{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,25]],"date-time":"2026-02-25T23:02:23Z","timestamp":1772060543095,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,9]],"date-time":"2024-10-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1728432000000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":282,"URL":"http:\/\/rsc.li\/journals-terms-of-use"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["rsc.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Chem. Educ. Res. Pract."],"abstract":"<jats:p>The Beer\u2013Lambert law is a fundamental relationship in chemistry that helps connect macroscopic experimental observations (<jats:italic>i.e.<\/jats:italic>, the amount of light exiting a solution sample) to a symbolic model composed of system-level parameters (<jats:italic>e.g.<\/jats:italic>, concentration values). Despite the wide use of the Beer\u2013Lambert law in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and its applicability to analytical techniques, students\u2019 use of the model is not commonly investigated. Specifically, no previous work has explored how students connect the Beer\u2013Lambert law to absorption phenomena using submicroscopic-level reasoning, which is important for understanding light absorption at the particle level. The incorporation of visual-conceptual tools (such as animations and simulations) into instruction has been shown to be effective in conveying key points about particle-level reasoning and facilitating connections among the macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic domains. This study evaluates the extent to which a previously reported simulation-based virtual laboratory activity (BLSim) is associated with students\u2019 use of particle-level models when explaining absorption phenomena. Two groups of analytical chemistry students completed a series of tasks that prompted them to construct explanations of absorption phenomena, with one group having completed the simulation-based activity prior to the assessment tasks. Student responses were coded using Johnstone's triad. When comparing work from the two student groups, chi-square tests revealed statistically significant associations (with approximately medium to large effect sizes) between students using the simulation and employing particle-level reasoning. That said, submicroscopic-level reasoning did not always provide more explanatory power to students\u2019 answers. Additionally, we observed the productive use of a variety of submicroscopic light\u2013matter interaction models. We conjecture that engaging with BLSim provided new submicroscopic-level resources for students to leverage in explanations and predictions of absorption phenomena.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1039\/d3rp00153a","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]],"date-time":"2023-10-09T07:30:19Z","timestamp":1696836619000},"page":"133-150","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1039\/rsc_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Supporting submicroscopic reasoning in students\u2019 explanations of absorption phenomena using a simulation-based activity"],"prefix":"10.1039","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9354-9753","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Natalia","family":"Spitha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"},{"name":"Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Chemistry, Chemistry Education Department, Brook-Taylor Str. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-2566-554X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yujian","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4775-7794","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samuel","family":"Pazicni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0565-0830","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarah A.","family":"Fullington","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2136-0019","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Morais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIQUP, Institute of Molecular Sciences (IMS), Unidade de Ensino das Ci\u00eancias, Departamento de Qu\u00edmica e Bioqu\u00edmica, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, P-4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6193-147X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amanda","family":"Rae Buchberger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8369-2185","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pamela S.","family":"Doolittle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA"}]}],"member":"292","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024]]},"reference":[{"key":"D3RP00153A\/cit1\/1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ayene M., Kriek J. and Damtie B., (2011), Wave-particle duality and uncertainty principle: Phenomenographic categories of description of tertiary physics students\u2019 depictions,  Phys. 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