah. Chemistry students' and professors' conceptions of chemical identity: Part II - Comparison of participants at two universities in different countries. Educ. quím [online]. 2015, vol.26, n.2, pp.100-116. ISSN 0187-893X.

In continuation from a previous paper, in which the concept of chemical identity was introduced, the elements that were used to collect and analyze cognitive interviews are presented, along with the results, implications and conclusions of a cultural-comparison study between students from a university in Costa Rica and another in the United States. Curricular differences between the two countries studied are also described. The results indicate, tentatively, patterns of reasoning about chemical identity, and also how they manifest in the context of a problem about benefits, costs and risks, as well as relationships between structure and properties, in chemistry. Diversity of thinking about chemical identity is shown across two countries with different chemistry curricula, and among student populations of different educational performance, in contexts with different geography, culture, norms, and other societal variables, which strengthens the validation of the hypothetic learning progression.

Keywords : Learning progressions; Alternative conceptions; Concept of substance; Chemistry curriculum.

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