Action research- “How can I improve my student in balancing chemical equation?”
Action Research
“How can I improve my student in balancing chemical equation?”
Dawa Tshering (B.Ed. IVS Sci ‘A’)
BE 091909
Samtse College of Education
Samtse
(Royal University of Bhutan)
EDN 411
Action Research Project
Mr. Kinley
5th October, 2012
Samtse College of Education
Royal University of Bhutan
P.O. Box No. 329, Samtse, Bhutan
PLAGIARISM DECLARATION FORM
This form must be completed, signed and appended to each assignment you submit for marking in any form (Print or electronically).
Student Name: Dawa Tshering Student Number: BE 091909
Module No & Title: EDN 411, Action Research Project
Assignment No & Title: How can I improve my students in balancing chemical equation Submission Date: 5th October, 2012
Section H2 of the Royal University of Bhutan’s Wheel of Academic Law provides the following definition of academic dishonesty:
“Academic dishonesty may be defined as any attempt by a student to gain an unfair advantage in any assessment. It may be demonstrated by one of the following:
§ Collusion: the representation of a piece of unauthorized group work as the work of a single candidate.
§ Commissioning: submitting an assignment done by another person as the student’s own work.
§ Duplication: the inclusion in coursework of material identical or substantially similar to material which has already been submitted for any other assessment within the University.
§ False declaration: making a false declaration in order to receive special consideration by an Examination Board or to obtain extensions to deadlines or exemption from work.
§ Falsification of data: presentation of data in laboratory reports, projects, etc., based on work purported to have been carried out by the student, which have been invented, altered or copied by the student.
§ Plagiarism: the unacknowledged use of another’s work as if it were one’s own.
Examples are:
§ verbatim copying of another’s work without acknowledgement
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Student Declaration
I confirm that I have read and understood the above definitions of academic dishonesty. I declare that I have not committed any academic dishonesty when completing the attached piece of work.
Student’s Signature Date of signing:
DT 5th, October 2012
Table of Contents
Abstract 4
Introduction 5
Methodology 6
Tools for data collection 6
Reconnaissance 6
Situational analysis 7
Competence 7
Literature review 8
Aim and Objectives of my research 10
Data collection tools/ Methodology 10
Baseline data results 11
Intervention strategies 14
Understanding language of chemistry 14
Motivation 14
Steps: 15
Methods of balancing ………………………………………………………………………………………………..15
Post Data Analysis 17
Finding……………………………………………………………………………………...... 21
Recommendation……………………………………………………………………………..21
Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………………….…..22
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………23
References 24
Appendix 25
Abstract
As well-known students finds chemistry a difficult subject. In regard to balancing chemical equation it is the stand problem. This paper would give the gist to intervene poor ones and would help to enhance the skill in balancing. It is a part included in newly formed module “Educational Research”. This module was adopted since 2009, first to the PgDE and later to the four year program student teachers. This module aims to give the life time skill and practice in research. Thus in our new module we are made to do action research.
This paper particularly stresses on my issue “How can I improve my students in balancing chemical equation?” I chose this issue thinking it is still a stand problem to the students across the country. They find it difficult and they must know the language of chemistry that will enhance balancing skills. Moreover student must know the clear steps and methods of balancing which is necessary to solve the problem of balancing chemical equation.
My research was conducted in Phuntsholing Middle Secondary School. I started my research by identifying my research class with the help of my mentor. IX ‘C’ was my participant comprising of 30 students in total with one critical friend. I worked out best possible approach to improve my students in balancing equation. To help my student, first I studied their area of weakness through baseline data. Then accordingly intervention was done. My critical friend helped me in various possible areas and has given effective ways in doing my research.
At the end there was remarkable progress in balancing chemical equation. They knew different methods on balancing chemical equation, particularly, “Hit and Trial and Algebraic method”. I could see at the end of my research student could balance chemical equation correctly.
Introduction
Action research, according to Maxwell (2003) defines as “a systematic collection of data in order to answer a research question for the purpose of improvement”. For LoCastro (1995) is “one form of classroom centered research which is seen as being small scale and situational focused on a particular problem, to try to understand and perhaps solve some concrete problem in an individual teacher’s classroom” (as cited in Rinchen, 2009).
Thus action research solves the problem and brings improvement to the student nationwide. It gives the area to the teacher in solving the problem faced by the students. There are three methods of doing action research, quantitative, qualitative and mix method. This paper focuses on quantitative methods where results are quantified and analyzed accordingly.
Research has become primary elements in education system around the world. With the developmental stages in the country, research would help to face adverse competition. It will moreover help to understand the need of the society and will help accordingly to bring development.
With stage changes must happen. Different disciplines of sciences Biology, Chemistry and Physics are of importance now a day. Coming to chemistry, student across the country finds it a difficult subject to learn. They even go to the extent of losing interest to study. Thus my action research will motivate and inculcate interest in Chemistry, especially balancing chemical equation where student finds it difficult.
Methodology
There are different methods in action research namely; Qualitative, quantitative and mix method. In my action research I used quantitative method.
