A Typology of students’ kinetic views of chemical equilibrium systems.

Literature identifies the insufficiency of Le Chatelier’s principle and research describes a number of problems that students have in explaining and describing chemical equilibrium systems. Hence in this study, questionnaires and interviews were used to consider the impact and extent of these issues for chemistry students in two schools. Thematic analysis through iterative coding of student responses resulted in the identification of 3 levels of explanation: A ‘Holistic’ level when students describe how the behaviour of the microscopic and dynamic forward and reverse reactions affect each other resulting in system equilibrium properties; Students explaining at the ‘Mirrored reactions’ level described the forward and reverse reactions behaviours as mirroring each other, but their combined system effect is not identified. For the remaining students, the forward and reverse reactions do not affect each other and are considered separately in explanations (‘Reactions not connected’ level). As many students do not offer ‘Holistic’ explanations, teaching strategies are suggested to enable students to develop such an understanding. Literature identifies the insufficiency of Le Chatelier’s principle and research describes a number of problems that students have in explaining and describing chemical equilibrium systems. Hence in this study, questionnaires and interviews were used to consider the impact and extent of these issues for chemistry students in two schools. Thematic analysis through iterative coding of student responses resulted in the identification of 3 levels of explanation: A ‘Holistic’ level when students describe how the behaviour of the microscopic and dynamic forward and reverse reactions affect each other resulting in system equilibrium properties; Students explaining at the ‘Mirrored reactions’ level described the forward and reverse reactions behaviours as mirroring each other, but their combined system effect is not identified. For the remaining students, the forward and reverse reactions do not affect each other and are considered separately in explanations (‘Reactions not connected’ level). As many students do not offer ‘Holistic’ explanations, teaching strategies are suggested to enable students to develop such an understanding. Literature identifies the insufficiency of Le Chatelier’s principle and research describes a number of problems that students have in explaining and describing chemical equilibrium systems. Hence in this study, questionnaires and interviews were used to consider the impact and extent of these issues for chemistry students in two schools. Thematic analysis through iterative coding of student responses resulted in the identification of 3 levels of explanation: A ‘Holistic’ level when students describe how the behaviour of the microscopic and dynamic forward and reverse reactions affect each other resulting in system equilibrium properties; Students explaining at the ‘Mirrored reactions’ level described the forward and reverse reactions behaviours as mirroring each other, but their combined system effect is not identified. For the remaining students, the forward and reverse reactions do not affect each other and are considered separately in explanations (‘Reactions not connected’ level). As many students do not offer ‘Holistic’ explanations, teaching strategies are suggested to enable students to develop such an understanding