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ONLINE ISSN 1821-7249 2012: Volume 3, Issue 2, 544-551 Research Article Evaluation of Atomic Structure in Chemistry Textbooks Used in Secondary Schools in Tanzania Tumikia R. Sanga and Stelyus L. Mkoma* Department of Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3038, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania Received: 17 March 2012, Accepted: 04 December 2012 Published: 21 December 2012 ABSTRACT Teaching atomic structure within a history and philosophy of chemistry perspective has been recognized by researchers in science education. The present study aimed at evaluation of the presentation of chemistry textbooks used in secondary schools in Tanzania. The criteria used for evaluation were the atomic models of Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr and twenty seven chemistry textbooks were analyzed. Results obtained showed that none of the studied textbooks explained satisfactorily that Bohr’s model was based on an inconsistent foundation in which he ‘grafted’ Planck’s ‘quantum of action’ on to Maxwell’s electrodynamics. On the other hand few textbooks described satisfactory that Bohr had not even heard of the Balmer and Paschen formulae for hydrogen line spectrum, when he wrote the first version of his article; Similarly, The rivalry between Rutherford’s hypothesis of single scattering based on a single encounter and Thomson’s hypothesis of compound scattering led to a bitter dispute and the Thomson’s experiments on cathode rays were conducted to clarify the controversy with respect to the nature of cathode rays, that is charged particles or waves in the ether. Some textbooks explained satisfactorily that Rutherford’s model of the atom had to compete with that of Thomson; and that Bohr’s main objective was to explain the paradoxical stability of the Rutherford model. It is concluded that the inclusion of historical reconstructions of atomic structure in chemistry textbooks used in Tanzania can provide students with a better appreciation of the dynamics of scientific progress. KEYWORDS: Secondary schools, Chemistry textbooks, Atomic structure, Tanzania. INTRODUCTION Science education persists with presenting an idealized view of science as objective, detached and value free. Science curriculum must emphasize the study of the history of ideas and the evidence on which they are founded must lie at the core, which would provide students an opportunity to consider data which has no clear interpretation and to consider plural alternatives (Osborne, 2007). Also, science (e.g. atomic structure) cannot be taught as an unmitigated rhetoric of conclusions in which the current and temporary constructions of scientific knowledge are conveyed as empirical, literal, and irrevocable truths (Schwab, 1962). Atomic structure is a content of most chemistry courses in the world. Research in science education * Corresponding author Email: [email protected] has recognized the importance of teaching atomic structure within a history and philosophy of chemistry perspective (Atkins and Jones, 1997; Niaz, 1998; Justi and Gilbert, 2000; Taber, 2003; Rodríguez and Niaz, 2002). The inclusion of history and philosophy of science in the chemistry course contents facilitates both conceptual understanding and the various aspects of the nature of science (Taber, 2008). Historical reconstruction of atomic models can provide secondary students an opportunity to appreciate how scientists work and science progress. The history of atomic structure can provide a deeper level of understanding chemistry; also chemistry can be enhanced when shared in informative and interesting way. The history and philosophy of the structure of the atom shows that © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania http://www.sjut.org/journals/ojs/index.php/tajonas SANGA et al. data from Thomson’s cathode ray experiments, Rutherford’s alpha particle experiments and Bohr’s ‘quantum of action’ were difficult to understand and scientists presented alternative interpretations, which led to conflicts and controversies. These aspects have been analysed in chemistry textbooks by various studies around the word, however, no such similar study have been done in Tanzania. This paper therefore aimed for the first time to evaluate the presentation of atomic structure in chemistry textbooks used in Tanzania secondary schools based on the criteria developed by Niaz (1998). MATERIALS AND METHODS Criteria for textbooks evaluation The criteria used by Niaz (1998) were adopted in this study for the evaluation of atomic structure in chemistry textbooks used in Tanzania secondary schools. The symbols TS = Thomson; RF = Rutherford; and BH = Bohr were used to refer the criteria based on Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr principles, respectively. TS1- Cathode rays as charged particles or waves in the ether (Thomson, 1897; Achinstein, 1991). TS2- Determination of mass-to-charge ratio to decide whether cathode rays were ions or a universal charged particle (Thomson, 1897; Achinstein, 