SMALL-SCALE AND SMARTPHONE-BASED COLORIMETRIC EXPERIMENTS TO ENHANCE GRADE-11 STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium among 11th-grade students using the 5E inquiry learning framework, in which the students were requested to conduct small-scale experiments on chemical equilibrium and factors influencing the equilibrium and the smartphone-based colorimetric determination of Kc. The data collection included two instruments: a two-tier diagnostic conceptual test with the reliability (KR20) of 0.82 and a semi-structured interview form. Thirty-one students participated in three 2-h 5E learning sessions, totaling 6 h. A paired-samples t-test revealed that the post-conceptual test scores (mean 31.46, standard deviation 6.82, 69.91%) were significantly higher than the pretest scores (mean 11.85, standard deviation 10.80, 26.33%) at a significance level of 0.05, with a normalized gain of 0.59, indicating a medium improve-ment. Most students progressed from the less accurate category, Partial Understanding with Specific Misunder-standing (PMU, 42.39%), to a more precise category, Partial Understanding (45.38%). Semi-structured interviews suggested that the 5E inquiry approach, using small-scale and smartphone-based colorimetric experiments, was engaging and effective in improving students’ conceptual understanding. This intervention helped students shift their understanding of chemical reactions toward more accurate categories.