The sharing‐out of nuclear attraction: or ‘I can't think about physics in chemistry’
- 1 September 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in International Journal of Science Education
- Vol. 20 (8), 1001-1014
- https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069980200807
Abstract
Pre‐university chemistry students were found to consider that an atomic nucleus gives rise to a certain amount of attractive force which is shared equally among the electrons. Students used this ‘conservation of force’ principle in their explanations of such phenomena as patterns in ionization energy. It is suggested that teachers of chemistry should be aware that although they may be using conventional electrostatic principles in their presentations, their students may be reinterpreting their explanations through this alternative conception. The present research concerns the interface between two scientific disciplines (chemistry and physics) and suggests that learners do not readily integrate their knowledge across such domains. It is mooted that more research into how such demarcations encourage learners to compartmentalize their knowledge may prove fruitful.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Conceptions of high school students concerning the internal structure of metals and their electric conduction: structure and evolutionScience Education, 1997
- Students' Alternative Conceptions in Chemistry: A Review of Research and Implications for Teaching and LearningStudies in Science Education, 1995
- Making Sense of Secondary SciencePublished by Informa UK Limited ,1994
- Students’ conceptions and the learning of scienceInternational Journal of Science Education, 1989
- HSC chemistry students' understanding of the structure and properties of molecular and ionic compoundsResearch in Science Education, 1987
- The experiential gestalt of causation: a common core to pupils’ preconceptions in scienceEuropean Journal of Science Education, 1986
- Concepts, Misconceptions and Alternative Conceptions: Changing Perspectives in Science EducationStudies in Science Education, 1983
- Theories-in-Action: Some Theoretical and Empirical Issues in the Study of Students' Conceptual Frameworks in ScienceStudies in Science Education, 1983
- Children's science and its consequences for teachingScience Education, 1982
- Students' conceptions of ideas in mechanicsPhysics Education, 1982