General chemistry is often an overwhelming experience for students. Although the laboratory component is often viewed by instructors as another way to increase student understanding of concepts, the lab experience can be quite frustrating and add to students' confusion. Whereas instructors might attribute difficulties in lab to negative attitudes, poor preparation for lab, or inattention to lab procedures, they often forget that their students bring a wide variety of high school lab experiences to the college classroom. Difficulties in lab may exist due to the disparity between the lab skills taught at the high-school level and the performance expectations of college lab instructors, but relatively few research studies have directly examined this factor via student interviews. This qualitative study investigated students' lab experiences at the high school and college levels via focus group and individual interviews. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed using methods informed by grounded theory.

Bridging the gap: A comparison of students' high school and general chemistry lab experiences

245th National Meeting (2013)

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