AUGMENTED REALITY TO ACHIEVE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRIPLE NATURE OF CHEMICAL CONCEPTS

The research project aims to explain strategies for learning specific chemical concepts at three levels of their presentation. The presentation of science concepts at three levels is particularly important in teacher education and in the development of their pedagogical competencies. In the last forty years, this has been an important area of research both at home and abroad. The three levels of representation of chemical concepts are based on the fact that it is possible to represent chemical concepts through the experimental work or observation of the phenomena (macroscopic level), through the interpretation of these observations at the level of interactions between particles (submicroscopic level), and at the level of recording the interpretations using various symbols with specific meanings (symbolic level). The research problem of this project consists of two parts. In the first part, the augmented reality of the submicroscopic level of reversible and irreversible chemical phenomena is integrated through experimental work that is part of the pre-service primary school teacher education program in the field of chemical contents. The purpose is to determine the extent to which such an approach promotes the development of a deeper understanding of chemical concepts in pre-service primary school teachers. In the second part, pre-service chemistry teachers will learn about approaches for using augmented reality in primary and secondary chemistry classrooms. A variety of data collection techniques are used to interpret the triple nature of chemical concept learning strategies, ranging from those that are less classical in education and applied in cognitive science (e.g., eye trackers) to those that are more standard in science education research (questionnaires, tests, and knowledge tests). Since it is impossible to unambiguously clarify the complex cognitive processes, it is useful to use triangulation of data collection techniques and also to analyze more complex data. Based on these results, it is possible to model and derive more precisely the ongoing cognitive processes during specific mental activities. Based on the results of this empirical research, it will be possible to explain the process of learning the triple nature of chemical concepts using augmented reality at the submicroscopic and symbolic level of representations of chemical concepts. It will be possible to define more precisely subject-specific competencies that are important for training elementary science teachers and chemistry teachers. At the same time, it will be possible to develop a model for teaching the triple nature of chemical concepts at all levels of education. The research results, the guidelines for teaching and learning the triple nature of chemical concepts, and the developed modules with integrated visualized elements of augmented reality will be the basis for preparing national and international scientific publications. The project is divided into six work packages (Core contents identification, Research design and pilot study, Designing and developing Augmented reality (AR) applications, Main study, Dissemination and Project management) that will guide the activities during the three years of the project.