Remediating misconceptions related to particulate nature of matter using video animation: An action research

Misconception sabotages the meaningful learning. Young learners can have misconceptions about the science concepts with which they interpret their new experiences, hampering the development of canonical scientific knowledge. Identifying and remediating the misconceptions of the learners is an important task as an educator. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the misconceptions of the 9 th grade students on particulate nature of matter (PNM) concept and effectiveness of the use of video animations in remediating those misconceptions. The study adopted a mixed method approach. The sample consisted of 20 students studying in 9 th grade of Daga Central School in Bhutan. The misconception was identified using the certainty of response index (CRI) diagnostic technique. The study revealed 10 kinds of misconceptions held by students related to PNM, under the four themes, i.e., All matter is made of discrete particles, Space between the particles is empty, Particles are in constant random motion, and Bonds or forces exist between particles, the number of students' having misconception on the particulate nature of matter concept reduced considerably in the post-test after the use of video animations as the intervention. The study also revealed that most of the misconceptions that student possesses were rooted in their inability to understand the chemical concepts from macroscopic, sub microscopic, and symbolic perspective. The study contributed in two aspects: first, the study identified four themes in which students had misconceptions, alerting educators to be cognizant when involving in discourse of PNM concepts. Second, the study suggests that use of video animations as a potent strategy to teach PNM concepts to help students develop the canonical scientific knowledge on PNM concepts, as demonstrated by this study. Received : October 26, 2021 Revised : April 14, 2022 Accepted : April 15, 2022 K E Y W O R D S Chemistry, Middle secondary school, Misconceptions, Particulate nature of matter, Video animations Suggested Citation (APA Style 7 th Edition): Chophel, Y. (2022). Remediating misconceptions related to particulate nature of matter using video animation: An action research. International Research Journal of Science, Technology, Education, and Management, 2(1), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6496773 International Research Journal of Science, Technology, Education, and Management Volume 2, No. 1 | April 2022 76 https://irjstem.com INTRODUCTION Science education in Bhutan started with borrowed curriculum from India in the 1960s (Dema & Tshering, 2020). Over the few decades, there was gradual change in the curriculum, most notable are: new approach to primary education (NAPE) in 1986 for classes IV to VI mainly to promote science based on Bhutanese natural and social environment and more recently National School Curriculum Conference in 2016, aimed at screening and rationalizing the curriculum (Wangchuk, 2019). As a developing nation, Bhutanese government advocates the importance of science education as it is central to creation of workforce in the development of the country. In order to understand the mechanism of how natural world and universe works, knowledge of science is indispensable, as the well-being and lifestyle are largely affected by the knowledge and skills of science. All the matters that exist in the universe are the subject of study that chemistry undertakes and to explore the world more, the answer lies in the study of chemistry as ―chemistry is the study of substances; their properties, structures, and the changes they undergo‖ (Mondal & Chakraborty, 2013, p.7). As the study of science begins with the direct observation of nature particularly of matter, the study of chemistry is said to be ―central‖ to the study of science (Modal & Chakraborty, 2013). But for a person with no chemistry knowledge, by observing from afar they will see only the "forest", not the "trees" and certainly not the atoms and molecules of which matter is composed, whose properties ultimately determine the nature and behaviour of the matter that is being examined. Therefore, learning in science should be based on scientifically valid concepts; otherwise, there are chances for having misconceptions. Misconceptions are the ideas or concepts that are being held by students which contradicts or are not scientifically true. Misconceptions can occur in students from various sources and in various stages of their development. In the study of chemistry, owing to the fact that the chemical education encompasses the understanding of chemical concepts through three distinct level: macroscopic level (tangible), sub-microscopic level (atoms, ions, elements) and representational level (symbols, formulae, equations) (Johnstone, 2000), the occurrence of the misconception is inevitable, more so in the concepts which requires the understanding of the submicroscopic level. PNM concepts demands understanding from a macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic level; hence the topics discussed under the PNM concepts are difficult to understand, and children often use macroscopic observable characters in explaining the microscopic and sub-microscopic concepts, which is often misleading and wrong concepts leading to prevalence of misconceptions. PNM is one of the basic topics in science education, particularly in chemistry. It encompasses topics such as matter structure and properties, matter phases and phase changes, conservation of mass, chemical reactions and bonding, ions and solutions (Adadan & Savasci, 2012; Kapici & Akcay, 2016). In order to comprehend these topics, students should have sound knowledge of PNM. Over the last three decades, the misconceptions in PNM topped the list of most researched topics and are widely reported in the literature (Badrian et al., 2011; Talanquer, 2009). However, there is no research being done on this topic in Bhutanese context. This study aims to address this gap by investigating and reporting on the misconceptions of PNM. Moreover, in Bhutan the interest of the students toward learning science is a concern; the lack of interest and poor performance in science subjects, particularly in chemistry, can be attributed to lack of basic knowledge. For instance, study by Royal Education Council of Bhutan revealed that for both basic and advance academic skills students are performing below expectations of their grade level (as cited in Chophel & Norbu, 2021), this finding is further supported by Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment [BCSEA] (2019) report that found Bhutanese‘s students having higher success rates in items requiring lower cognitive skills, while significant gap in the performance in more demanding tasks such as, analytical and logical reasoning were observed. The possible reason for the above scenario can be due to prevalence of misconceptions. Misconceptions impede authentic learning and are nuisance in advancing the science education; if not corrected, it might mislead the learners and cause serious consequences. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the prevalence of misconceptions and design or incorporate appropriate strategies to correct the misconceptions (Taber, 2001). As the role of a teacher is to shape and mould students‘ knowledge, skills, and values in becoming a person with substance and to lead a successful life (Dela Fuente, 2021). The findings of this study will be helpful to International Research Journal of Science, Technology, Education, and Management Volume 2, No. 1 | April 2022 77 https://irjstem.com teachers in the following ways, in understanding the misconception held by the students on PNM concepts, in planning the appropriate lesson incorporating the appropriate tools to correct the existing PNM misconceptions among the students. The findings will also serve as the milestone in understanding the scenario of the misconception of PNM among Bhutanese students and will inspire fellow teachers to be reflective of their teaching and be mindful of possible misconceptions that their students might possess.