JTK: Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 Website: http://journal.
id/index.
php/tadris-kimiya/index ISSN 2527-9637 .
ISSN 2527-6816 .
Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections Muhammad Adlim1*.
Syahrial1.
Sri Winarni1.
Deriyani1.
Abdul Gani1.
Rusman1 and Subhan Salaeh2 1Department of Chemistry Education.
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education.
Syiah Kuala University.
Banda Aceh.
Indonesia 2Faculty of Science and Technology.
Prince of Songkla University.
Pattani Campus.
Pattani, 94000.
Thailand *E-mail: adlim@usk.
Received: September 2024.
Accepted: October 2024.
Published: June 2025
___________________________________________________
Abstract Challenges in mastering chemistry content among pre-service chemistry teachers remain a critical concern in teacher education institutions.
This study aims to analyze the most difficult concepts and the underlying conditions contributing to students' failure in mastering specific chemistry courses.
Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis.
The research began by identifying courses with the highest proportion of failing grades (O D) based on academic transcripts from 235 students across four cohorts in a chemistry education program.
Organic Chemistry I was identified as the course with the highest failure rate, affecting 141 students.
From this group, ten students from each cohort with a GPA Ou 3.
0 were randomly selected to complete a questionnaire identifying the most difficult topics in the course.
In-depth interviews with students and lecturers were then conducted to explore the conceptual difficulties and their possible Findings consistently revealed that Organic Chemistry I had the highest proportion of D grades .
%) compared to other courses, with more than 60% of students in each cohort receiving low grades.
Students reported that the Newman projection was the most challenging topic, citing both the abstract nature of the concept, which requires spatial reasoning and mental rotation of molecular structures, and the lack of effective instructional strategies to support understanding.
These results highlight the need for pedagogical innovations targeting spatial visualization skills to enhance conceptual comprehension in organic chemistry education.
Keywords: conceptual difficulties, newman projection, pre-service teachers, organic chemistry, spatial DOI: https://doi.
org/10.
15575/jtk.
Introduction Chemistry is one of the natural sciences with a study focus on the properties, composition, and structure of substances (Oladejo et al.
Sukmawati, 2.
, as well as on their synthesis, separation, transformation, and the energy changes involved in chemical The main branches of chemistry include organic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and understand matter and its interactions at the molecular and atomic levels.
Chemistry subject is considered difficult to learn by many students for several reasons including the negative perception that makes them avoid learning it (Sheehan, 2.
Physical and inorganic chemistry involves several mathematical concepts mainly algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.
Learning chemistry is also progression, many M.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections have integrated concepts.
Students who miss the basic concepts will not master advanced Chemical terminologies including chemical nomenclature, physical quantity, and unit are often used.
Figures, tables, and graphical interpretations known as multiple representations require integrated concepts to be understood.
Interpreting phase equilibrium is one of the difficult graphical Some conceptual rules are applied but many have exceptions.
Chemistry laboratory work also requires mastered concepts to conduct it.
Chemistry involves visualizing particles and processes that are abstract and imaginative, like subatomic particles, atoms, molecules, and chemical Spatial intelligence which is the ability to understand space both real and images is required in learning stereochemistry, symmetry-point groups concept, and bonding chemistry (Sheehan, 2.
and the nature of the lesson.
Learning difficulties in chemistry mostly focus on misconceptions of chemistry concepts (Tumay, 2016.
Rosyidah et al.
, 2024.
Munawwarah & Side, 2022.
Ningrum et al.
Sheehan, 2.
Analysis of learning problems is mostly done through interviews and concept mapping tests (Heron et al.
, 2018.
Timilsena et al.
, 2.
A chemistry learning problem has been reported in the buffer concept and others (Ali et al.
, 2022.
Atika & Latisma, 2022.
Kajornklin et al.
, 2022.
Sanjiwani et al.
, 2.
Generally, the chemistry concept will be difficult to learn if it does not relate to daily life (Treagust et al.
, 2.
The learning difficulty is also affected by other factors (Tumay, 2.
Learning difficulty can be interpreted as a condition in the learning process characterized by certain obstacles to achieving maximum learning outcomes.