1991). RF1-Rutherford’s nuclear atom verses Thomson’s model of the atom (Rutherford, 1911; Niaz, 1994). RF2- Probability of large angle deflection verses deflection of 1 in 20,000 particles, as the atom is the seat of an intense electric field (Rutherford, 1911; Herron, 1977). RF3- Single/compound scattering of alpha particles (Rutherford, 1911; Wilson, 1983). BH1- Paradoxical stability of the Rutherford model of the atom (Bohr, 1913; Niaz, 1994). BH2- Bohr’s explanation of the hydrogen line spectrum (Bohr, 1913; Petrucci et al., 2002). BH3– Incorporation of Planck’s ideas – a deep philosophical chasm (Bohr, 1913; Holton, 1986). Besides these criteria, textbooks were also evaluated on the space utilized, mathematical details, illustrations of experimental apparatus and models. These criteria are considered to be related to the history and philosophy of science framework. 545 a) Space utilized (SU) by the textbooks; that is, number of pages used for presenting the work of Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr. b) Mathematical (MAT) details that complement to understand the atomic model. c) Illustrations of experimental apparatus (EXP) used by Thomson and Rutherford. d) Illustrations of the atomic models (MOD) of Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr. Classification and selection criteria for textbooks The following classifications were used as procedure for implementing the criteria to evaluate the chemistry textbooks. Based on the selected classification each textbook was awarded points. a) Satisfactory (SA = 2 points)– Treatment of the subject in the textbook is considered to be reasonable if the role of conflicting frameworks based on competing models of the atom is briefly described. b) Mention (ME = 1 point) – A simple statement of the conflicting frameworks or controversy without details. c) No mention (NO = 0 point) – No discussion about the conflicting frameworks. The following criteria were used to select the chemistry textbooks. a) Availability of chemistry textbooks in schools, public and private libraries. b) Inclusion of older and recent textbooks published below and above 2000 respectively c) Textbooks widely used by chemistry teachers and students in secondary schools in Tanzania. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Thomson criteria (TS1 and TS2) The results for the evaluation of chemistry textbooks based on the history and philosophy of science framework are shown in Table 1. It can be observed that only four of the textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) and one mentioned (ME) the conflicting framework; namely cathode rays could have been charged particles or waves in the ether (criterion TS1). As for TS2, only one textbook described satisfactorily (SA) that Thomson determined mass-to-charge ratio to decide if cathode rays were ions or a universal charge particle, whereas five textbooks mentioned (ME) it. An example that © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania SANGA et al. was considered as a satisfactory (SA) description of criterion TS2 was: Thomson proposed that cathode rays were universal charged particles and not ions (Raffan et al., 1975). In this case; First, Thomson computed cathode rays’ (electrons) charge-to-mass (e/m) ratio by measuring deflections in both electrical and magnetic field. Second, it was also known earlier that charge-tomass ratio for electrolysis is less than the carriers of the electricity in the cathode rays and takes different values for different gaseous ions. Rutherford (Criteria RF1, RF2, and RF3) Thirteen textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) that Rutherford’s model of the nuclear atom had to compete with the framework of Thomson’s model of the atom (criterion RF1), whereas fourteen textbooks only mentioned (ME) the conflict. An example that was considered as a satisfactory (SA) description of criterion RF1 was: In an alpha particle experiment of the Thomson model of atom also known as ‘plum-pudding’, it was 546 observed that most of the particles pass through with no deflection and a few particles pass through with little deflection or reflected backwards. Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) performed an alpha particle scattering experiment to verify the Thomson model. Rutherford concluded that rare scattering of particles at big angles may be explained by the presence in matter of a massive nucleus, the size of which is much smaller when compared to the atom (Raffan et al., 1975; Hunt, 1979; Sinclair and Afolayan, 1985). Rutherford proposed that the positive electricity and mass in an atom are concentrated in very small regions (Holderness and Lambert, 1987; Ryan, 2000; Mjema et al., 1990). Ten of the textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) and none mentioned it (ME) the rivalry that Rutherford’s model was not the large angle deflections of alpha particles but rather the knowledge that 1 in 20,000 particles deflected through large angles (criterion RF2). An example that TABLE 1: Evaluation of chemistry textbooks based on history and philosophy