Özet:

The aim of this study is assessing high school students’ levels of understanding of the atom concept. The descriptive research method was used in this study. The data for the study has been obtained from a total of 271 senior class students from seven state high schools by applying a 12 item test and a further interview-about-events interview of 10 students. The reliability coefficient has been found as 0,72. The data has been analyzed as frequencies and percentages. The findings showed that nearly three quarters of secondary education students comprehended the atom concept. Nearly 42 % of them did not understood the atom concept and related misconceptions have been determined. The first misconception was the statement that “The Atom is the smallest particle of matter that is indivisible into it’s particles”. It has been further found that most students partially understood the constitution of the atom and that 20 % did not understand, and misconceptions in this issue have been noted. The misconceptions were that “the atom was in the shape of a sphere”, “the nucleus of the atom was sphere shaped”, “the electrons moved on particular trajectories” and “the atom consists of a nucleus, electrons and trajectories”. Although the understanding levels of high school students of the atom concept was found as high, most of them understood the structure of the atom incomplete and some misconceptions on both issues existed. It has been found that half of the students were unaware of sub-atom particles as quarks, leptons, gluons, muons and similar particles. The conclusion of the study involved suggestions aimed at the resolution of the misconceptions and deficits

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