A Case Study of College General Chemistry MARTIN MEYER Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York
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ONTEMPORARY reflection upon educational procedures has in some areas developed into something so adversely critical that i t has been described literally as a war on science. Quite naturally i t has begun to have repercussions upon chemistry and the teaching of chemistry. With no commitment with respect to decision on issues involved in the controversies such as the conclusions as to past performance, the objectives for the future, or the various ills and panaceas proposed or prescribed, an objective examination of an existing situation is never a bad thing and the present circumstances furnish as good a reason for such an examination as any. One need not point out to chemists that experimental observations are likely to be fair guides for the extrapolation of curves. To provide some data of that nature as One in more specific answer to the questions that are now becoming familiar to all chemical educators, the questionnaire presented herewith, which differs only in being a little more inclusive than similar ones we have periodically employed, was prepared. The questionnaire was given to 159 students, that is, to all students who are a t this date completing our Chemistry 2. That course is the second of a twosemester course in college chemistry for which one year of high-school chemistry is a prerequisite, and while chemistry is not a "requ,ired" subject for the baccalaureate degree a t our school, students who elect chemistry and have that preparation must take this course first. We have another and different course for students who have not had high-school chemistry and those students did not receive the questionnaire. That arranxement is one method of sol;in~ other problems which educators will recognize, but these associated problems are also solved in other ways elsewhere. No effort is herein made to advocate the correctness of our solution as an alternative to the other methods of subdividing the student body. As stated, this effort had as its principal purpose that of providing data which would throw light on comments which would be equally valid or invalid for the other methods. Those comments have been made locally by members of our own faculty as well as representatives of the secondary school system. The course in question comprises what is usually comprehended by first-year college or general chemistry with the stated limitations. Except for the fact that the intelligence rating of this group by any test is possibly above the general college median, there is no reason to suppose that i t is other than a representative group of liberal arts students. In securing the student responses every effort was made to avoid leading the replies. Although the questionnaire, reproduced below, carries a line for the
student's name, they were informed that if they so desired, they could omit that. Based upon more than 20 years of contact with the local student body, the writer has the conviction that the absence of that specific direction would not have inhibited the self-expression of any appreciable percentage of the students but i t is perhaps worth while stating that the direction was given and a few students took advantage of it. Q ~ S T I O N N A I R ~ C F I E W I S T R2Y
Spring, 1945 Nam-College C l a s s c h e m i s t r y Class__ h) General H. S. 1. a) High School Chemistry Gradgrad^ c ) Grade in Chemistry 1d) Expected Grade Chem. -2 e) General College Index__ 2, a) Did you find it worth while to take a year of chemistry after a year in High School?b) Did you find the course easy, difficult, or average?3. What aspect did you find the most difficult? 4. What change would you suggest in the course? 5. 6.
Do you intend to take elective work in chemistry?Do you intend to major in chemistry? 7. a) Did your intention change during the year? b) If you expect to take more elective work,why?
8. a) Why did you take this course originally? b) If you expect to major in chemistry, why? 9' If
'Yu
.
do . not expect to take more work wuy not,
10. How does this course compare for you with other college work, that is harder, easier, mire or less interesting, etc. a) than other science work b) than nonscience work ANSWERS TO Q~STIONNAIRE
Unless otherwise clearly indicated, the numbers and letters of tables below refer to the correspond'mg qnestions on the
325
1, a)
Ratio of high-school chemistry grade to general bighschool average. b) Ratio of college chemistry grade to high-school chemistry grade. c) Ratio of college chemistry grade to general college index.
. . .. . .
a) Number.. Per cent.. Number. b) Per cent.. 4 Number.. . Per cent..
>1 52 33 5 3 25 16
-1 69 44 27 17 63 39
1 a) Number.. . Per cent.. . b) Number.. . Per cent.. . C) Number.. Per cent..
. .
3 18 1 6 0 0
= 1 8 47 2 12 5 30