of science framework S/N Textbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Ann and Fullick, 2001 Atkinson and Hibbert, 2000 Cane and Sellwood, 1971 Cane and Sellwood, 1973 Chadwick, 1972 Clynes et al., 1981 Holderness and Lambert, 1987 Hunt, 1979 Hunt, 2000 King, 2005 Lambert and Mohamed, 1993 Lees and Payne, 2001 Lewis and Waller, 1980 Long and White, 1977 Mahumbwe et al., 2007 Maro-Gu´termann et al., 1989 Mason, 2008 McDuel, 1976 Mjema et al., 1990 Ndar’lu et al., 1993 Stephenson and Otter, 2008 Palmer and Shaw, 1980 Raffan et al., 1975 Ryan, 2000 Sinclair and Afolayan, 1985 Tanzania Institute of Education, 1995 Wilson and Newall, 1966 Criteria TS1 NO NO NO NO NO NO ME SA NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO SA NO SA NO NO SA TS2 NO NO NO NO NO ME ME ME NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO SA NO ME NO NO ME RFI ME ME SA SA ME SA SA ME ME ME SA ME SA ME ME ME ME ME SA ME SA SA SA SA SA ME SA RF2 NO NO NO SA NO NO SA SA NO NO NO NO SA NO NO NO NO NO NO SA SA SA SA SA NO NO SA RF3 NO NO NO ME NO ME SA SA NO NO ME NO SA NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO SA ME NO NO NO SA BHI NO NO ME ME NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ME NO NO SA SA NO NO NO SA BH2 NO NO SA ME NO NO ME NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO SA NO SA BH3 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO POINTS 1 1 5 7 1 4 9 8 1 1 3 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 4 12 7 7 4 1 13 Criteria: refer to materials and methods section © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania SANGA et al. was considered as a satisfactory (SA) description of criterion RF2 was: From the alpha particle experiments, it was observed that most of the particles pass through with no deflection; however, one alpha particle in 20,000 was deflected through an angle greater than 90°. If Thomson’s model in which the positive charge and the mass are distributed evenly throughout the atom was valid, alpha particles must pass through with little deflection and not scattered backwards. Rutherford therefore concluded the following from this observation: (a) Since most of the alpha particles pass through with no deflection, an atom must consist largely of empty space. (b) Since few alpha particles, atoms of helium with charge +2, were deflected through an angle greater than 90°, an atom must consist of a positively charged nucleus the size of which is much smaller when compared to the atom (Wilson and Newall, 1966; Sinclair and Afolayan, 1985; Holderness and Lambert, 1987; Ndar’lu et al., 1993). Five textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) that the crucial argument in favour of the rivalry between two conflicting frameworks, namely Rutherford’s hypothesis of single scattering and Thomson’s hypothesis of compound scattering (criterion RF3), put forward to explain Rutherford’s alpha particle experiments. None of the textbooks mentioned (ME) it, however, most of the textbooks presented Rutherford’s experiments as a ‘rhetoric of conclusions’ (Schwab, 1962) and the following is an example. Rutherford performed an experiment known as alpha particles scattering by sending alpha particles radiated from a radioactive source to a layer of goldfoil about 0.5 micron thick. Most of the alpha particles (99%) pass through with no deflection, whereas a very few alpha particles (1%) passed through with large deflection or scatter backwards. Rutherford concluded that the deflection of the very few alpha particles (1%) through an angle greater than 90° proved the presence of a massive nucleus while most of the particles (99%) passing through with no deflection proved the presence of a largely empty space in an atom (Wilson and Newall, 1966; Raffan et al., 1975; Holderness and Lambert, 1987). It is surprising to note that this presentation contrasts with the actual statement written by Rutherford (1911). 547 “The observations, however, of Geiger and Marsden on the scattering of alpha particles indicate that some of the alpha particles must suffer a deflexion of more than a right angle at a single encounter. They found, for example, that a small fraction of the incident alpha particles, about 1 in 20,000 were turned through an average angle of 90o in passing through a layer of gold-foil about .00004 cm. thick”. Bohr (Criteria BH1, BH2, and BH3) Three textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) or mentioned (ME) that Bohr’s main objective was to explain the paradoxical stability of the Rutherford model of the atom, which constituted a rival framework (criterion BH1). An example that was considered as a satisfactory (SA) description of criterion BH1 was: Describing atomic spectra based on Rutherford’s atom model is entirely invalid, since, in that model, the negatively charged electrons revolve around the positively charged atomic nucleus. However, Bohr’s model of spectral emission or absorption lines showed that atoms will only absorb or emit electromagnetic radiation at discrete frequencies (Wilson and Newall, 1966; Raffan et al., 1975). Three