The Conceptual Profile of Molecule as a Manifestation of Representational Pluralism in Chemistry

We assume the existence of conceptual profiles as a manifestation of pluralism in science education. This means recognizing the heterogeneity of thinking and speaking, that is, the coexistence of two or more meanings of the same word or concept that are accessed and used by the individual in appropriate contexts. Science is not a homogeneous way of knowing and provides multiple ways of seeing the world, which can exist together within the same individual and be used in different contexts. Scholars of conceptual profiles are interested in investigating how science teaching could be designed to effectively address heterogeneity of thinking as teachers attempt to create conditions for students to understand and learn scientific concepts. In this work, we present a conceptual profile of the molecule consisting of six zones (first principles, substantialism, geometrically arranged atoms, compositionist, interactionist, and modern molecule), revealing the relationship between this conceptual profile and the pluralism of molecular representations. We also present the ontological and epistemological commitments that shape these zones as well as the ways of speaking that were identified in the empirical data and the relationships with the pluralism of molecule representations. We then explore an activity designed to make explicit the use of zones in this profile and applied at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, seeking to identify how students at different levels of education access the different zones.