Identifying Misconceptions Related to Chemical Bonding Concepts in the Slovak School System Using the Bonding Representations Inventory as a Diagnostic Tool

Abstract

In this article we present the results of a study in which we tested the use of the experimental inventory BRI (Bonding Representations Inventory), developed by Cynthia J. Luxford and Stacey Lowery Bretz. The aim of our study was to test the usability of the experimental instrument in the Slovak educational system and to identify concrete misconceptions in the theme of chemical bonding. In the conclusion, we compare the results obtained with the use of BRI in the USA educational system and the Slovak educational system. We point to the possibility of using BRI in a different educational system. The results of the prestudy and the main study showed that the BRI diagnostic instrument for identifying students’ misconceptions is applicable outside the USA didactic system, for which it was developed.