Tools for data collection
1. Test
2. Observation/Assessment: Class work and Homework correction and then maintaining records.
3. Questionnaire:
ü To check previous knowledge of the students
ü To check in which area students lacks to balance chemical equation (symbol writing/ formula writing/ in actual balancing)
Data sets
ü Correctness in writing symbol and chemical formula
ü Methods of balancing chemical equation
ü Common errors students commit
Reconnaissance
The term reconnaissance is derived from the French term ‘reconnaitre’ which denotes to look at. According to Maxwell (2003), Reconnaissance consists of three parts:
1. Situational Analysis
2. Competences
3. Literature Review
Situational analysis
Country
Bhutan is situated in the eastern Himalayas on the Indian subcontinent. Total land area of Bhutan is 38,394 square kilometers (RGB, 2005). It has 470 kilometers long bordered by the Tibet region of China to the north and northwest, and 605 kilometers with Indian state of Sikkim to the west, West Bengal to the southwest, Assam to the south and southwest, and Arunachal Pradesh to the east (NSB, 2010). It has the total population of 695,822 with the annual population growth rate of 1.8 (NSB, 2010). Its unemployment rate is 3.7 (NSB, 2010). Bhutan’s Gross Domestic Product was 61,223.5 Million Ngultrum (NSB, 2010).The per capita GDP was 89,639.1 Ngultrum (NSB, 2010).
University
As per the net information (n.d), Samtse College of Education (SCE) was founded as the first teacher-training institute (TTI) in the country of Bhutan in 1968. Our beloved late king, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck inaugurated the college on 29th May 1968 with an initial enrolment of 41 students. This historic milestone in the country’s education history is observed as the College Foundation day every year. Samtse College of Education is one of the premier institutions of learning in the country, which provides training to Primary and Secondary teachers. It is also the center for a number of in-service programmes conducted during winter breaks. With the introduction of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) Secondary programme in 1983, the erstwhile TTI was renamed the National Institute of Education (NIE). After becoming a member college of the Royal University of Bhutan on June 2nd 2003, the NIE was once more renamed Samtse College of Education.
Competence
The researcher is under-graduate of Samtse College of education. He is undergoing B.Ed secondary course taking biology and chemistry as his main electives. He has got research idea learnt in new module, Educational Research. Moreover he has done conventional research with the groups and has got the ideas of doing research. Mr.Tashi Gyeltshen is module tutor, who is one of the well versed and research head of the college.
With researcher he has got one critical friend. She is also the student teachers of Samtse College of Education. She has also got research knowledge. Her electives are physics and math. She will be able to give feedback and can do re-tracking if researcher happens to commit mistake in the process of conducting research.
Student Competence:
Phuntsholing middle secondary school is located just above the town. There by students have access to various facilities. Especially they got internet facilities everywhere and they might be accessed to many new information. Thus student might have greater idea on balancing chemical equation. Their parents on other hand are educated and might have learnt from them.
Literature review
What is chemical equation?
According to Risteski, (2008), “chemical equation is only a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction”. Actually, every chemical equation is the story of some chemical reaction. A chemical equation is not only the shorthand writing of the chemist, but it should be a mental picture of an actual reaction. They also tell you how much of each substance is involved in the reaction. ToKatz (2004), “A chemical equation is a chemist’s shorthand expression for describing a chemical change”.
What is balanced chemical equation?
Helmenstine, (n.d) defined as “an equation for a chemical reaction in which the number of atoms for each element in the reaction and the total charge are the same for both the reactants and the products”.
Murry& Fay (2008) states, “balanced equation is in which each equation, the numbers and kinds of atoms on both sides of the reaction arrow are identical”.
Why chemical equation should be balanced?
“All the chemical equations must be balance because atoms are neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions. The numbers and kinds of atoms must be the same in the products as in the reactants. A balanced equation assures that the Conservation Law of matter is obeyed. The total mass of reactants must equal the total mass of products. A balanced equation is like a recipe. It tells you the proportional quantities of each substance involved”. (Murry and Fay, 2008)
Problems to the beginners
Nakleh (1992) and Garnet (1995) found teachers of beginning chemistry students frequently report difficulties which many students experience in developing an understanding of chemical processes. Students appear to struggle to construct the forms of mental model and conceptual representations needed to understand and comprehend the actions of the unobservable entities such as atoms and molecules which are involved in chemical equations (as cited in Garnett, Oliver and Hackling, n.d).
Much of the explanation and description of the processes involved chemical reactions is given in terms of the actions of the various submicroscopic particles representing atoms and molecules. Student finds it difficult in visualizing this submicroscopic world and its components. This factor creates a major barrier to their development and understanding of many chemistry concepts. Beginning chemistry students often demonstrate a wide range of unusual conceptions about the molecular basis of chemical reactions. They also display limitations in their ability to write balanced equations, to interpret the symbolic representations used in equations, and to solve problems based on equations (Garnett, Oliver and Hackling, n.d).
Andersson (1986) and Ben-Zvi (1987) found that many students hold a static rather than dynamic view of chemical reactions. Students often failed to visualize chemical reactions as dynamic processes in which particles and molecules react to produce new particles and molecules.
Laugier and Dumon (2004) display in 1995, the French Ministry of Education published a study on the pupils' knowledge at the end of Grade 4 (of French lower secondary school). Chemistry came out worse than physics. Generally speaking, at the end of Grade 4, pupils do not seem to have mastered the language of chemistry. Moreover all of them have not known basic rules and symbols or, when they know them, they do not grasp their meanings well.
Beek and Louters (1991), Marais and Jordaan (2000), Danili and Reid (2004) points out, if teachers for example use the terms atoms, molecules and ions indiscriminately misconceptions will, invariably, be the result. Difficulties in the learning of chemistry can be precipitated by a lack of chemistry language skills (as cited in Bradley and Steenberg n.d).
Aim and Objectives of my research
The general objective is to draw interest towards chemistry through motivation. Following are some of my aims and objectives of my action research pertaining to my action research question:
i. I want my student to know basis of balancing chemical equation (symbol and formula of different compound).
ii. I want my student to know the steps in balancing chemical equation.
iii. I want my student to know different methods to balance the equation (at least two, hit and trial and algebraic method).