of the textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) and two mentioned (ME) the quantization of the Rutherford model of the atom within a historical perspective (criterion BH2). However, none of the textbooks described satisfactorily (SA) or mentioned (ME) how Bohr when faced with difficulties, often resort to contradictory ‘grafts’ that represent a deep philosophical chasm (criterion BH3). In contrast to both Thomson’s and Rutherford’s experiments, few textbooks (Wilson and Newall, 1966; Cane and Sellwood, 1971; Raffan et al., 1975; Stephenson and Otter, 2008) presented Bohr’s work as a ‘rhetoric of conclusions’ (Schwab, 1962). The following is an example of a textbook that was classified as no mention (NO) on criterion BH1. Because atoms consisted of a small dense positively charged nucleus surrounded by orbiting negatively charged electrons, there must be an attractive electrostatic force between two opposite charged particles, according to Coulomb's law. If there was no different force to compensate for the attractive electrostatic force, the electron would spiral into the nucleus. However, this does not occur. Thus, Niels Bohr proposed that there should be a centrifugal © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania SANGA et al. force originating from orbiting electrons (Atkison and Hibbert, 2000). It is interesting to compare the presentation of this textbook (Atkison and Hibbert, 2000) which was classified as no mention (NO) on Criterion BH1, with that of Wilson and Newall (1966) presented above, that was classified as Satisfactory (SA). The presentation by Atkison and Hibbert, (2000) has the following major problems: 1) It does not refer to the problematic nature (paradoxical stability) of Rutherford’s model of the atom; 2) It refers to Bohr having suggested, ‘a centrifugal force originating from orbiting electrons’. There is no evidence that Bohr may have suggested this. On the contrary, Bohr hypothesized that atoms will only absorb or emit electromagnetic radiation at discrete frequencies. This shows that this textbook makes a factual error and thus departs from the historical record. 548 Evaluation based on additional criteria Table 2 presents the results of evaluation of the chemistry textbooks used in secondary schools in Tanzania based on additional criteria, such as space utilized (SU) by the textbook, mathematical details (MAT), illustrations of experimental apparatus (EXP), and illustrations of the atomic models (MOD). It can be observed that, on average, textbooks that covered the subject devoted about 1 page to the work of Thomson, 2 pages to the work of Rutherford, and 3 pages to the work of Bohr. In the case of Thomson, six textbooks presented experimental details accompanied by illustrations, whereas six textbooks presented mathematical details of the determination of the mass-to-charge ratio by Thomson, and four textbooks presented illustrations of Thomson’s model of the atom. It is important to note that the rationale behind the determination of the mass-tocharge ratio by Thomson (criterion TS2) constitutes precisely the ‘heuristic principle’ (Schwab, 1974) of Thomson’s experimental work. TABLE 2: Evaluation of chemistry textbooks based on space utilized, mathematical details, illustration of experimental apparatus, and atomic models S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 SU 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.5 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.5 0.75 1.25 0.75 Thomson MAT EXP N N N N Y N Y N Y Y N N Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y N Y MOD Y N N N N Y N Y Y N N SU 0.25 0.25 1 0.5 1 2 1.25 2.5 0.5 1.5 1 1 1 0.5 0.25 1.25 Rutherford MAT EXP N N Y N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y N Y Y Bohr MOD Y N N N N Y Y Y Y N N Y Y N N N SU 3 0.5 1 1 0.25 0.5 O.75 0.5 1.5 1.25 MAT Y N N Y N N N N Y Y EXP N N N N N N N N N N MOD N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N The criteria are identified by Y = YES; N = NO; hyphen (–) = the text does not deal with the subject. © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania SANGA et al. In the case of Rutherford, ten textbooks presented experimental details accompanied by illustrations, whereas thirteen textbooks presented mathematical details and seven textbooks presented illustrations of Rutherford’s model of the atom. And, in the case of Bohr, four textbooks presented mathematical details to derive Bohr’s equation for calculating the allowed energies in a hydrogen atom, and eight textbooks presented illustrations of Bohr’s model of the atom. These results show that textbooks tend to emphasize experimental details, perhaps at the expense of mathematical and theoretical interpretations and illustrations of the atomic models. In the case of Bohr, textbooks emphasize the experimental details of the hydrogen line spectrum and ignore Bohr’s major contribution, that is, quantization of the Rutherford model of the atom (criterion BF2). Such graphic descriptions by textbooks demonstrate how experimental findings are important, whereas