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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > April  >
Research: Science and Education
Chemical Education Research
Improving Teaching and Learning through Chemistry Education Research: A Look to the Future
Dorothy Gabel
School of Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408
Cover
April 1999
Vol. 76 No. 4
p. 548
Abstract
The complexity of chemistry has implications for the teaching of chemistry today. That chemistry is a very complex subject is shown from the research on problem solving and misconceptions that has dominated the field during the past 15 years. As Johnstone indicated, matter can be represented on the macroscopic, particulate, and symbolic levels. Students frequently do not relate these three levels, and hence have difficulty in making sense of laboratory experiments. In addition, chemistry instruction that uses unfamiliar materials, uses language that is defined differently in science than in everyday situations, and is structured according to the structure of the discipline may make learning difficult. These impediments to learning can be explained using the information processing model. Students do not integrate the threefold representation of matter in their long-term memory. Providing links between the various representations can be enhanced using the social constructivist model of learning. When students are presented with conflict situations and interact with each other and their instructor, they reflect on their knowledge and construct meaning. New programs, particularly those supported with NSF funding, that are based on making chemistry relevant through problem solving and collaborative learning hold promise for reforming chemistry education.
More Information
*  Citation
 Gabel, Dorothy. J. Chem. Educ. 1999 76 548.
*  Keywords
 Chemical Education Research; CER Constructivism; CER Learning Theories; CER Misconceptions; CER Particulate Nature of Matter; CER Student-Centered Learning; Teaching/Learning Theory/Practice
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 June 14, 1999
June 23, 2005
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