Chemistry Education Research and Practice最新文献

{"title":"Recognition experiences of women of color in chemistry: an intersectional study","authors":"Norda S. Stephenson and Ursula A. Abelsen","doi":"10.1039/D3RP00278K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D3RP00278K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Much research on women of color in STEM has treated women of color as a collective, giving little attention to the nuanced differences in the experiences of the women within this larger group. Research on women of color in STEM has also given insufficient attention to disciplinary differences, and has often applied unidimensional, rather than intersectional approaches, to examining the experiences of these women. This study takes a nuanced approach to examining the recognition experiences of four undergraduate women of color in chemistry, and how those experiences are shaped by the intersection of their multiple marginalized identities, using an intersectional lens. Interpretive phenomenological analysis is used to center the women's voices and focus on capturing both the convergences and divergences in their experiences. Our findings illustrate the value of using an intersectional approach, and provide explicit examples of how recognition, especially negative recognition, manifests itself in these women's experiences. The findings have implications for how institutions and disciplines can support women of color to persist in science disciplines, as well as implications for research.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1229-1250"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141718241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The complexity of chemistry mindset beliefs: a multiple case study approach†","authors":"Deborah L. Santos and Suazette Reid Mooring","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00068D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00068D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Mindset is a construct of interest for challenging learning environments, as science courses often are, in that, it has implications for behavioral responses to academic challenges. Previous work examining mindset in science learning contexts has been primarily quantitative in nature, limiting the theoretical basis for mindset perspectives specific to science domains. A few studies in physics education research have revealed domain-specific complexities applying to the mindset construct that suggest a need to explore undergraduate perspectives on mindset within each science domain. Here we present a multiple case study examining chemistry-specific mindset beliefs of students enrolled in general and organic chemistry lecture courses. A between-case analysis is used to describe six unique perspectives on chemistry mindset beliefs. This analysis revealed that students’ beliefs about their own ability to improve in chemistry intelligence or regarding chemistry-specific cognitive abilities did not consistently match their views on the potential for change for other students in chemistry. The nature of the abilities themselves (whether they were naturally occurring or developed with effort), and the presence of a natural inclination toward chemistry learning were observed to play a role in students’ perspectives. The findings from this analysis are used to propose a more complex model for chemistry-specific mindset beliefs to inform future work.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1210-1228"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141575908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of problem-solving skills supported by metacognitive scaffolding: insights from students’ written work†","authors":"Kimberly Vo, Mahbub Sarkar, Paul J. White and Elizabeth Yuriev","doi":"10.1039/D3RP00284E","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D3RP00284E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Despite problem solving being a core skill in chemistry, students often struggle to solve chemistry problems. This difficulty may arise from students trying to solve problems through memorising algorithms. Goldilocks Help serves as a problem-solving scaffold that supports students through structured problem solving and its elements, such as planning and evaluation. In this study, we investigated how first-year chemistry students solved problems, when taught with Goldilocks Help, and whether their problem-solving success and approaches changed over the course of one semester. The data comprised of student written problem-solving work, and was analysed using frequency analysis and grouped based on the problem-solving success and the extent of the demonstrated problem-solving elements. Throughout the course of semester, students exhibited increasingly consistent demonstration of structured problem solving. Nonetheless, they encountered difficulties in fully demonstrating such aspects of problem solving as understanding and evaluating concepts, which demand critical thinking and a firm grasp of chemistry principles. Overall, the study indicated progress in successful and structured problem solving, with a growing proportion of students demonstrating an exploratory approach as time progressed. These findings imply the need for incorporation of metacognitive problem-solving scaffolding, exposure to expert solutions, reflective assignments, and rubric-based feedback into wide teaching practice. Further research is required to extend the exploration of the effectiveness of metacognitive scaffolding, in particular <em>via</em> think-aloud interviews, which should help identify productive and unproductive uses of the problem-solving elements.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1197-1209"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141578028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fostering inclusive learning: customized kits in chemistry education and their influence on self-efficacy, attitudes and achievements","authors":"Enas Easa and Ron Blonder","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00144C","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00144C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Inclusion of a diverse group of students, both regular learners and learners with special needs in chemistry classrooms is an important goal of chemistry educators. However, alternative conceptions in chemistry among high-school students can be a barrier for completing the learning process in the classroom, especially in a heterogeneous class. This study aimed to examine differentiated instruction (DI) in a chemistry classroom. We evaluated how customized pedagogical kits (CPKs) for DI, which aim to overcome alternative conceptions found during chemistry instruction, affected students and teachers. This paper presents the findings of a mixed-method study that was conducted with 9 high-school chemistry teachers, and 551 chemistry students. We used a pre-post questionnaire to investigate the impact of CPKs on teachers’ and students’ self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards chemistry and differentiated instruction, in addition to students’ achievements. The findings indicated the significantly higher averages of self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards DI in chemistry among teachers and high-school students, in addition to the significantly higher performance of students in chemistry tasks after implementing CPKs in classrooms. Being aware of the limitations of DI, we discussed customized pedagogical kits as a means that can support better inclusion in chemistry education.