Conceptual reframing in action: how students build and revise predictions about a simple chemical reaction

Predicting the outcome of a chemical reaction requires selecting and coordinating structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic ideas, yet little is known about how students activate and integrate these conceptual resources in real time. In this study, 25 undergraduate and graduate chemistry students completed think-aloud interviews while reasoning about a simple reaction presented through symbolic, particulate, and thermodynamic representations. Analysis of students’ predictions across successive prompts revealed three initial interpretative frames: stoichiometric completion, surface equilibrium, and temperature-feasibility, each cued by surface features of the representations. As new thermodynamic information was introduced, students frequently reframed their thinking, although in partial ways, including the emergence of an energetic-favorability frame and instances of frame collapse. Coordinated use of structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic concepts was rare. These findings highlight the central role of context-sensitive framing in chemistry reasoning and point to the need for instruction that supports frame recognition, conceptual reframing, and coordination across conceptual domains.