A TEST OF ACHIEVEMENT IN-COLLEGE CHEMISTRY AND RESULTS OBTAINED BY ITS USE WITH BOTH HIGH-SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CLASSES FREDC. MABEE,* INTERNATIONAL HOUSE,NEWYORKCITY Obiect of Test Object of Test Construction of Test Types of Students Tested Results of Tests Correlation Discussion of Results Interpretations
During a study of the freshman chemistry course as generally taught in American colleges, two facts become increasingly apparent: (1) that no satisfactory objective standard exists for measuring the quality and quantity of a student's achievement in this subject, and (2) that no satisfactory proposal has been put forward for avoiding the overlapping which occurs when high-school graduates who have studied chemistry go to college and are obliged, in inorganic chemistry, to study more or less of the subject-matter over again. The American Chemical Society not long ago appointed a Committee on Chemical Education, whose work has been directed chiefly toward securing a consensus of opinion as to what should be the content of the high-school and freshman college chemistry courses. But when syllabi for these two courses are agreed upon, there will still be some problems left, viz.: (1)How can we compare accurately the achievements of students whose teachers cover a definite amount of this syllabus? (2) How can we discover accurately whether this amount of subject-matter is sufficient and yet not too much for one year's work? These problems have a direct bearing on the transfer, with credit, of students from one institution to another, and also on the admission and classification in college of high-school students who have already taken chemistry. After study and consideration of the questions raised above, i t was decided to construct a chemistry test, the primary object of which would be to measure objectively the achievement of college chemistry students a t the close of a half-year's work in general chemistry. The test was administered to students in three selected colleges and for purposes of comparison, in three selected high schools. In constructing the test, the following general test objectives were kept in mind: 1. To test the student's range of information. 2. To test the student's ability to think scientifically on problems involving chemical principles covered in the course. 3. To assist teachers in assigning course marks, since a test furnishes Graduate student, Columbia University.
a more objective and reliable basis for judgment than is obtainable by the usual methods. 4. To assist teachers in deciding promotions and failures. 5. To enable administrators to compare the results obtained by different teachers in the same or different colleges. Correlation with Admission Intelligence Tests should assist in this comparison. 6. To assist teachers and administrators in vocational guidance work with the students. I n particular, the possible relation of the test to the problem of overlapping was kept in mind. Construction of Test The range of information covered by the test included the topics listed in the 1st section (Structure of Matter) of the syllabus prepared by the Committee on Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society.' These topics are treated by such college texts as Smith's "College Chemistry," Kendall's revision (Century, 1923); McPherson and Henderson's "A Course in General Chemistry" (Giand Co.) and Deming's "General Chemistry" (Wiley, 1923). The test consisted of the following: Part I Multiple choice (5 choices). ......................... 27 items Part I1 Tme-False Statements.. ............................ 13 items Part I11 Symbols, Formulae, Equations, and Stoichiometry.. ... 53 items Total number of items..
.........................
-
93
Great care was taken in the Multiple Choice part to arrange the choices so that only one was correct. The various views held by modern chemists concerning the nature of atoms, ions, electrons, isotopes, etc., made this a difficult task, and the writer is aware that the result is still imperfect. Types of Students Tested Table I presents in brief form the salient facts concerning the stndents tested in six institutions. The three colleges were all in New York City, while the three high schools were located in Ohio, Connecticut, and New York. Results of Tests A. Distribution. The distribution tables prepared from the scores made by the students in the three colleges are presented in Table 11, and for the three high schools in Table 111. 1 THIS JOURNAL, 1,87-99 (1924).
Hour. devoted Colleges
No. students tested
A
B
106
79
in High . School 0 in College 8 (1 yr.)
Total
51
lectures
2 1 laboratory 3 lectures 3
quiz
in High School 9 (1yr.1
. in College C
to chemistry instruction during school year (1924-1925)
for the average student (approximate)
4
(I/>
YT.)
in High School 9 (1 FJ in College 5
laboratory lectures quiz laboratory
1 1 4
class-rwm laboratory dass-room laboratory class-room laboratory
4 2 4 2 3 4
6
236
High schools
D
51
in High School 5
E
171
in High School 6
F
42
in High School 4
(I/?
F.)
Total 264 Grand total of students tested.. . ,500 TABLEI1 DISTRIBUTION OR SCORESOP CHEMISTRY %!UDENTS Chemistry scores
College A frequency
2c-22 23-25 26-28 29-31 32-34 35-37 38-40 4143 44- 46 4749 5W52 53-55 56-58 59451 6M4 65-67 68-70 71-73
5 1 4 8 5 12 8 14 11 16 6
6 2 1 2 1 2 2
College B frequency
..
.. .. .. .. 1
.. ..
2 2 3 1 4 2 10 8 4 9
OR
THREECOLLEGES College C frequency
.. .. .. .. .. .. 1 0 3 2 3
3 1
8 6 12 1 5
TABLE I1 (Concluded) Chemistry score3
College C frequency
College B frzquancy
College A frequency
..
