The analysis of chemical representations in science and chemistry textbooks

This study aims to analyze chemical representations in secondary school science and high school chemistry textbooks. Within the scope of the study, chemical representations in the chemistry units of secondary school science textbooks and high school chemistry textbooks were analyzed and compared on a class basis. Secondary school science and high school chemistry textbooks were used as data collection tools. The representations were analyzed according to the criteria developed Gkitzia, Salta and Tzougraki (2011) and two criteria (process and structure) determine Akaygün (2018). Result of the study; It has been seen that the images in the chemistry units in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade science textbooks are primarly used in macroscopic representation, their descriptive features are generally unclear, and the text and images are entirely related and connected. Visual titles are mostly not used in the images in the 5th and 7th grade textbooks, it has been observed that the appropriate visual title is mostly used in the images in the 6th and 7th grade textbooks. It was seen that while there were no multiple representations in the 5th grade visuals, the multiple representations in the 6th, 7th and 8th- grade visuals were sufficiently related to each other. When the visuals in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th-grade chemistry books of high school are examined; it was determined that the most macroscopic representation was the type of representation, and hybrid representation in the 12th-grade textbook. While the descriptive feature of the representations could have been clearer at all grade levels, it was found that most of the text and visuals were completely related and connected. When the images in high school chemistry books are examined in terms of the relationship between multiple representations, it is observed that the link in the images in the 9th and 11th-grade textbooks is insufficient, in contrast the connection in the 10th and 12th-grade textbooks is sufficient.