Abstract By using a questionnaire survey and higher-order confirmatory factor analysis, this study examined the structure and level of chemical fundamental ideas expressed by 410 in-service and pre-service chemistry teachers. Results showed that these chemistry teachers’ chemical fundamental ideas consisted of knowledge-oriented (i.e., ideas about element, particle, and change), methodology-oriented (i.e., ideas about classification and experimentation), and value-oriented (i.e., ideas about green-chemistry and the chemistry-society relationship) ideas. Besides, both in-service and pre-service teachers were found to express satisfactory chemical fundamental ideas, while the former outperformed the latter. Suggestions for chemistry teacher education were thus provided.
DENG Feng, WANG Xi-Yu, DUAN Xun-Qi. The Structure and Level of Chemical Fundamental Ideas of Chemistry Teachers: Using a Higher-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2021, 42(2): 84-89.