DIAGNOSIS OF GRADE 12 STUDENTS ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS ON CONCEPTS OF ELECTROCHEMISTRY USING A FOUR TIER TEST

Abstract

Electrochemistry is one of the branch of chemistry that plays a great role in our daily life. However, many study revealed that students have difficulty to understand it due to its abstract nature and they hold an alternative concept about concept of electrochemistry. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to diagnosis the most common alternative concepts of grade 12 students’ on the concepts electrochemistry using four-tier diagnostic instrument and identify the major possible source of alternative concepts at Deder and Chelenko preparatory schools. For the purpose 130 students were selected and participated from two aforementioned schools. The respective data were gathered through four-tier alternative concept tests and interviews. The former was administered to assess the most common alternative concepts students have on the electrochemistry topics, while the latter was used to identify the major source of alternative concepts. The reliability of the instruments were computed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) and the obtained results indicate 0.77 and 0.72, for students’ scores of scientific concepts and alternative concepts respectively. Concerning the validity parameters, the mean proportion of false positive was found to be 2.2%, while false negative is 2.53%.The finding of this study showed that respondents were having alternative concepts in identifying identity of electrodes, use of activity series to identify ions preferentially discharged at electrodes and predicting cell reaction flow of electric current in cells. Inappropriate interpretation figures and statements of text book and references, personal experience and teachers were identified as a possible source of alternative concept. Generally 34.5% of respondents had alternative concepts in the concept of electrochemistry which is fall in the low level range