Previous research has shown that students have difficulty with understanding acid-base reactions in the context of the organic chemistry; such difficulty is hypothesized to interfere with students' ability to conceptually understand and propose reaction mechanisms. We designed a nine-item, multiple-tier, multiple-choice concept inventory to elicit organic chemistry students' alternative conceptions about acid strength, how prevalent these conceptions were among students, and how strongly the conceptions in students' mental models biased their reasoning. Psychometric analyses were employed to assess reliability, validity, and students' confidence. We will present how ACID I functioned at two different universities, including in a test-retest condition.

ACID I: A diagnostic tool to elicit organic chemistry students' conceptions of acid strength

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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