the theoretical details (heuristic principles) are important only if they can furnish observable (tangible) evidence. This illustrates the distinction between the methodological (experimental, emphasized by textbooks) and interpretative (heuristic principles) components, as conceptualized by Schwab (1974). Presentations of textbooks that emphasize only the empirical findings, inevitably leads to a rhetoric of conclusions (Schwab, 1962). The experimental details mean nothing in the absence of a theoretical framework relating to the instrumentation. This leads to a dilemma: are the textbook authors deliberately ignoring theoretical and historical details, or just assuming they have provided enough background for the student to interpret the results? A definitive answer would require further study. Nevertheless, given the widespread use of such presentations, it is plausible to suggest that it represents the empiricist epistemology of the textbook authors. Table 3 shows that none of the textbooks had satisfactory classification on criteria BH3 and few textbooks were classified satisfactory on criteria BH1, BH2, RF3, TS2 and TS1. Criterion BH3 could provide the opportunity to make students aware as to how Bohr’s theory was ‘grafted’ on to Maxwell’s electrodynamics. Criterion BH2 is good indicator of the ‘Baconian’ orientation of the textbooks and also the lack of a historical perspective. There is enough historical evidence to show that Bohr’s main concern was the paradoxical stability of the Rutherford atom, * Corresponding author Email: [email protected] 549 and that at first he was not even aware of the problems associated with atomic spectra. Criterion RF3 is a good example of how two famous scientists (Thomson and Rutherford) could not agree on the interpretation of their experimental data. Despite the close relationship between the two, the controversy was bitter and lasted for many years (Wilson, 1983). Criterion TS1 dealt with the context in which Thomson conducted his experiments, namely to clarify a controversy over the nature of cathode rays: charged particles or waves in the ether. Inclusion of this aspect in the textbooks would help students to understand that experiments are generally designed to solve and throw light on an existing problem in the scientific community. Although a detailed comparison with other studies is not direct, the presentation of atomic structure in chemistry textbooks used in Tanzania secondary schools is in line to that of chemistry textbooks used in other countries around the word (Chiappetta et al., 1991; Harrison and Treagust, 1996; Niaz, 1998; Abd-ElKhalick et al., 2008). TABLE 3: Distribution of chemistry textbooks used in Tanzania according to criteria and classification Atomic model SA TS1 TS2 RF1 RF2 RF3 BH1 BH2 BH3 4 2 13 10 5 3 3 - ME 1 4 14 - 4 3 2 - NO 22 21 - 17 18 21 22 27 CONCLUSION This study shows that the chemistry textbooks used in curriculum for secondary schools in Tanzania generally lack a history and philosophy of science perspective. None of the studied textbooks explained satisfactorily that Bohr’s model was based on an inconsistent foundation in which he ‘grafted’ Planck’s ‘quantum of action’ on to Maxwell’s electrodynamics (criterion BH3). On the other hand few textbooks described satisfactory that Bohr had not even heard of the Balmer and Paschen formulae for hydrogen line spectrum, when he wrote the first version of his article (criterion BH2); Similarly, The rivalry between Rutherford’s hypothesis of single scattering based on a single encounter and Thomson’s hypothesis of compound scattering led to a bitter dispute (criterion RF3) and the Thomson’s experiments on cathode rays were conducted to © 2012, St. John’s University of Tanzania http://www.sjut.org/journals/ojs/index.php/tajonas SANGA et al. clarify the controversy with respect to the nature of cathode rays, that is charged particles or waves in the ether (criterion TS1). In recent years universities authorities (including Sokoine University of Agriculture) have encouraged its faculty academic members of staff to engage in science education research specifically publishing textbooks that could be used by secondary school students. It is plausible to suggest that this may encourage faculty members to use in the classroom research articles alongside the textbooks. Furthermore, it may stimulate some textbook authors interested in research to incorporate the criteria presented in this study. Finally, science education in the 21st century cannot continue to repeat the rhetoric of conclusions, but rather break the mould and provide students an insight into the dynamics of scientific progress. Textbooks, instead of forcing students to memorize facts, can provide historical reconstructions based on the development of scientific theories that frequently involve controversies, conflicts and rivalries among scientists. Such presentations can stimulate students to think that all the work has not yet been done and scientific progress needs their contribution. 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