The effect of a multimedia application in the oxidation-reduction reactions learning processes

Editor's Notes

• #2: Good morning everybody. My name is María del Mar López, I work at University of Málaga. Firstly I would like to express my thanks to the organization to let me present this work entitled the effect of a multimedia application in order to improve the oxidation reduction reaction learning process.
• #3: Chemistry lecturers at the University are faced with the problem of lack of interest in this subject. This issue appears in general when students have to study chemistry, but it is especially huge in engineering degrees students. This lack of interest makes difficult a significant learning of chemistry, causing a mechanical acquisition of knowledge, as a consequence a poor retention and understanding. As Golombek said Maybe especially in Science, only one can be educated on this subject, if the student is really interest in the subject matter"
• #4: This problem has been recognized as “chemophobia" (Ollino, Revecco and Alarcon, 2007), The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry defines chemophobia as an "irrational fear of chemicals". There are various causes that have been suggested in the literature. According to some researchers (Oliveret al, 2011;. Perich, 2008) this is due mainly to poor training in this this Subject during Secondary (Middle and High School) (Perich, 2008); and the manner in which its contents are taught, which is insufficient to allow an understanding of the subject. Este problema ha sido denominado por algunos autores como “quimifobia” (Ollino, Revecco y Alarcón, 2007). Diversas son las causas que se han apuntado en la bibliografía al respecto. Según algunas investigaciones (Oliveret al., 2011; Perich, 2008)  esto es debido principalmente, a una escasa formación en esta asignatura durante la Enseñanza Secundaria (Secundaria y Bachillerato) (Perich, 2008);   así como a la forma en la que se enseñan sus contenidos, que se muestra insuficiente para permitir la comprensión de la asignatura.  
• #5: Every year, the first day of my Chemistry classes, I find the same problems. Most of the Students of Mechanical Engineering Degree think this subject should not be present in their programming, will not be useful throughout either professional career or academic degree. It is the reason why teachers should: make understand that chemistry is necessary for both professional and academic future. And on the other hand , we should make attractive Chemistry, changing the used teaching methods.
• #6: Furthermore, most of us knows that Chemistry is not an easy discipline. Chemistry is an experimental science that involves the management of several concepts and principles which implicate a high level of abstraction whose understanding provides severe difficulties for many students. In these cases chemistry goes between a microscopic level (concept of atoms, atomic theories, etc.) to the macroscopic and symbolic perspective (solutions, equilibria, etc.) (Juarez et al., 2013). In spite of the fact that students think that Chemistry is not an useful subject, Chemistry studies the composition, structure, properties and change of matter. Chemistry is chiefly concerned with atoms and molecules and their interactions and transformations, for example, the properties of the chemical bonds formed between atoms to create chemical compounds. As such, chemistry studies the involvement of electrons and various forms of energy in photochemical reactions, changes in phases of matter, and separation of mixtures. 
• #7: On the other hand, Majorities of people in many parts of the world hold negative opinions of chemistry. According to Schummer, Bensaude-Vincent and Van Tiggelen (2006) every scientific disciplines, specially, chemistry seems to be having a negative image, being popularly associated with poisons, hazards, chemical warfare, pollution, through pseudo-scientific aspects of alchemy, witchcraft and even schizophrenia of mad scientists 
• #8: Different surveys show that students´ opinions demonstrate their negative attitude towards the study of Chemistry, some examples say: "do not really need chemistry" “ the first years of degree are worse; we have so much chemistry "(De Moran, De Ballaude and De Zamora 1995). Due to this fact, at the very beginning of the course I must explain properly our subject, I mean, Chemistry Subject, and therefore, I need to explain when the different concepts that we will learn during the course, they will be used or reused in another subject during their degree or after that, when they will working as engineer. When each topic is explained I try to relate this with the reality that they will encounter when they are working. For example, Sheet metal of cars are galvanized in order to prevent corrosion, this is a redox reaction. On the other hand, I try to explain different phenomenon which happen in our every day life, for instance when we boil an egg, you are making chemistry, when you dissolve cola cao , or when you try to join different metallic pieces, or so on. 
• #9: In order to increase motivation about this subject and solve tis problems, I have employed computer simulations. Teaching chemistry with a multimedia application has an advantage over traditional approaches for several reasons. This application allows student to be more nearly engaged with complex concepts. On the other hand, traditional chemistry classes tend to focus on the repetition of mathematical problems, and the memorization of chemistry facts and tables. Undergraduates find this uninspiring, and irrelevant to their lives. Opposite to teach with a context based approach of chemistry lends itself to topics and tasks that are interesting, relevant and effective for conceptual learning, [8]. In this case we have done some research on the oxidation-reduction, focused on the difficulties of students to correctly identify the oxidation and reduction reactions [9-11]. One reason for this difficulty is that chemistry teachers and textbooks often use more than one definition of the processes of oxidation and reduction. These definitions include the method of electron, the number of oxidation methods, the method of oxygen, the method of hydrogen, and others. The goal of this study was to identify student errors as they attempted to interpret and explain the chemical processes. Most research involving the use of computer animations of chemical reactions at the particulate level have focused on instructional interventions to improve students´ conceptual understanding of these chemical processes [13-18]. This research involves the use of qualitative y quantitative test and questionnaires to identify students ‘misconceptions. The effectiveness of using computer animations of chemical processes at the particulate level is based on Mayer´s cognitive theory of multimedia learning [19]. This theory assumes that leaners possess separate cognitive channels for processing visual and auditory information.    