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1175-1196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141575909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing high school students’ chemical thinking using an essential questions-perspective framework†","authors":"Ming Chi, Changlong Zheng and Peng He","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00106K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00106K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Chemical thinking is widely acknowledged as a core competency that students should develop in the context of school chemistry. This study aims to develop a measurement instrument to assess students’ chemical thinking. We employed the Essential Questions-Perspectives (EQ-P) framework and Structure of Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) classification to construct a hypothetical model of chemical thinking. This model comprises three aspects and each aspect includes five cognitive levels to assess students’ chemical thinking. Accordingly, we developed an initial instrument consisting of 27 items in multiple formats, including multiple-choice, two-tier diagnostic, and open-ended questions. We applied the partial credit Rasch model to establish the validity and reliability of measures for the final instrument. Following the process of pilot test, revision, and field test, we finalized the instrument with a refined 20-item instrument. Two hundred and twenty-one Chinese high school students (Grade 12) participated in the pilot and field tests. The results demonstrate that the final instrument effectively produces reliable and valid measures of students’ chemical thinking. Furthermore, the empirical results align well with the hypothetical model, suggesting that the SOLO classification can effectively distinguish the levels of proficiency in students’ chemical thinking.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1143-1158"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141503849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why do we assess students? investigating general chemistry instructors’ conceptions of assessment purposes and their relationships to assessment practices","authors":"Lu Shi, Ying Wang, Jherian K. Mitchell-Jones and Marilyne Stains","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00147H","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00147H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Assessment plays a critical role in instruction and curriculum. Existing literature on instructors’ assessment practices and related factors has been intensively focused on primary and secondary education. This study extended the contexts of previous literature to post-secondary chemistry education by exploring general chemistry instructors’ conceptions of assessment purposes and their assessment practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 general chemistry instructors from 14 institutions across the East Coast region of the United States of America. The results demonstrate that instructors predominately perceive the purpose of Assessment of Learning (<em>i.e.</em>, evaluation of student performance) with only few of them mentioning purposes of Assessment for Learning (<em>i.e.</em>, assessment provides actionable feedback for both the instructors and the students) and Assessment as Learning (<em>i.e.</em>, assessment promotes self-regulation). The use of various assessment practices is related to the number of assessment purposes instructors recognize. In addition, the study demonstrates that instructors perceive their assessment practices to be influenced by academic culture and departmental norms. This nuanced understanding can guide practical and research efforts to improve chemistry instructors’ engagement in assessment reforms.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1159-1174"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141503848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"STEM-PT Traveler, a game-based approach for learning elements of the periodic table: an approach for enhancing secondary school students’ motivation for learning chemistry","authors":"Mohammad Najib Mohammed Naaim and Mageswary Karpudewan","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00032C","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00032C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted students' motivation for learning. As students return to schools in the post-pandemic era, their motivation for learning continues to deteriorate due to challenges in adapting to the new educational norms. This study aimed to enhance the motivation of secondary school students towards learning chemistry, particularly during the period when their motivation has tended to be low upon returning to regular schooling after the pandemic. To achieve this objective, the researchers developed and implemented a self-designed game-based learning approach called STEM-PT Traveler during lessons focused on the periodic table. STEM-PT Traveler incorporated elements of enjoyable learning and play, introducing an interdisciplinary perspective to periodic table lessons. The effectiveness of STEM-PT Traveler in improving motivation was compared to an alternative student-centred, non-game-based learning approach using an explanatory mixed-method design. Two intact classes from a public secondary school were randomly assigned to two groups—one group utilized the game-based learning approach (<em>N</em> = 45), while the other group employed the non-game-based approach (<em>N</em> = 46). The multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) findings from pre-test and post-test questionnaires administered before and after treatment revealed significant differences in overall motivation and in the subscales of intrinsic motivation, career motivation, and self-efficacy. Non-significant differences were observed for grade motivation and self-determination. Qualitative interviews conducted with both groups after the treatment provided additional insights into the questionnaire outcomes. Specifically, during the interviews, students highlighted that the game facilitated engagement with the periodic table elements due to their intrinsic value. Additionally, the game provided a career perspective and instilled a belief that excelling in chemistry is instrumental. This study suggests that a game-based approach is an effective alternative to the predominantly used teacher-centred teaching of the periodic table and advocates for the integration of interdisciplinary perspectives into lessons on the Periodic Table.