Problems with Chemistry Problems: Student Perception and Suggestions Robert G. Silberman S.U.N.Y.-Cortland,
NY 13045
Most of us whu teach freshman chemistry students have, at one time or another. cmnplained abmt our studrnrs' inability to solve chemistry pn,lolt.ma. Many explanarions for this situation have come forth, ranging from discussions of cognitive development to the statement of one of my colleagues, "They are just plain dumb!" Yet, no one seems t o have asked their students why. they . think the" have so much difficulty with chemistry problems. As Dart of a Chautauaua short course oroieet. . . . I decidedro ask mv studenrs m list and rank'morder 01importance the reasons why they thought it was difficult fc!r them to solve ?hemistry problems. T ~ P que5tioning took rhr form of a Delphi study.' o technique designed to obtain a consensus of opinion from a large group of individuals by using successive questionnaires. Initially students were simply asked tolist reasons why they had difficulty with chemistryproblems and sueeestions for overcomine these difficulties. Students listed 83 reasons for ~roblemsolvine d~ficultiesand 64 sueeestions for deereasine these difkxltien. The r-ns ranged from f&tious (ridiculous tpstqj: ~
Presented in part at the 9th Nwtheast Regional meeting of the American Chemical Society, Syracuse, NY. 1979. Rubinstein, M. F.. "Patterns of Problem Solving." 1st ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewoad Clifh, NJ, 1975, p. 505.
1036
Journal of Chemical Education
Table 1. Final Rankings 01 Reasons for Problem-Solvlng Dlfflcultles
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gestions for improving the situation had a similar range of facetious (have a chemistry department beer blast), reasonable (smaller lecture classes), t o puzzling (have a night lecture repeating the lecture of the day). The large numbeiof responses were grouped into 12 categories and the students were asked to rank these in order of importance. After two recessive rankings, a consensus emerged. The final rankings are shown in Tables 1and 2. A romparisvn uf the two sections 01 the surwy shuus that the tirst iremson thr l ~ sof t difficulties arr student-rmttrrd, but almost every item on the second improvement list is course-centered. Certainly, students seem very much aware of the nature of their difficulties with chemistry. Mast instructors would agree with the studeuts'assessment of difficulties if not the order of ranking. However, iudaine from the improvement lists, students are unablito relate thkir &fficulties to their own behaviors and responsibilities. The one item that suggests students take some responsibility for their own performance and course work fie., more individual study and practice) is rated 11th out of 12. After examining the student suggestions for improvement, it certainly seems that the use of a variety of simple presentation techniques and format changes in a course would hemuch appreciated by students. Action by instruetam on the first items on the suggestions list could improve student studv skills. increase the amount of ~ractice they get, and increase their incentive to work on problems. Yet, I
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strongly ruspert that the best way to really improvr studrnr pn,hlem solving perlormanre is to begin hy inwearing rhrir motwntim and then present material that will expand their abstract reasoning ability, which is a far more difficult task than preparing an audio-tutorial tape.
blow are the 12 mast ihwmant reasons s M e m s in Chem. 222 have difficulty with chemistry problems as indicated in Questionnaire IiI in the series. These reasons are listed in order of impwtance. Mean Rank as Assigned by All Students 1. Not enough study and practice Fmblems with abstract concepts Lack of incentive and motivation Poor study skills Inadequate time Chemistry is inherently difficult 7. Inadequate teaching 8. Pwr reading comprehension 9. Impersonal instructor and course 10. Poor math skills 11. Inadequate text and course materials 12. lnadeouate studv facilitieson carnous 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
2.52 3.29 3.64 5.24 5.51 5.68 7.25
7.41 6.32 8.45 9.41 10.31
Table 2. Flnal Ranklngs of Suggeslbns lor Improvement Below are the suggestions tor improvement listed in order of importanceas ranked by Chemislry 222 students. Mean Rank as Assigned bv Ail Sludenl~ 1. Creater emphasis on problems in lecture Small group problem work sessions Post wwked-out problems Tutorial sessions Review notes Tutwial tapes Mini-lecture on special topks More course materials (study aids, manuals. worksheets, etc. 9. Ungraded pre-tes16 10. improve personal contact with instructors 11. More individual study and practice 12. Student-run tutoring sessions 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
