Attitude and achievement of first-year chemistry undergraduate students at the university of the South Pacific
- Johnson, Joel, Reddy, Pritika, Sharma, Sushita, Wakeling, Lara, Mani, Janice, Benveniste, Tessa, Naiker, Mani, Brown, Stephen
- Authors: Johnson, Joel , Reddy, Pritika , Sharma, Sushita , Wakeling, Lara , Mani, Janice , Benveniste, Tessa , Naiker, Mani , Brown, Stephen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Education Vol. 7, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Student attitude toward chemistry may influence engagement and achievement in chemistry-related courses, however, equivocal results in studies conducted in Western countries to date indicate this relationship requires further investigation. In this study, we investigated the correlation between attitude toward chemistry and achievement amongst a cohort of first-year undergraduate students from The University of the South Pacific (USP). A cluster analysis was used to identify low- and high-achieving groups of students to further explore potential correlations. There was a positive correlation between the cognitive and affective components of attitude among low-achieving students, but not among high-achieving students. The cognitive component of attitude did not appear to be strongly correlated with achievement in students from either group, although the affective component was positively correlated with achievement. The single item most strongly correlated with student achievement was their response on the Worthless-Beneficial scale. One of the notable findings was the differences in the attitude-achievement relationship between low-achieving and high-achieving students, suggesting that combining these clusters of students into a single group for analysis may obscure underlying correlations. Chemistry educators should continue to target their teaching styles to cater to different learning styles and achievement levels of students, including cognitive and non-cognitive learning styles. Copyright © 2022 Johnson, Reddy, Sharma, Wakeling, Mani, Benveniste, Naiker and Brown.
- Authors: Johnson, Joel , Reddy, Pritika , Sharma, Sushita , Wakeling, Lara , Mani, Janice , Benveniste, Tessa , Naiker, Mani , Brown, Stephen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Education Vol. 7, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Student attitude toward chemistry may influence engagement and achievement in chemistry-related courses, however, equivocal results in studies conducted in Western countries to date indicate this relationship requires further investigation. In this study, we investigated the correlation between attitude toward chemistry and achievement amongst a cohort of first-year undergraduate students from The University of the South Pacific (USP). A cluster analysis was used to identify low- and high-achieving groups of students to further explore potential correlations. There was a positive correlation between the cognitive and affective components of attitude among low-achieving students, but not among high-achieving students. The cognitive component of attitude did not appear to be strongly correlated with achievement in students from either group, although the affective component was positively correlated with achievement. The single item most strongly correlated with student achievement was their response on the Worthless-Beneficial scale. One of the notable findings was the differences in the attitude-achievement relationship between low-achieving and high-achieving students, suggesting that combining these clusters of students into a single group for analysis may obscure underlying correlations. Chemistry educators should continue to target their teaching styles to cater to different learning styles and achievement levels of students, including cognitive and non-cognitive learning styles. Copyright © 2022 Johnson, Reddy, Sharma, Wakeling, Mani, Benveniste, Naiker and Brown.
Attitudes and experiences among first-year regional australian undergraduate students toward the study of chemistry
- Naiker, Mani, Wakeling, Lara, Johnson, Joel, Brown, Stephen
- Authors: Naiker, Mani , Wakeling, Lara , Johnson, Joel , Brown, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice Vol. 18, no. 4 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Both attitude and previous experiences play a large role in shaping a student’s approach to and achievement in a given subject. Similarly, students’ enjoyment of their learning experiences is an important factor in determining their retention in their course of choice. Here, we explore the attitudes toward the study of chemistry amongst a cohort of first-year undergraduate students at a regional Australian university, including assessing these parameters at the beginning of their first term, the end of the first term and the end of their second term. In addition, metrics on the students’ experiences of studying chemistry were collected at the latter two timepoints. Generally, student attitudes toward chemistry were positive, as were student learning experiences in most instances. Two-step cluster analysis revealed the presence of two distinct clusters of students within the data, differing significantly in their overall attitude toward the study of chemistry. Students who had studied chemistry in Year 12 did not show any significant differences in their attitudes toward chemistry, when compared to students who had not studied Year 12 chemistry; however, their learning experiences in first-year chemistry were rated as being significantly more positive. We attribute this to their increased ability to engage with and successfully learn from the topic material presented in lectures and tutorials, as their previous exposure to the ‘language’ of chemistry may provide them with an advantage over chemistry-naïve students. © 2021, University of Wollongong. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Naiker, Mani , Wakeling, Lara , Johnson, Joel , Brown, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice Vol. 18, no. 4 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Both attitude and previous experiences play a large role in shaping a student’s approach to and achievement in a given subject. Similarly, students’ enjoyment of their learning experiences is an important factor in determining their retention in their course of choice. Here, we explore the attitudes toward the study of chemistry amongst a cohort of first-year undergraduate students at a regional Australian university, including assessing these parameters at the beginning of their first term, the end of the first term and the end of their second term. In addition, metrics on the students’ experiences of studying chemistry were collected at the latter two timepoints. Generally, student attitudes toward chemistry were positive, as were student learning experiences in most instances. Two-step cluster analysis revealed the presence of two distinct clusters of students within the data, differing significantly in their overall attitude toward the study of chemistry. Students who had studied chemistry in Year 12 did not show any significant differences in their attitudes toward chemistry, when compared to students who had not studied Year 12 chemistry; however, their learning experiences in first-year chemistry were rated as being significantly more positive. We attribute this to their increased ability to engage with and successfully learn from the topic material presented in lectures and tutorials, as their previous exposure to the ‘language’ of chemistry may provide them with an advantage over chemistry-naïve students. © 2021, University of Wollongong. All rights reserved.
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