The most common misconceptions of 10th grade students about the basic concepts of high school chemistry course

A misconception occurs when a person's idea is different from the correct definition of a concept. Misconceptions in the school subjects cause the students not to understand the material and the related topics. Using the researchers’ studies and experiences, the most common misconceptions of senior high school students regarding the basic concepts of 10th grade chemistry are discussed, namely: the structure of the atom and the justification of the emission-line spectrum of the hydrogen atom as well as chemical bonds and their nature In order to identify misconceptions, a questionnaire with four options was designed and used for each subject. The population of this study included 14 female 10th grade students studying in the field of experimental sciences in Saleh Abad, Iran. The results of this research showed that the students of this stage had a misconception in understanding the mentioned concepts, which can be considered as a warning signal for chemistry education. Recognizing and expressing these misconceptions challenges students and prevents accumulation and interference in their subsequent learning, paving the way for optimizing the quality of teaching and resources.