The effect of teaching basic chemistry concepts with argumentation method supported by concept cartoons on pre-service teachers' understanding of chemical representations

The study aims to determine the effect of the argumentation method supported by concept cartoons on first-year biology teacher candidates' understanding of chemical representations related to basic chemistry concepts (pure substance, molecule, atom, ion, particle, element, compound, aqueous solution). One-group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The sample of the research consists of 16 first-year biology teacher candidates studying at Balıkesir University. Concept cartoons were prepared by the researcher and the instruction lasted for nine weeks. "Chemical Representation Concept Test" developed by Gkitzia, Salta and Tzougraki (2019) and "Semi-structured Interview Questions" were used as data collection tools. In the research, the chemical presentation concept test was applied to the teacher candidates as a pre-test and post-test. While SPSS 23 package program was used in the analysis of quantitative data, the analysis of qualitative data was carried out with content analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that the lessons carried out according to the argumentation method supported with concept cartoons statistically significantly increased the success of pre-service teachers in understanding chemical representations. In addition, it was determined that there was a positive improvement in the pre-service teachers' submicroscopic drawings and transitions between chemical representations in the posttest. It was determined that the pre-service teachers found the lessons conducted according to the concept cartoon-supported argumentation method enjoyable, they thought that such lessons increased the permanence of knowledge and helped them develop a positive attitude towards the chemistry lesson.