86-88 ... 3 89-91 ... -1 Total cases 106 79 Grand total of cases for three colleges. . . .236 A
'
.. 51
B
C
Q, = 63.4 QI = 58.2 Q," = 35.8 M = 62.2 M = 43.1 M = 71.8 Q1=67.8 Q8 = 4 9 . 1 Qs=78.1 *QI = 1st quartile; M = median; Q8 = 3rd quartile inschool A. This indicates that 75% of the students scored higher than 35.8; 50% scored higher than 43.1, and 25% scored higher than 49.1. TABLE111 DISTRIB~TION or SCORES OP CHEMISTRY STUDENTS or THREE HIGHSCHOOLS Chemistry scores
High school D frequency
High school
E
frequency
High school P frequency
11-13 .. 2 14-16 .. 3 17-19 .. 3 2c-22 . 5 23-25 . 5 26-28 .. 9 29-31 .. 8 32-34 .. 10 35-37 . 20 38-40 . 14 4143 . 15 44-46 3 16 4749 6 12 50-52 3 16 53-55 6 12 56-58 6 6 59-61 6 7 62- 64 5 3 65-67 5 2 68-70 6 1 71-73 1 0 74-76 0 1 77- 79 2 1 0 80-82 -2 Total cases 51 171 Grand total of cases for three high schools.. . ,264
. .
. .
.
Ql=53.6 = 60.2 Q8=67.8
M
Q1=34.3
M = 40.2 Q3=51.5
..
1 1 0 4 4 1 3 3 1 4 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 2
.. .. .. .. .. 42
QI=30.5 = 43.2 Q8=55.2
M
The next step was to combine the scores of the three colleges, and likewise the three high schools. The results of the two combinations of scores are set forth in Table IV.
JODRNAL oa CHEMICAL EDUCATION
74
1926
JANUM,
TABLEIV DI~TRIBDTION oa SCORES oa C m ~ r s T ~STUDENTS y oa THE COMBINED COLLEGES AND COMBINED HIGHSCAOOLS Chemistry scores
Combined colleges
Combined h. s. frequency
frequency
..
11-13 14-16 17-19 2 s 22 23-25 26-28 29-31 32-34 35-37 3840 4143 44-46 4749 50-52 53-55 56-58 59-61 62-64 65-67 68-70 71-73 741 76 77-79 8M2 83-85 86-88 89-91
2 4 4 5 9 13 9 13 23 15 19 22 20 22 20 15 16 10 9 7 1 1 3 2
.. .. 5 1 4 8 5 13 9 14 16 20 12 10 . 7 11 18 21 8 16 14 9 8 3 3 1
.
.. .. ..
Total cases 236 264 Grand total of cases for combined colleges and high schools.. ,500
.
QI = 43.3 M
QI = 36.0 M = 46.2 Q3 = 56.2
55.4 QZ = 68.0 =
MEDIANSAND QUARTILES POR m&COLLEGES AND HIGASCKOOLS Colleges
A B C
106 79 51
35.8 63.4 58.2
M 43.1 71.8 64.2
49.1 78.1 67.8
51 171 42
53.6 34.3 30.5
60.2 40.2 43.2
67.8 51.5 55.2
No. of caws
QI
Qa
High schools
D
E F
Correlation In the case of College B, a study of correlation was undertaken. The correlation for the chemistry test scores and the grades given to the students for the fall semester's work was found to be 0.59, probable error +0.05. The correlation between the chemistry test scores and the horn dike Intelligence Test was also studied, and for this there was obtained a correlation of 0.42 with a probable error of *0.06. Discussion of Results The differing results of the scores of the three colleges were due to a number of factors, chief among these being previous chemical preparation, time alloted to instruction in college, type of instruction, and whether or not the students were highly selected on the basis of ability. Table IV shows that the differencebetween these high-school and college students in ahility to do these tasks is not large. It shows that more than 25 per cent of the high-school students excelled the score of the median student in the colleges. The correlation between the chemistry scores and the semester grades shows that there is a rather definite relationship between the scores and the factors which go to make up the semester grades. The correlation between the chemistry scores and the Thorndike Intelligence Test does not indicate a marked relationship. With due allowance for dierences in the ground covered in the courses taken by the students who were tested, the data support the conclusion that the content of the courses for the high-school and freshman college students of chemistry should be selected on basis of needs rather than on differences in ability of the two groups, for the ability of the best highschool and the best college students must be nearly the same. With reference to this, i t should be remembered that the achievement in High School D (median = 60.2) is the result of six forty-five minute periods per week, while College B students (median = 71.8) had nine one-hour periods per week, and every student had had a preparatory year of high-school chemistry. Moreover the selective factor in College B is such that only the most intelligent s t ~ d e n t are s admitted to the course. Interpretations The problems which have been attacked in this preliminary study are so important that the work here reported can be regarded as scarcely more than a beginning. This study of the 500 cases is inadequate for generalizations and there is need for further study of the dierences between highschool and college students in ability to master subject-matter. The study should be extended in each of several universities where coopera-
76
JOURNAL OII CHEMICAL EDUCATION
JANUARY,
1926
tion between the departments of chemistry and education is feasible. The information gathered from such a study would aid materially in the interpretation of problems relating to the correlation of high-school and college chemistry. Furthermore, a standardized freshman chemistry test would be a by-product. The need for a test for high-school chemistry does not exist as we already have the standardized tests of Gerry, Powers, Rich, and others. It is not proposed that standardized tests for college freshmen like the one used in this investigation should supplant regular examinations, hut rather that the tests should he supplementary. Their use would make the measurement of the student's achievement more reliable. But of greater significance is the fact that their use would help to define the field which belongs to the high school and the field which belongs to the college.
