Facilitating Grade 11 Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Fundamental Acid-Base Models

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to enhance grade 11 students' conceptual understanding of fundamental acid-base models using Predict-Observe-Explain based animated movies (POE-AM). Twelve grade 11 students participated in the study. To collect data, the students' responses to the POE-AM tasks and interview protocols were used. The findings indicated that the POE-AM tasks positively improved the students' conceptual understanding of fundamental acid-base models and remedied any deficiency identified in pre-interviews and/or the 'predict' stage of the POE strategy. The results also showed that before implementation the students stated the main parts of acids and bases as H+ and OH- ions, respectively. After the implementation, they indicated that the Arrhenius model had the least adequate explanation to imply features/behaviors of acids and bases whilst the Lewis model did the most adequate acid-base definition to address their features/behaviors. Moreover, the study revealed that most of the students had alternative understanding or only partial understanding at the 'predict', but showed somewhat a sound understanding of these concepts at the 'observe' and 'explain' stages. The current study suggests that chemistry teachers should integrate the POE-AM into their classes to effectively promote student learning.