Exploring grade 12 learners’ graphical interpretation of rate and extent of reaction: a case study of King Cetshwayo district grade 12 learners

Graphs are very important in all areas of science, and they are an essential part of tertiary, high school, and primary school curricula around the world. A solid understanding of graph interpretation is essential for understanding today's world and becoming a scientifically literate. However, graph interpretation is a complex and challenging activity. The aim of this study was to explore learners’ graphical interpretation of the rate and extent of reaction topic. A mixed-method explanatory sequential design was adopted for this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample participants from the accessible population in King Cetshwayo District KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. One-hundred and forty-six (146) grade 12 Physical Sciences learners, formed the sample from King Cetshwayo District. A validated three-tier diagnostic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings indicated that learners rely on definitions to interpret graphs. Most of the learners failed to interpret the surface features of the graphs. Interpretations were ranked hierarchical (Curcio’s levels) to measure learners’ graphical literacy and most learners struggled with lower levels. The findings of this study are diagnostic and they assist module designers and educators in determining challenges learner’s face when interpreting graphs in chemistry. Further studies are needed to determine how surface features can be employed to address graphical interpretation in chemical kinetics.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Zululand

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Qwabe, Zanele Mary-Jane

Licence

• https://uzspace.unizulu.ac.za/bitstreams/8585dd8f-8d17-4707-b4f7-eb3341ce5637/download