Construction of Relations between Concepts Relating to Structural Field and the Field of Chemical Kinetics by Undergraduate Students in the Acceptance of Conceptual Field Theory

Abstract

The aim of the present study is comprised by the identification of conceptual content and the cognitive processes, under the Conceptual Fields Theory, involved in the resolution of tasks on the interface of Structural Chemistry and Chemical Kinetics by undergraduate students. The results show that students have difficulties in establishing relevant conceptual relationships and that if these relationships are available they are characterized by the establishment of dependency relations as a thinking operator linked to the concepts of Chemical Kinetics and structure characterizing an operative invariant. The importance of the constant mediation by professors during learning and concept articulation is critical.