To assess students’ conceptual understanding levels and diagnose alternative frameworks of the electrolyte concept, a measurement instrument was developed using the Rasch model. This paper reports the use of the measurement instrument to assess 559 students from grade 10 to grade 12 in two cities. The results provided both diagnostic and summative information about students’ conceptual understanding, suggesting that this measurement instrument had a certain validity. The results also demonstrated that Chinese mainland senior students’ understanding improved with increasing grade level, but that many alternative frameworks were entertained by students at each level.
This study uses graphs of conductivity measured by a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) to promote students’ macro, micro, and symbolic representations when learning about net ionic reactions (NIR). A total of 54 students, aged 14–15 years old participated in this research, and were randomly divided into an experimental group (N= 27) and a control group (N= 27). The students in the experimental group were given graphs of conductivity measured by MBL, while the control group had a demonstration of acid–base titration experiments. The results reveal that the graphs of conductivity have a large effect on students’ macro, micro, and symbolic representations, that is, the students in the experimental group build more representations than the students in the control group.
The galvanic cell is a basic concept in electrochemistry. To assess mainland Chinese students’ proficiency levels in galvanic cells, the Galvanic Cell Proficiency Level Assessment (GCPA) was developed based on the Rasch model. The GCPA was developed through a pilot test and consists of seven multiple-choice questions and four open questions. The assessment instrument was administered to 621 high school students in the 11th grade, and the test results showed good reliability and validity. The interview results supported the validity of the data generated by the instrument.
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