This project examines the correlation between spatial ability and the ability of students to translate between multiple molecular representations in chemistry. The ability to distinguish between different structures of molecules helps chemists at the very basic level of understanding chemistry, and expert chemists frequently use different representations to emphasize important molecular features. In this study, organic chemistry students took a spatial ability test as well as a test in which they had to incorporate knowledge of chemistry structures in order to identify two identical molecules portrayed in different representational modes. The students had to transition between the ball and stick models, Lewis structures, skeletal structures, and molecular model kit photographs. Response times were recorded for each match made, allowing an inference of the relative difficulty of each transition.

Translation among multiple representations in chemistry: Examining student ability and response time

251st National Meeting (2016)

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