This work describes a subset of data from a study that focused on analyzing students’ conceptions of various models of bonding in the context of organic chemistry. These data center on the ways students reason with and about bonding models working through questions related to a substitution mechanism. We will discuss students reasoning through the analytical lens of coordination class theory. Specifically, we address the development of students’ span (range of scenarios in which they find a concept applicable) and alignment (ability to recognize characteristic information across multiple contexts). Our analysis represents data drawn from individual student interviews where students were asked to discuss their reasoning related to a given S<sub>N</sub>2 reaction. The results obtained from this qualitative study focus on building a rich description of students’ cognitive resources associated with bonding and models of bonding that students employ when reasoning about an organic chemistry mechanism.

Analysis of students’ reasoning with and about bonding models in organic chemistry

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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