Understanding Academic Performance in Organic Chemistry
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
Successful completion of organic chemistry is a prerequisite for many graduate and professional programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, yet the failure rate for this sequence of courses is notoriously high. To date, few studies have examined why some students succeed while others have difficulty in organic chemistry. This study examines factors related to student performance in organic chemistry courses. Results indicate that high-achieving students, as measured by course grades, score higher on measures of conceptual performance and problem-solving while seeking assistance and engaging in practice problems earlier in the semester than low-achieving students. Case studies illustrate how students engaging in such behaviors can overcome poor prior grades while those not engaging in such behaviors can perform poorly despite strong prior grades. Overall, study behaviors and conceptual understanding outweigh prior academic standing in predicting final course grades. These analyses suggest potential intervention targets for educators addressing students at risk for poor organic chemistry performance.
This version is free to view and download for private research and study only.
Description
Type of resource | text |
---|---|
Date created | 2011 |
Creators/Contributors
Author | Szu, Evan | |
---|---|---|
Author | Nandagopal, Kiruthiga | |
Author | Shavelson, Richard | |
Author | Lopez, Enrique | |
Author | Penn, John | |
Author | Scharberg, Maureen | |
Author | Hill, Geannine |
Subjects
Subject | Stanford Graduate School of Education |
---|---|
Subject | second-year undergraduate |
Subject | chemical education research |
Subject | organic chemistry |
Subject | testing |
Subject | assessment |
Subject | learning theories |
Genre | Article |
Bibliographic information
Related item | |
---|---|
Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/mp538mh6652 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Szu, E., Nandagopal, K., Shavelson, R. J., Lopez, E. J., Penn, J. H., Scharberg, M., & Hill, G. W. (2011). Understanding academic performance in organic chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 88(9), 1238-1242. Available at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed900067m
Collection
Graduate School of Education Open Archive
View other items in this collection in SearchWorksContact information
- Contact
- evan.szu@gmail.com
Also listed in
Loading usage metrics...