(“Chemical transformation” and “natural transformation”: A study of high school students’ conceptions

Abstract

Several studies in chemical education have shown that the concept of chemical reaction is more complex than it seems and that many misconceptions are difficult to overcome. This work relates an inquiry carried out with 44 high school students aiming to know their conceptions about chemical reaction and how they classify the chemical reactions that take place in alive organisms in nature (biochemical reactions). Several alternative conceptions in the statements of the students had been found, although they already had studied this subject previously. Only a small part of the students have a correct view of this concept. The majority of the students believe that the natural phenomena that happen in living organisms are not chemical reactions. This misconception is connected to other conceptions pointed out in this research, revealing that the relations involved are really complex.