Investigating Learning Disparity Among Junior High School Students In Designing Chemistry Experiment

Chemistry experiment is an important practical basis for the renewal and development of Chemistry.It's also a significant way that can arouse students' interest in learning Chemistry,learn the basic aspects of chemical inquiry,and apply the scientific inquiry methods in junior high school.Chemistry experiment ability is a vital ability that can help students understand substances and master the concept of chemical principles.Chemistry experiment designing ability is not only the key factor of experimental ability,but also the highest requirement for students in experimental ability.However,students often face learning difficulties,such as confusion in designing idea and mixed use of apparatus and chemicals.In all,the study aims to know the disparity points,disparity characteristics and disparity reasons of students at different academic levels,and to propose effective teaching strategies for students.In this study,78 Grade Nine students from a public junior high school in Pudong New Area,Shanghai are taken as research samples,and the sample students are devided into top students,middle students and under achievers according to their academic level.The study aims to solve the following two problems:(1)What are the disparity points,characteristics and formation causes of experiment designing ability of Grade Nine students at different academic level.(2)Whether the teaching practice can effectively reduce the disparity of students at different academic level.The study is mainly devided into five steps:(1)determining the experiment designing ability and its dimensions based on literature theory.(2)compiling and implementing the pre-test to explore the disparity points and disparity characteristics.(3)conducting teacher-student interviews based on pre-test results to further explore the causes of disparity.(4)Designing and implementing teaching interventions.(5)Compiling and implenting post-test to test the effectiveness of teaching practice.The study shows that:(1)The disparity group of experiment designing ability is the under achivers,and disparity point of all students is the determing device dimension.(2)Evaluating scheme dimension is the disparity point of top students,and determing device dimension is the disparity point of middle students and under achievers.(3)The teaching practice can effectively improve students' performance in determing device dimension and evaluating scheme dimension.(4)Designing scheme dimension has higher requirements for students,which is still a disparity point after intervention.