FOLLOWING THE LOGIC OF STUDENT THINKING PATTERNS ABOUT ATOMIC ORBITAL STRUCTURES

The aim of the present study was to follow the logic of student thinking patterns about atomic orbital structures on both the atomic model visualization and the corresponding symbolic representation levels. The students´ factual knowledge was measured by the percent correct answers with and without explanations, the misconceptions were documented, and the cognitive organization was analyzed using knowledge space theory. The study was carried out with 255 students studying chemistry at the 8th and 9th lower secondary school and 10th to 12th secondary school levels. The major findings included (1) the high proportion of correct answers on multiple-choice questions, without correct explanations, leading to false positive results which do not necessarily reflect understanding of the material; (2) the lack of a logic structure in students' thinking due mostly to the misunderstanding of symbols; and (3) misconceptions about what charges represent and the placement of electrons in ionic vs. covalent bonding.