According to the definition, surface
tension could be affected
not only by intermolecular interaction but also by molecular area.
However, in chemistry textbooks, surface tension is mainly explained
only in terms of intermolecular interaction. Although the existing
surface tension concept in the textbooks can lead to a variety of
counterexamples, research on undergraduates’ responses to surface
tension anomalies is rare. In this study, we had 16 undergraduates
experience an anomalous surface tension experiment and analyzed how
they responded to the anomalous data and whether their explanations
had met conditions for accommodation. As a result, among the 16 participants,
only one student (rejection response) retained her existing conception
(i.e., surface tension is proportional only to the intermolecular
interaction), and the rest of the students tried to explain the anomaly
in their own ways (theory change, peripheral theory change, and abeyance
responses). In particular, only the six students who considered both
intermolecular interaction and molecular area properly showed a theory
change response that matched conditions for accommodation (dissatisfaction,
intelligibility, and plausibility). The results of the study imply
that the surface tension concept considering both intermolecular interaction
and molecular area might be an alternative to the existing concept
in chemistry education.
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