Investigating Student Understanding of Energy in High School Chemistry Courses

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this applied research is to study the impact of chemistry lessons developed specifically to improve student understanding of energy. Energy is a pervasive concept in science that is used in chemistry, biology and physics to explain many observed phenomena; however, it is often not emphasized in high school chemistry courses. The goal of this project is to examine ways to frame the concept of energy to foster student understanding of this important topic. Specifically, the plan is to determine if an emphasis on stability improves student understanding of energy. The results of this research will ultimately guide the development of a "Living by Chemistry" high school chemistry unit on energy and the development of questions on energy for the "ChemQuery" assessment system.