Resumen de Students' Use of Web-Based Tutorial Materials and Their Understanding of Chemistry Concepts

William J. Donovan, Mary B. Nakhleh

• This paper reports the findings of the initial phase of our study of student use of Web-based tutorial materials for general chemistry and student understanding of chemistry concepts. We found that students who use the Web site value this source of help and the visualization that the Web site offers. Some questions showed a tendency among women to be more positive than men toward use of the Web site, which may suggest value to using the Web to help female students learn chemistry. Our analysis of student understanding of chemistry concepts via concept maps indicated that students who used the Web site did not have as good an understanding of chemistry as the students who did not use it, but that Web users attempted to make more statements about the relevant chemistry concepts. Overall, most students thought that the Web was a good way to get help learning chemistry.