Most learning difficulties in chemistry are related to some chemistry phenomena that contradict student intuition in the everyday views of students (Treagust et al.
, 2.
Pre-service chemistry teachers are students in teacher-teaching faculty who are required not only to learn all chemistry concepts but also to teach those concepts to high school students.
The Chemical Education Study Program has sixty-eight courses consisting of fifty-two chemistry courses, six elective chemistry courses, six general courses, and four educational courses.
In taking these courses, many students experience learning difficulties, resulting in many students not passing certain courses and finally their cumulative grade point average (GPA) decreased to below two in two semesters, then they will automatically drop out (DO) by the system, therefore analysis of their learning difficulty will help to anticipate and propose a better the learning Typically, it is more than 60% of students show learning difficulty (O D scor.
in organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
(Sendur, 2020.
Eticha & Ochonogor, 2015.
Aydin-Gunbatar et al.
, 2.
The process of learning chemistry will be more effective if sufficient effort is made, such as knowing or identifying learning difficulties experienced by students.
Learning problems caused many aspects including student environment and motivation, the pedagogy.
Education and psychology have different perspectives on learning difficulty issues.
Educational views define learning difficulty as a lack of systematic mental development that is indicated by an academic deficiency in reading, writing, and performing simple arithmetic calculations.
These difficulties are limited to comprehension, writing skills, and The psychological perspective states that learning difficulty is related to studentsAo attention affecting solving problems as a representation of thinking patterns.
Students usually lack attention to appropriate stimuli due to defects in perception, concept formation, remembering, problem-solving, and failure to develop thinking methods and The interpretation of learning difficulty was based Environmental and genetic aspects can affect learning difficulty (Zidan, 2.
Since indicators of student learning difficulties include low learning outcomes (Zidan, 2.
therefore, this study focuses on identifying difficult courses and follows up with an interview on a difficult concept and student Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
ttps://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections perception that caused their failure and related circumstances.
This study can be a model for analyzing student learning difficulty in other subject matter at the University level, and most publications on learning difficulty were on early school grades (Tumay, 2016.
Syamsi & Dharma, 2.
composition of the course content involving mathematical requirements, the abstract concept composition, and the complexity of the course due to its relation to other courses.
Research Method The student transcripts of final year students from the four enrolment years were analyzed to explore the chemistry course that most students failed (D or E score.
After identifying the problematic chemistry course, the course contents were scrutinized to be confirmed by students and lectures, which are the most difficult topics.
Four generations .
nrolment perio.
of chemistry students in teacher training faculty with 235 students was the population.
The difficult courses with student distribution were identified by analyzing their academic transcript.
Among 141 failed students.
10 students from each enrolment period with a GPA of C 3.
were asked to fill out a questionnaire to identify the most difficult topics within the unmastered courses.
The interview was conducted with 3 of each group of students.
smart students (A grade.
, moderate scores (C grade.
, and failed students (D/E grade.
to explore what causes the topics to become difficult to comprehend.
The interview protocol included the reasons that made students fail and their perception.
feelings after taking the problematic course, .
teaching materials used in the learning process, .
learning method, .
learning media used in the learning process, .
learning outcomes evaluation system, .
suggestions for students to improve problematic course.
Discussing with experts/lecturers was carried out to analyze the teaching materials of the problematic courses to identify the Result and Discussion Based on student transcripts from 4 periods of enrolment data, there are 11 courses with a high percentage of D scores, among 21 chemistry courses in the chemistry curriculum as displayed in Table 1.
Table 1.
Difficult Chemistry Course According to High D Score Percentage in Four Generations .
Period Enrollment.
Percentage of No.
Course names D Score (%) Organic Chemistry I Organic Chemistry II Physical Chemistry I Inorganic Chemistry II Solution Chemistry Physical Chemistry II Inorganic Chemistry I Analytical Chemistry I Basic Chemistry II Stoichiometry Chemical Bonds Courses with high percentage of D scores indicate a difficult course to master.
Among 11 difficult courses.
AyOrganic Chemistry IAy has the highest proportion of failed students.
Students followed the lecture, handed in assignments, and took the exams, but did not sufficiently give the right answers.
