Analysis of misconceptions in chemical equilibrium among senior secondary school students in Ilesa Metropolis in Osun State, Niger

Physical chemistry has been an aspect of chemistry which students find difficult at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. In the past, the effort of researchers has been focused on the research that will identify various causal factors which can be attributed to the performance of the learners in this aspect of chemistry. Also, very few experimental studies, has been carried out to improve students’ performance. In order to find the right bases for all research that will improve students’ achievement, there is a need to profile the misconceptions in the aspect of physical chemistry which is chemical equilibrium. The purpose of this study is to determine students’ misconceptions regarding the concepts of chemical equilibrium. To diagnose students' misconceptions in this area, a two-tier multiple-choice question on chemical equilibrium test was administered to 300 high school students in Ilesa Metropolis of Osun- state, Nigeria. Descriptive analysis was used in analyzing the data, students’ responses in a Chemical Equilibrium Misconception Test (CEMT) were categorized. The results revealed widespread misconceptions among students in the areas related to (1) equilibrium constant (2) heterogeneous Equilibrium (3) Approach to chemical equilibrium, (4) Application of Le-Chatelier Principle and (5) adding a catalyst.