General chemistry students are introduced to the concept of polarity in the form of explicit representations such as dipole arrows, partial charges, and electrostatic potential maps. Polarity can also be inferred from structural representations when these explicit features are not present, but the accuracy of that inferred polarity depends on a student’s prior knowledge on the topic. This study plans to investigate students’ interpretations of multiple representations both with and without explicit bond and molecular polarity features. Semi-structured interviews are currently being conducted with students who have recently completed first semester college general chemistry and have already learned about the concept of polarity. Preliminary interview findings will be presented.<br/>

Investigating chemistry students’ ideas about bond polarity and molecular polarity using multiple representations

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.