Many students already studied seriously but their scores are still low expectations.
The distribution of student scores in Organic Chemistry I among 235 students is tabulated in Table 2 showing none of them got an A score, the majority had a C score which was 8%, 28.
9% of B, 14% of C, and 1.
3% of E.
Table 2.
Student Scores Distribution in Organic Chemistry I Student Grades Course names Organic Chemistry I Percentage (%) Total Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
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org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections Besides transcript data .
, students also confirmed that Organic Chemistry I was the most difficult course to learn, as listed in Table 3.
This finding is particularly interesting since students did not consider Physical Chemistry as the hardest course, even though it involves a high level of mathematical content, especially in topics such as chemical quantum theory, chemical thermodynamics, and chemical kinetics.
Therefore, it can be inferred that students' learning difficulties in Organic Chemistry I were not primarily due to mathematical weaknesses, but rather could be associated with other factors such as conceptual complexity, abstract reasoning, cumulative mechanisms, or the overall volume and intricate detail of the material.
Table 3.
Student Responses on Difficult Courses Student The most difficult No.
frequency (%) Physical Chemistry I Physical Chemistry II Organic Chemistry I Organic Chemistry II No.
Table 4.
Percentage of Student Responses on Difficult Concepts Student Response (%) Subject Sub Topic Sub-subject matter Hard Not Difficult Hybridization Hybridization sp Hybridization sp2 Hybridization sp Newman's projection Structure Formula Fisher's projection Organic Alkane nomenclature Compounds Alkane Reactions for the synthesis of alkanes Primary alcohol Alcohol Secondary alcohol Ether Ether nomenclature Ether reactions Aldehyde Aldehyde nomenclature Aldehyde reactions Ketones Ketone nomenclature Students were asked what made them fail to master the difficult concept.
Although not all students were able to articulate their difficulties in writing, they provided oral explanations, some of which are displayed in Table 5.
To further explore the source of difficulty, the learning module and exam questions related to challenging concepts were examined.
One such concept was hybridization, and both the exam questions and the lecturer's provided solutions are presented in Table 6.
In the hybridization task.
A deep analysis of Organic Chemistry I contains several chemistry concepts, as shown in Table 4.
Some of the concepts require spatial ability to be understood such as hybridization of sp3, sp2, sp.
NewmanAos projection, and FisherAos projection.
The majority of students (>77%) responded that sp3 and sp2 hybridization were the difficult concepts and all students claimed that NewmanAos and FisherAos projects were the students were asked to identify which bonding types exhibit sp, spA, or spA hybridization.
If the lecturer had clearly explained the relationship between hybrid orbital notation .
p, spA, spA), the number of chemical bonds, and the total electron domainsAiwhile emphasizing that multiple bonds count as a single domainAithis identification process could have been more accessible to students.
For instance, sp hybridization corresponds to 2 electron domains, spA to 3, and spA to 4.
In the molecule HAeCH=CHAeH, each carbon forms four bonds.
Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
ttps://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections but since the double bond is counted as one domain, each carbon is considered to have a total of 3 domains, thus corresponding to spA This conceptual difficulty aligns with findings reported in previous studies (Salame et al.
, 2.
No.
Table 5.
Failure Reasons Stated by Students to Master the Concepts Student Concept Student reasons frequency (%) Hybridization sp 3 Hybridization sp2 Hybridization sp Newman's Fisher's projection Synthesis of Ether reactions Aldehyde It was difficult to understand the lecturer's way of delivering lectures We did not understand what the lecturer explained It's hard to understand the lesson The lecturing was difficult to understand and it was also difficult to determine the Newman projection structure It was a difficult topic, the teaching method is hard to understand in the Fischer projection material It was difficult to understand the reaction of making alkanes and it was also difficult to understand the reaction Most of these topics were not interesting and also we had to think hard in writing the ether reactions It's hard to understand the reaction mechanism and it's hard to understand how the lecturer delivers it.
In the case of NewmanAos projection, students were asked to draw NewmanAos projection of a given organic IUPAC name of a chemical To do so, they had to understand multiple interconnected concepts and follow specific sequences.
