Macro-meso-micro thinking with structure-property relations for chemistry education: an explorative design based study

Abstract

‘You went deeper, step by step, towards a level with a lower scale’. This is a statement of a student that is characteristic for macro-micro thinking in this thesis. Macro-micro thinking refers to a way of reasoning, using causal relations between properties of materials and submicroscopic models of molecules and atoms. Properties are caused by interactions between structures with a scale of meso levels, in between the macro and submicro level. This way of macro-micro thinking is common for experts in chemical engineering, material science and biochemistry. This study focuses on the use of macro-micro thinking with structure-property relations in upper secondary chemistry education in such a way that it is relevant from the students’ perspective. This means that the context, the enactment of each teaching-learning activity and the extension of knowledge with regard to necessary chemical concepts are relevant for the students. An adapted version of an authentic practice is used as a context. The design and evaluation of a unit on macro-micro thinking with structure-property relations are described in three chapters on the context, the sequence and the content of teaching-learning activities. This research aims at a better understanding of the design principles and the framework of learning phases, and the extent to which the intended effects are realized. In this study a specific approach of design-based research was used. This approach is described in a separate chapter and illustrated with examples from the studies on macro-micro thinking.