A Content Analysis of Students' Explanations of Gas Properties

Students were asked to answer a multiple-choice, particulate-level question on gas properties and also explain their understanding on gas particles at the microscopic levels when the gas sample was cooled. The question was considered to be troublesome by some students as the question did not depict the critical attribute to change and some students viewed this as a trick question because the correct answer looks just like the initial picture even though the gas sample was cooled.