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1251-1267"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141503850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Turkish science high school students’ mental models of the electron cloud","authors":"Sevgül Çalış","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00083H","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00083H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study focuses on examining the mental models of 11th and 12th-grade students attending a science high school in Turkey regarding the concept of the electron cloud. The study involved 72 students and employed the case study method. The precondition for selecting the sample was that the students had covered the unit on modern atomic theory in their chemistry classes. The concept of the electron cloud chosen for the study is integrated into the units of “Atom and Periodic System” and “Modern Atomic Theory.” To guide the research questions, the progression of the lessons and activities within the unit were observed in three-week intervals across different classes taught by the participating teacher. Research data were collected using a data collection tool consisting of 7 open-ended questions, considering the high school chemistry course objectives. The research questions were prepared in three categories: conceptual, relational, and visual. A rubric was developed for data analysis, and codes corresponding to levels of understanding were determined. At the end of the evaluation, three mental models were identified: the electron cloud model, the hybrid/synthesis electron cloud model, and the primitive model. For these models, eight mental model categories have been determined: fully scientific, partially scientific, conceptual, relational, conceptual–relational, conceptual-visual, relational-visual, and incompatible. At the conclusion of the study, only 5.56% of students provided answers at the scientific understanding level for all categories, placing them in the full scientific model category under the electron cloud model. 16.67% of students fell into the partial scientific model category, while 75.29% demonstrated a hybrid/synthesized electron cloud model. A small portion, 2.78%, adopted a primitive model.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1105-1121"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141503851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling students’ epistemic cognition in undergraduate chemistry courses: a review†","authors":"Kimberly S. DeGlopper and Ryan L. Stowe","doi":"10.1039/D3RP00348E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RP00348E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Thinking about knowledge and knowing (<em>i.e.</em>, epistemic cognition) is an important part of student learning and has implications for how they apply their knowledge in future courses, careers, and other aspects of their lives. Three classes of models have emerged from research on epistemic cognition: developmental models, dimensional models, and resources models. These models can be distinguished by how value is assigned to particular epistemic ideas (hierarchy), how consistent epistemic ideas are across time and/or context (stability), and the degree to which people are consciously aware of their own epistemic ideas (explicitness). To determine the extent to which these models inform research on epistemic cognition in chemistry education specifically, we reviewed 54 articles on undergraduate chemistry students’ epistemologies. First, we sought to describe the articles in terms of the courses and unit of study sampled, the methods and study designs implemented, and the means of data collection utilized. We found that most studies focused on the epistemic cognition of individual students enrolled in introductory chemistry courses. The majority were qualitative and employed exploratory or quasi-experimental designs, but a variety of data collection methods were represented. We then coded each article for how it treated epistemic cognition in terms of hierarchy, stability, and explicitness. The overwhelming majority of articles performed a hierarchical analysis of students’ epistemic ideas. An equal number of articles treated epistemic cognition as stable <em>versus</em> unstable across time and/or context. Likewise, about half of the studies asked students directly about their epistemic cognition while approximately half of the studies inferred it from students’ responses, course observations, or written artifacts. These codes were then used to infer the models of epistemic cognition underlying these studies. Eighteen studies were mostly consistent with a developmental or dimensional model, ten were mostly aligned with a resources model, and twenty-six did not provide enough information to reasonably infer a model. We advocate for considering how models of epistemic cognition—and their assumptions about hierarchy, stability, and explicitness—influence the design of studies on students’ epistemic cognition and the conclusions that can be reasonably drawn from them.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 3","pages":" 594-612"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141453534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Learning or legitimacy? An investigation of the graduate student milestones within a chemistry doctoral program","authors":"Jocelyn Elizabeth Nardo","doi":"10.1039/D4RP00067F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4RP00067F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is defined as the highest achievable degree and represents the completion of a specialized mentored project. Concerningly, graduate programs are structured in ways that can lead to inequities that exclude graduate students based on race, class, gender, ability, and additional intersecting social locations. Drawing from Yuval-Davis' framework on the politics of belonging and Porter <em>et al.</em>'s institutional critique methodology, the goal of the qualitative study was to examine how a chemistry graduate program fosters the professional development of its students through the graduate student milestones (admissions, preliminary exams, coursework, candidacy exam, seminar, and dissertation defense). The data comprised of documents such as the 2019 graduate student handbook and information from the departmental website, along with interviews involving faculty (<em>N</em> = 5), staff (<em>N</em> = 3), and administrators (<em>N</em> = 2) who served as policy agents. Findings highlight how misalignment within the admissions, preliminary exam, and candidacy milestones can create boundaries for belonging. In contrast, the seminar milestone had alignment that contributed to belonging while the coursework and dissertation defense milestones had ambiguous alignment that contributed to belonging. After gathering and analyzing the data, I collaborated with a team at the university's Department of Chemistry to revise the preliminary exam and candidacy exam milestones, aiming to enhance their inclusivity. Overall, this study offers implications for structuring chemistry graduate programs and STEM programs broadly.</p>","PeriodicalId":69,"journal":{"name":"Chemistry Education Research and Practice","volume":" 4","pages":" 1122-1142"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141503852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}