Assessing conceptual change instruction accompanied with concept maps and analogies

The research assessed secondary school students' conceptions of acid-base strength by using the conceptual change instruction accompanied with concept maps and analogies. These teaching strategies were employed to help them make unfamiliar events familiar. Within a quasi experimental design, the sample of the study consisted of 73 secondary school students. Pre- and post-tests were used to collect data. The results showed that the experimental group that took the conceptual change oriented instruction performed better than the control group. In light of the results, it can be concluded that employing such visuals and interactive materials as concept maps and analogies for achieving conceptual change is effective in generating better understanding of chemistry concepts.

Keywords: Analogy, conceptual change, concept mapping, misconception, visualisation