This Class Definitely Changed My Opinion of Chemistry: How a Pedagogical Course Reform Improved Students’ Chemistry Attitudes

Introductory chemistry is a gateway course that influences students’ persistence in science-related degree programs and careers. Here, we investigate how a deliberate practice-informed introductory chemistry reform influenced student attitudes toward chemistry. Through open coding and thematic analysis of 5 focus group discussions, we illustrate causal mechanisms between course attributes and students’ affective outcomes and attitudes toward chemistry. The use of student-centered instructional practices and frequent opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback are consistently described to prompt positive affective outcomes, while the lack of these practices and opportunities is described to prompt negative affective outcomes. Participants directly indicate that these attributes of the course influenced their broader attitudes toward chemistry as a discipline. For educators who view this to be transferable to their context, these findings illustrate ways to incorporate deliberate practice tenants of motivation, practice, and feedback to positively change students’ attitudes toward chemistry.