STUDYING STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE MICROSCOPIC AND THE MACROSCOPIC DESCRIPTIONS IN CHEMISTRY

The perception of the distinction and interplay between concepts and models pertaining to the description of the microscopic level and those pertaining to the description of the macroscopic level is a key feature largely determining conceptual understanding in chemistry. Information about the extent and clarity of such perception can therefore be valuable for the design and optimisation of approaches to the presentation of basic and general chemistry material. The paper presents the outcomes of an investigation in this regard, performed by subsequently administering three specifically designed questionnaires to a group of first year students taking a general chemistry course. The discussion considers both the conceptual and the practical relevance of the issue and extends to inferences for classroom work and for the general approaches to chemistry teaching.