From the given name, students first needed to draw the correct Fischer projection of the compound, which required knowledge of proper carbon Once the Fischer structure and numbering were correctly written, students then had to visualize which carbon atom was in the front and which was at the back.
Additionally, they needed to be familiar with the terminology of AueclipseAy and AugaucheAy and know how to accurately illustrate them in the Newman projection format.
In question number 2, according to the lecturer, most students were unable to mentally transform molecular representations from two-dimensional structures to threedimensional forms, such as converting Fischer or ball-and-stick models into Newman They also struggled to draw eclipse, staggered, and gauche conformations of the given compounds.
The lecturer further requirements for drawing Fischer projections.
According to Fessenden and Fessenden .
, there are three essential rules: .
the carbonyl group or the highest-priority nomenclature group must be placed at or near the top, .
each intersection point of horizontal and vertical lines represents a chiral carbon atom, and .
each horizontal line indicates a bond pointing toward the viewer, while each vertical line indicates bonds pointing away from the viewer, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Backward
away from the H2N
Toward the COOH
CH3
Figure 1.
The Rule for Drawing FisherAos Projection that Guides for Drawing NewmanAos Projection Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
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Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections Table 6.
Examples of Questions Related to Topics that are Difficult for Students to Master and Their Solutions No.
Problems Example The Solution (The Answer.
Give the complete structural formula for each of the following compounds.
sp3-sp2 State the type of orbital used to form sp2-sp2 sp -s each bond.
H2C
CHCH
H2C
CH2
C(CH.
sp2-s sp -s H sp2-sp2 sp2-sp2 H sp -sp Draw the possible conformations for 2,2,3-trimethylbutane using the Newman projection .
bservation centers for C2-C3 atom.
H3C
CH3
CH3
CH3
CH3
H3C CH3
H3C
CH3
CH3
CH3
CH3
H3C
CH3
CH3
Convert the dimensional formula below into a Fisher projection :
CO2H
NH2
H2 N
H3C
CO2H
CH3
Write the products of the following H2C CH2.
H2.
Write the products of the following CH3- Na H:CH2CH2OCH2CH3 Write the products of the following H2C
H 3C
CH2.
H2.
CH3.
CH3- Na H:CH2CH2OCH2CH3 CH4 CH2
CH2 CH3CH2O-Na
H3C
H HCN
H3C
H HCN
H3C
Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
ttps://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections The multiple concepts, gap linkage with previous concepts, and molecular spatial orientation made this section difficult to Analog phenomena have been recognized previously although on a different topic, it has a similar case.
NewmanAos projection has been recognized as a Therefore, (Khalilian et al.
, 2.
suggested using the real model as the instructional media and using a triangle instead of a circle in drawing the central carbon projection as shown in Figure 2.
Writing chemical reaction equations is also a difficult lesson for many students, further confirming previous study findings that representations also leads to significant difficulty in chemistry learning (Timilsena et , 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of Conventional and Modified Newman Projections.
Reproduced from (Kalilian et al.
, 2.
The Organic Chemistry-I was confirmed as a difficult lesson by interviews with students who have taken the course.
Students felt less interested in studying because it was difficult.
Some students felt happy once they passed it although with low scores, and others did not understand the class.
Table 7.
The Interview Script with Smart Students (A Grad.
Questions Student Answers Table 8.
The Interview Script With Students Having Moderate Academic Grade (B/BC Grade.
Questions Student Answers How did you feel after taking the Organic Chemistry 1 I felt happy because the difficult course was over although I got a bad score What was the learning method The learning method used was monotonous, because the subject was difficult, then was not easily mastered by students to understand what was being taught.
Lecturers various learning methods so that students can quickly grasp difficult How did you feel after taking the Organic Chemistry 1 It was difficult and not interesting, but the difficulty challenged us to study it.
Even though the courses are challenging, our logic doesn't end there.
What was the method used? The learning method was memorizing, but as I said before our logic doesn't go that far.
Last question, what are your suggestions for improving this Last question, what are your for improving this course? It's better to do the practical thing so that we can unfortunately, our field of study is not pure science or From the interview script, the students confirmed the difficulty of the course.
Smart and moderately competent students stated that the course was not interesting, but it was challenging to study harder (Table .
The Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
ttps://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections moderate level of students felt reluctant to take the course.
They were happy once it was over (Table .
The less smart students knew their weaknesses and were not concerned about the course.
They said the teaching method was already good (Table .
and highly abstract although fewer mathematical concepts .
lgorithmic skil.
are involved, and the transcript is summarized in Table 10.
Despite differences in academic performance, all groups of studentsAiwhether highachieving, moderate, or low-achievingAi acknowledged the difficulty of the Organic Chemistry I course.
However, their responses reflected varying coping mechanisms and While emphasized the importance of logical thinking and suggested more practical learning approaches, moderately performing students criticized the monotony of the teaching method and called for varied instructional In contrast, failed students tended to blame their own lack of understanding and effort rather than the teaching method, indicating a more passive learning attitude.
These differences suggest that tailored teaching strategies may be needed to accommodate diverse student needs and learning styles.
Table 9.
Interview Script with Failed Students (D/E Grade.
Questions Student Answers How did you feel after taking the Organic Chemistry 1 It's normal, after taking the course I didn't get anything because I didn't understand what was being explained.
What was the learning method Lecturing used an LCD projector, the lecturer asked each student to answer questions in front of the classroom.
Last question, what are your suggestions for improving this I needed to study harder and pay attention when the lecturer was teaching.
For lecturers, the method of delivering material was already good.
The abstractness and complexity level of the organic chemistry course were confirmed through interviews with the lecturers.
The lecturers claimed that the course is not easy.
Table 10.
Quotations from Interviews with Lecturers Questions Answers In your opinion.
How was the abstractness of the Organic Chemistry I It is more abstract than some mathematical concept.
The abstract concepts are difficult to understand, for example, the shape of a molecule.
The shape of the molecule will be easier to understand if it is depicted in 3 dimensions ChemDraw In the lab, the shape of a molecule can be modeled by molymod media.
In your opinion, how many concepts are involved in the It is a less mathematical concept except for calculating the binding energy.
How does chemistry relate to other The organic chemistry course has a strong relation to other subjects, such as biochemistry .
etabolism organic chemistry of natural products, chemical bonds .
hi bonds, sigma bond.
, and These findings indicate that students' perceptions of the organic chemistry course vary depending on their academic ability, motivation, and prior knowledge.
While more competent students view the course as a challenge worth pursuing, students with average or lower performance levels often The lecturersAo insights reinforce the notion that the inherent abstractness of organic chemistryAiespecially in visualizing molecular structuresAiposes a significant barrier to learning.
This mismatch between the course's cognitive demands and Jurnal Tadris Kimiya 10, 1 (June 2.
: 103-113 This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license .
ttps://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-sa/4.
Adlim.
Syahrial.
Winarni.
Deriyani.
Gani.
Rusman and S.
Salaeh Understanding Pre-Service TeachersAo Conceptual Difficulties in Learning Newman Projections studentsAo preparedness underscores the need including the integration of visual tools and scaffolded content delivery to support diverse learners (Boateng, 2024.
Hermanns, 2.
Aydin-Gunbatar.
Ekiz-Kiran.
, & Oztay.
Pre-service chemistry teachersAo pedagogical content knowledge for integrated STEM development with LESMeR model.
Chemistry education research and practice, 21.
, 1063-1082.
https://doi.
org/10.
1039/D0RP00074D
Conclusion Within the chemistry curriculum, dominantly students failed in the Organic Chemistry 1 course consistently in four periods of The learning difficulty in this course was confirmed by students, and lecturers, and verified the previous studies.
The complexity of the course is related to its content integrating many concepts, abstract and needed spatial shapes to comprehend it with an analog case in spatial molecular Respond students on the difficult smart and moderately competent students said the course was not interesting and the learning media needed to be The failed students realized their weaknesses, therefore they accepted with a low score and responded that the learning method was already good.
It is suggested that less spatial comprehension might be resolved by introducing a triangle shape for the carbon rotation concept instead of the circle model.
Teaching with molecule props might improve student comprehension of spatial molecular Boateng.
Assessing conceptual difficulties experienced by pre-service EURASIA
Journal
References