Modeling skills of pre-service chemistry teachers in predicting the structure and properties of inorganic chemistry compounds

Abstract

The focus of chemistry is learning about the composition, properties, and transformations of matters. Modeling skills are required to comprehend structure and chemical composition in submicroscopic size. Modeling skills are abilities to produce chemical structure and to explain it into the macroscopic phenomenon and submicroscopic representations. Inorganic chemistry is a study of whole elements in the periodic table and their compounds, except carbon compounds and their derivatives. Knowledge about the structure and properties of chemical substances is a basic model for students in studying inorganic chemistry. Furthermore, students can design and produce to utilize materials needed in their life. This research aimed to describes modeling skills of pre-service chemistry teachers. In order, they are able to determine and synthesize useful materials. The results show that students' modeling skills were in a low level and unable connecting skill categories, even the models of inorganic compounds common. These phenomena indicated that students only describe each element when they learn inorganic chemistry. So that it will make modeling skills of students low. Later, another researches are necessary to develop learning design of inorganic chemistry based on good modeling skills of students.