title: A novel tool to facilitate the learning of buffering mechanism by undergraduate students of the biological area.
abstract: In this study, the application and evaluation of a novel didactic tool (buffer kit) is described to make it easy for students in the biological area to overcome their conceptual deficiencies that render the learning of the buffering mechanism difficult. The buffer kit was constructed with double-face EVA cards with a conjugated acid formula (H₂CO₃ or H₂O or H₃ O⁺ ) printed on one face and the respective conjugated base formula (HCO -³ or OH⁻ or H₂O) printed on the reverse face. The conjugated acid and base faces were exposed after adding extra H⁺ and OH⁻ cards, representing the addition of strong acids and bases, respectively. The buffer kit was evaluated with regard to the efficiency of content comprehension and retention of the gain by challenging the students to answer four subjective questions one week after a regular teaching module about the buffering mechanism. For each evaluation round, the buffering mechanism was taught to the control student group without the support of the buffer kit and, to the test student group, an identical content was taught, however, supported by the buffer kit. The overall mean scores obtained by the students who accessed the buffer kit (5.0) were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than the mean score of the control group (3.0), and the buffer kit increased twofold the percentage of students who gave more than 50% right answers. The use of the buffer kit was highly effective in improving the understanding of undergraduate students of the biological area about the buffering mechanism and the application of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.
authors: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Bioquímica (CIIB), Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), SP, Brazil.
authors: Eduardo O
authors: EO
authors: Carvalho
authors: Iseli L
authors: IL
authors: Nantes