Moeilijkheden van leerlingen met het gebruik van betrekkingen bij het oplossen van scheikunde-opgaven

This article discusses the difficulties secondary school students experience
when solving chemica1 problems, and the probable causes for these difficulties.
A simplified model of the problem-solving process is used to analyze the
causes of these difficulties. This model is based on the characterization of the
problem-solving process as an analysis of the problem situation, followed by
transformations of the problem, using quantitative and/or qualitative relations
(principles). Using this model for the analysis of student errors in final examination papers in chemistry, it is found that errors concerning principles form an important part of the total number of mistakes. The most frequently occurring errors are on the one hand, errors in choosing valid principles, and on the other hand, errors in the analysis of the problem situation, whereby students
fail to recognize characteristics which can connect the data with principles for
transformation of the data. Two possible causes of these errors are discussed.
Student errors can be partly connected with shortcomings in the examination
program and in textbooks concerning principles. Apart from giving more attention to principles in teaching and learning processes, it is recommended to
give more attention to the wording of principles in the final examination program and in textbooks, based in content-oriented educational research and
development.