The purpose of this study was to understand how the use of multiple representations (MR), during a sequence of lessons on the saponification reaction, can help students develop their cognitive structures. We examined (i) the effect of the teaching sequence with MR on the development of the students’ cognitive structures and (ii) how, according to the students, that sequence helped them to develop their cognitive structures. This study was conducted in three Grade 12 classes, including a total of 68 students. This study follows a pre-experimental one group pretest–posttest design, providing an intervention during the experiment. We used two data collection instruments: a Word Association Test (WAT) and a focus group interview. The results obtained from the WAT show that the students’ cognitive structures progressed from the pretest to posttest, with an increase in the number of response words and connections between words, and with a change in the nature of these connections. The results suggest that this development was influenced by the way students used MR, making use of the three MR functions proposed by Ainsworth (2006, 2008). The students recognized that the combination of the three MR functions allowed them to move across representation levels (macroscopic, symbolic and submicroscopic) and to develop a deeper and more structured understanding of the concepts related to the saponification reaction.

中文翻译：

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学生对皂化反应认知结构发展的多种表征

这项研究的目的是了解在皂化反应的一系列课程中如何使用多重表示（MR）可以帮助学生发展其认知结构。我们研究了（i）MR教学序列对学生认知结构发展的影响，以及（ii）根据学生的说法，该序列如何帮助他们发展认知结构。这项研究在12年级的三个班级中进行，共计68名学生。这项研究遵循实验前的一组前测-后测设计，在实验过程中提供了干预措施。我们使用了两种数据收集工具：单词联想测验（WAT）和焦点小组访谈。从WAT获得的结果表明，学生的认知结构从前测发展到后测，响应词和词之间的连接数量增加，并且这些连接的性质发生变化。结果表明，这一发展受到学生使用MR的方式的影响，并利用了Ainsworth（2006，2008）提出的三种MR功能。学生们认识到，三种MR功能的结合使他们能够跨代表水平（宏观，象征性和亚微观）移动，并对皂化反应相关的概念有更深入，更结构化的理解。