How Does Argumentation-based Instruction Affect Pre-service Science Teachers’ Conceptual Understanding of Organic Chemistry? The Case of Aromatic Compounds

Aromatic compounds is one of the fundamental topics in Organic Chemistry. For this reason, creating learning environments that will contribute to pre-service teachers’ meaningful understanding of aromatic compounds is of importance. The purpose of this study was to explore whether argumentation-based instruction has an effect on the conceptual understanding of pre-service science teachers in the topic of aromatic compounds. In pursuit of this aim, the study was conducted in quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test and control group design during the 2016-2017 academic year at the Science Education Division of a university in Turkey. Two classes were randomly selected as an experimental insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(N=30); and a control group insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(N=35);. The data collection instruments used in the study were pre- and post-tests, consisting of 10 open-ended questions. Following the application of the pre-test, the topic of aromatic compounds was taught in the control group with the basis of the traditional teaching method; the experimental group was taught using argumentation-based instruction. The instruction in the experimental group was carried out with 6 argumentation activities under the headings of “conditions of aromaticity,” “properties of aromatic hydrocarbons,” and “naming aromatic compounds.” The independent samples t-test showed that the pre-test scores of the experimental and control groups had no significant difference between them, but that the experimental group presented a difference as opposed to the other group in the post-test. All of these findings showed that the pre-service science teachers receiving argumentation-based instruction were much more successful in their conceptual understanding of the topic of aromatic compounds.