Students’ conceptions and misconceptions in chemical kinetics in Port Harcourt Metropolis of Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to probe the conception and misconception of senior secondary (SS3) and University (US) chemistry students in chemical kinetics in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study sample was made up of 107 SS3 and 93 US students. Two main instruments were used to collect data for the study. They are the chemical kinetic calculation problem and alternative conceptions test in chemical kinetics. Overall results of the study showed that students’ performance in basic chemical kinetics calculation was generally poor with the mean scores less than one point. Item analyses on the conception test revealed that about 10% of the students were able to identify the correct answers while about 90% could not identify the correct answers. The university students were superior in performance than the secondary students in the conception test. These results were discussed in the study. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 5(2), July 2015]