Recategorization of substances and physical changes of matter

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Published: Oct 15, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.23605
Keywords:
Recategorization Naïve theory Scientific theory Macroscopic properties Particular nature of matter Physical changes of state
Ουρανία Γκικοπούλου
Στέλλα Βοσνιάδου
Abstract

Previous research has shown that students have difficulties in understanding the scientific explanations of the physical changes of state of matter. We hypothesized that these difficulties stem from the fact that they categorize substances to belong to one of three distinct states (solid, liquid, gas), instead of their molecular structure (particular nature of matter), and apply to them the properties of the corresponding physical state (e.g., solids are rigid, liquids are flexible, gases are invisible, etc.). The purpose of the study was to examine whether there is a recategorization of substances with development and if this is correlated with students’ explanations of physical changes of state. The participants were 40 4th graders, 40 6th graders, 35 9th graders and 30 university students. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis regarding the recategorization of substances and high correlations were obtained between participants’ categorizations of substances and their explanations of physical changes of state, supporting the idea that the shift from categorizing substances based on their physical state to categorizing them based on their molecular structure is probably a prerequisite to a full understanding of the change of state of matter.

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