Abstract

CALLONE, Cecilia  and  TORRES, Noemí. Why can semiotic representations be barriers to understanding?: A study in the acid-base issue. Educ. quím [online]. 2013, vol.24, n.3, pp.288-297. ISSN 0187-893X.

In this paper we present the results obtained by investigating the responses of students at a first university chemistry course when faced with the same situation in the topic acid-base, expressed by different semiotic representations. The analysis of these results allowed us: 1) To assess the students' understanding of the raised situation. According to Duval (1999) a necessary condition for comprehension is that individuals can turn a semiotic register into another one. In this paper we point out that this is not sufficient. 2) To detail explicitly some erroneous conceptual regularities kept up by students, and 3) Underlying the answers to the given test, some implicit assumptions of epistemological and ontological origin could be recognized.

Keywords : semiotic representations; acid-base; comprehension obstacles; ontological categories; misconceptions; domain theory.