As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education researchers continue to explore ways to increase college student persistence in STEM fields, the affective domain (e.g., attitudes, perceptions, and self-efficacy) stands out as an area that can significantly impact these efforts. Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent…

Representations are an integral component of organic chemistry education and practice. Learning how to visualize and reason effectively with a variety of representations is essential for learners to succeed. However, developing the necessary representational competence skills (e.g., the ability to interpret, translate between, and use…

Second-term general chemistry is a key gateway course at our institution for a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors. Herein, we examine data on DFW% (i.e., % of D and F grades and withdrawals) in our general chemistry courses over roughly a quarter-century period, focusing on sections taught by the authors.…

In this second-semester organic chemistry lab experiment, students work collaboratively using a combination of chemical synthesis and NMR spectroscopy to investigate the diastereoselectivity associated with the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction of two ketone substrates having carbonyl groups flanked by an [alpha]-chiral carbon with…

Laboratory education makes up an extensive part of natural science education at universities. To support meaningful learning during laboratory work, students should prepare by carefully studying the protocols. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate a preparative learning material that focuses on protocol steps with the design goal to…

Chemistry education researchers have, for many years, explored different ways of learning chemistry through modeling and open-ended problem-solving. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, students now have access to dynamic scaffolds that can potentially support them in modeling. However, we still…

This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the gamification of laboratory activities in a General Chemistry course at the Federal University of Ceará in Brazil. In the gamified laboratory, seven experiments traditionally performed in the course were transformed into ten missions, incorporating game elements such as…

The assessment of student understanding, and of student reasoning skills more broadly, hinges upon the ability to elicit and interpret student-generated explanations. In practice, however, the explanations that students provide in response to traditional prompts do not always reveal as much about student reasoning as teachers and researchers in…

Fluorescence experiments hold great potential to develop and deepen student understanding of fundamental chemical concepts because the phenomenon is engaging and also illustrates many different chemical concepts and applications, including in quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, kinetics, equilibrium, and stoichiometry, through easily observable…

To explore the myriad ways in which systemic racism diminishes chemistry, and to recommend changes to our home department, a seminar-style course was created that provided a structured venue in which to collaborate with students. The course was created by the department chair, after reflecting on the Black Lives Matter message that it was time for…

There is a gap between the importance of certain archeological material sources and their perception, both by professionals and by the general public. Textiles, for example, are essential to understanding practices that marked daily life and rituals in the past, but they have often been extremely degraded over time, particularly in temperate…

Students' social belonging in general chemistry has recently been shown to predict course performance, and their course-level social belonging has been shown to differ across demographics, such as gender. This course-level social belonging consists of two components: (1) sense-of-belonging, referring to a student's feeling of social connectedness…

There has been extensive work within chemistry education research to characterize organic chemistry students' engagement in key science practices like "constructing explanations" and "engaging in argument from evidence". Less has been done to consider how organic chemistry students interact with empirical data, outside of…

Large introductory STEM courses have a reputation as "weed out" classes. These classes and their laboratory components are more often viewed by students as hurdles to overcome than valuable learning experiences relevant to their future careers. This perception especially impacts students who have a lower science identity and…

Engaging in laboratory practical activities, developing laboratory practical skills, and, to a degree, even wearing laboratory protective equipment such as safety coats and goggles are all quintessential components of chemistry education. It is becoming quite common for institutions to invest in large-scale chemistry teaching laboratories, filling…