Improving Students' Inquiry Skills and Self-Efficacy through Research-Inspired Modules in the General Chemistry Laboratory

• Autores: Kurt Winkelmann, Monica Baloga, Tom Marcinkowski, Christos Giannoulis, George Anquandah, Peter Cohen
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 92, Nº 2, 2015, págs. 247-255
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Research projects conducted by faculty in STEM departments served as the inspiration for a new curriculum of inquiry-based, multiweek laboratory modules in the general chemistry 1 course. The purpose of this curriculum redesign was to improve students' attitudes about chemistry as well as their self-efficacy and skills in performing inquiry activities. Students' ability to plan experiments and interpret data improved throughout the semester, as did their confidence in conducting research-like lab activities. Improved confidence was observed among men and women, science and engineering students, and Caucasian and international students. These outcomes are similar to those found with authentic research-based experiments. The curriculum had less of an impact on students' attitudes about chemistry. A research-inspired curriculum offers many benefits to students without the difficulties of designing actual research-based projects for general chemistry classes.