Chemistry students understanding of Lewis Structure, Molecular Geometry & Symmetry: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1st, 2nd & 3rd Year Chemistry Students
Habiddin Habiddin, Lilla Farizka

Chemistry Department, Universitas Negeri Malang

Abstract

Most chemical concepts are abstract, hierarchical, and constructed from elementary to complex concepts. If students grasp the initial concept in line with the new concept linked to create a new concept structure, the new concept will be associated effectively. Lewis structure, molecular geometry, and molecular symmetry have a hierarchical idea, so the difficulty in understanding Lewis structure and molecular geometry will impact their comprehension of symmetry material. This study attempts to characterise and determine the relationship between students^ knowledge of Lewis structure, molecular geometry, and molecular symmetry in the first, second, and third years of chemistry students. The instrument was relevant short questions on the three topics. The data were evaluated using nonparametric statistics, especially the Kruskal Wallis difference test and the Spearman Rank correlation test. We found a distinction between the level of student lectures and the comprehension of Lewis Structure, Molecular Geometry, and Symmetry concepts. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the level of student lectures and the comprehension of the material.

Keywords: understanding chemical concepts, cross-sectional study, chemistry student

Topic: Chemistry Education