| The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any connections between the development of three concepts: matter, physical change and chemical change in high school students.;Throughout the literature describing the development of the concept of matter data has supported the Piaget model. However, studies of children's understanding of physical change and chemical change has produced data that does not follow the expectations of the Piaget model; leading to the present study examining the connections between the understanding of these concepts.;The results of this study indicate that there seems to be a continuum from the use of prototypes, to the use of phenomenological classification (based on macroscopic observations), to the use of explanations that incorporate the change or lack of change to the substance on a microscopic level. However, the development does not necessarily produce a linear progression in the understanding of all 3 concepts. |
