Characteristics and Levels of Sophistication: An Analysis of Chemistry Students’ Ability to Think with Mental Models |
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| Authors: | Chia-Yu Wang and Lloyd H Barrow |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Education, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 Ta-Hsueh Road, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan;(2) Science Education Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA |
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| Abstract: | This study employed a case-study approach to reveal how an ability to think with mental models contributes to differences
in students’ understanding of molecular geometry and polarity. We were interested in characterizing features and levels of
sophistication regarding first-year university chemistry learners’ mental modeling behaviors while the learners were solving
problems associated with spatial information. To serve this purpose, we conducted case studies on nine students who were sampled
from high-scoring, moderate-scoring, and low-scoring students. Our findings point to five characteristics of mental modeling
ability that distinguish students in the high-, moderate-, and low-ability groups from one another. Although the levels of
mental modeling abilities have been described in categories (high, moderate, and low), they can be thought of as a continuum
with the low-ability group reflecting students who have very limited ability to generate and use mental models whereas students
in the high-ability group not only construct and use mental models as a thinking tool, but also analyze the problems to be
solved, evaluate their mental models, and oversee entire mental modeling processes. Cross-case comparisons for students with
different levels of mental modeling ability indicate that experiences of generating and manipulating a mental model based
on imposed propositions are crucial for a learner’s efforts to incorporate content knowledge with visual-spatial thinking
skills. This paper summarizes potential factors that undermine learners’ comprehension of molecular geometry and polarity
and that influence mastery of this mental modeling ability. |
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