• #10: The study was carried out during the course 2013-2014. The sample consisted of 35 volunteer students (85 males and 5 females) from three different classes, at the first course of Mechanical Engineer degree at University of Málaga, during the first semester; introductory chemistry course taught by two different chemistry instructors, two of three were conducted by me. The students came from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The student attitudes towards taking chemistry were varied. But the vast majority of them were there do not love chemistry, and they were there simply because they needed to pass the exams to obtain the degree.
• #11: This study was created as a descriptive study in which the survey technique was used. Each student made 5 or 4 tests depending on the group. The three groups which had participated, had the same experience in working with chemicals in lab, and two of the all three had attended the same computer simulations. Students´ responses were analysed using a Likert scale. The scale of the test was a five point Likert type scale with a range of five options. The positive items range from 5= Certainly Agree to 1 = Certainly Disagree.
• #12: The relevant knowledge before and after the use of visual tools was identified using a pre- and post- test. What they thought that they knew about the topic was measured using a Questionnaire, before and after the use of the visual tools. And finally, only two groups, which had used the visual tools, answered the utility test about the visual tools.
• #13: The computer animation used in this research was the following. Computer animation. This program was about the zinc-copper reaction, it was animated as two dimensional and when two objects approach each other, they were animated as colliding and bouncing off each other. The total viewing time for this animation is less than 1 minute. The animation started with several zinc atom circles in an organized patter placed against a grey background (water). Floating freely in the water were some cupper atoms with a “2+” symbol on them (cation of copper) and the double number of atom clusters containing atom with a “-“ symbol on it surrounded by nitrate ions. The reaction occurs when one copper atom approach one zinc atom and the electrons are transferred from copper to zinc. And now, the zinc atoms have “2+” symbol on it and become smaller and at the same time, each copper atom becomes larger and loses its “2+” symbol
• #14: The reaction occurs when one copper atom approach one zinc atom and the electrons are transferred from copper to zinc. And now, the zinc atoms have “2+” symbol on it and become smaller and at the same time, each copper atom becomes larger and loses its “2+” symbol.
• #15: The design can be used for any chemistry topic that will require a scientifically acceptable mental model of the molecular world. In this case, the learning process will be improved because this learning experience would involve student to observe a chemical phenomenon, in particularly, a chemical reaction as a lecture demonstrations and then, it will be viewed an animation multimedia application about the phenomenon at the molecular level, which will be explained by a narrator. And eventually, the students will adapt their mental model to explain a similar phenomenon with a analogous substance or reactions. this type of learning provides some advantages as construct scientifically acceptable mental models of substances and reactions at the molecular level which will be able to apply in other new models to new substances and reactions. Furthermore, it will be possible that the student use their models to understand new chemistry concepts that require a molecular level.
• #16: About the test of knowledge I could say that The highest post test scores about the knowledge were obtained by students with high prior knowledge. And greatest gains were achieved by students with low prior knowledge Animation encourages students with low prior knowledge to develop new ideas to create their mental models. Turning to some qualitative aspects of the use of the simulations, discussions with the students after the intervention showed that most students initially assumed that the simulation did not help them in the solution of the problems but were useful in helping with the proper application of the equations. Further discussion revealed some interesting aspects of the students´ attitudes, with several of them admitting that through the simulation they clarified their minds. Por otro lado, se estudio el resutado de os post test de conocimiento. Los resultados de las post pruebas de conocimientos más altos fueron obtenidos por los estudiantes con alto conocimiento previo. Animación anima a los estudiantes a desarrollar nuevas ideas para crear sus modelos mentales. En cuanto a algunos aspectos cualitativos del uso de las simulaciones, las discusiones con los estudiantes después de la intervención mostraron que la mayoría de los estudiantes asumieron inicialmente que la simulación no les sirviria de nada en la solución de los problemas, pero eran útiles para ayudar a la correcta aplicación de las ecuaciones . Pero finalmente reveló algunos aspectos interesantes de las acciones y actitudes de los alumnos, varios de ellos admitieron que a través de la simulación habian aclarado algo en sus mentes.
• #17: In the table you can see the questions about its utility in the survey on the usefulness of the multimedia application. There are five possible answers, where 1 is disagree and 5 strongly agree.
• #18: , Students were administrated the questionarie after the use of the mutimedia application about REDOX reactions. We have 13 stametements A selection of five on the positve response statements indicated a favorable attitude about the utility of the application In Figure it can be seen as mostly the average of these statements showed an overall positive response statements .The majority of the each student average of the response statements shown are positive, more than 2.5.
• #19: The use of computer simulation can be helpful in improving problem solving. We recognize that other types of intervention might have been equally effective; but the issue here was whether a particular approach would be effective. The results of this study are based on a survey purpose after the use of a multimedia application in order to improve the learning process about REDOX reactions. This, is based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, which assumes that learners process information through a dual coding capability involving a auditory/verbal channel and a visual/pictorial channel [24, 25]. Students would learn better with words and pictures. As we know, students attitude regarding the difficulty of chemistry lesson are related to concepts, symbols, etc. Because of this, the student find the application uses useful to transfer from macroscopic level to microscopic or/ and symbolic level [26]. The student attitude regarding the utility of the REDOX multimedia application at this lesson, are almost neutral. Nevertheless, the vast majority of students recognize that chemistry knowledge is useful to interpret aspect of their everyday life, but not many of them express their wish to continue chemistry studies.