标题：Investigating the Primary and Secondary School Students’ Understanding of the Effects of Some Physical Elements on the Shape of the Atoms and Molecules
摘要：The purpose of this study is to research the students’ understandings of the effects of some physical elements on the shape of the atoms and molecules. The study is a comparatively quantitative and retroactive research and the screening model was utilized for the study as well. The sampling population of the study is comprised of 485 students, (223 females and 262 males) including 278 students from primary education (106 primary school and 172 secondary school) and 207 students from secondary education. The population of the study is comprised of the total number of the students from 4th to 12th grades within the study term in which the study had been conducted. The data was obtained by the Conceptual Test “The Particle Based Structure of the Matter” (CT-PBSM α = .86). According to the descriptive analysis results; only 16% of the sampling population (n = 77) indicated that the physical elements would have no effect on the shapes of atoms and molecules. 84% of the population however, (n = 38) stated that the impacts may shatter the atoms and molecules. Within the scope of the level of education, all primary school students as well as 97% of the secondary school students and 65% of the high school students claimed that the physical elements may change the shape of the atoms and molecules. The results point out that the concepts of atoms and molecules are not totally grasped even at high school education levels. In the light of such results; it was underlined that the education and the teaching of the concepts of atoms and molecules should be given more care and importance.
关键词：The concept of atoms and molecules; physical change
