Scientific Concepts

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Literature Review:
Students develop their concepts based on their own experiences, background and ability before coming to school (Gokan, 2013)
Concepts have been defined as “ a locus of meaning- sort of summary of all propositioneal relationships in which concept participaptes” (Pines, 1981) and also as “ the collection of memory elements that are associated with a label and the pattern of their links” (Hameed, 1990)
Investigations have shown that these concepts are normally very different from scientific concepts.
When students are faced with new concepts, they try to make sense of this by adding it onto their own concepts previously formed. It this way, misconceptions may accumulate and is not easily changed. It can only be changed if is …show more content…

It has been pointed out that teaching does not necessarily mean that learning has taken place. We can teach and cover a complete topic without having the students learn.
Students have to become actively involved and also be required to think before any learning takes place. Learning is a process which has to be UNDERTAKEN BY THE LEARNER (Huddle, 1996)

These problems may be addressed or minmized by in-service training and assistance for teachers.
Research has shown that the topic of chemical equilibrium is one of the most difficult areas of the Gr 12 curriculum. The reasons for this are that this is a very abstract topic and that the words used in the explanation of this topic have very different meanings in our daily lives.
Many Gr 12 students ( 17-18years) do not have the cognitive development at that stage to grasp these abstract concepts and still need concrete representation to enhance new concepts (Huddle, 1996)

According to Johnstone chemistry exist in three forms which form the corners of a triangle of which none is superior to the

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