Mind Maps and Artificial Intelligence: Towards an Active Understanding of Redox in Secondary School Students

Learning is based on the synergy of diverse acquired knowledge and skills. However, the lack of assimilation of basic knowledge hinders learners’ progress. This research aims to assess the assimilation of the redox concept, considered a fundamental a fundamental basis for teaching chemistry in secondary schools This is a exploratory research, conducted among high school students and college students in the Casablanca region, Morocco, during the academic year 2022–2023. In total, 1700 tests assessing the understanding of the redox concept were collected from the participants. The results revealed that assimilation of the concept of redox reactions remains problematic, with high school students showing confusion between the concepts of oxidant and reductant, as well as between oxidation and reduction. Furthermore, a comparison of the responses from the two categories shows that high school students have gaps in their knowledge, while middle school students have a better grasp of metal oxidation reactions. To remedy the difficulties identified, this study calls for the adoption of teaching based on digital mind maps assisted by artificial intelligence technologies, considered a new and essential technology for learning support.