• Assafuah-Drokow Anthony

Abstract: Most senior high school (SHS) students have learning difficulties in balancing simple chemical equations (BSCE) as a concept. This study was designed to explore the kinds of conceptual understanding of SHS chemistry students towards the concept under study with the intent of identifying and isolating their possible misconceptions. Eighty-five (85) first year chemistry students of 2 intact classes from a SHS in the Cape-Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana were purposively selected and used as a sample size for the study. An adapted interview schedule from Haider (1995) was used in the form of survey to explore the kinds of the conceptions these students had on BSCE. Types of students’ conceptual understanding of the concept were evaluated with a scheme originally developed by Piaget. The descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) of the students who had various kinds of misconceptions were calculated. The findings from the study revealed that the students’ conceptual understanding of BSCE concept spanned from sound understanding to no understanding. Eleven (11) common patterns of misconceptions were identified among the students. It was recommended that chemistry teachers should use innovative strategies to probe students’ conceptual understanding that are often in conflict with the accepted scientific explanations on various scientific concepts and adopt effective interventions to deal with such conceptions.

Keywords:- Conceptual, misconceptions, alternative, sound understanding, partial understanding

"SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF BALANCING SIMPLE CHEMICAL EQUATIONS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 7, page no.433-439, July-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1807308.pdf

"SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF BALANCING SIMPLE CHEMICAL EQUATIONS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 7, page no. pp433-439, July-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1807308.pdf