The ability to evaluate options and make informed decisions about problems in relevant contexts is a core competency that we should expect science and chemistry students to develop. In this study, we summarize major findings of our recent investigations designed to explore the modes of reasoning applied by college chemistry students when engaged in tasks that demand the evaluation of the benefits, costs, and risks (BCR) of using different types of materials. Our studies reveal that most students do not rely on chemical knowledge to make their decisions. Instead, their reasoning seems to be guided by implicit assumptions about the properties and behaviors of different types of substances, and by simple heuristics that tacitly help reduce cognitive effort. Our research findings have important implications for teaching as they suggest that major changes need to be implemented in chemistry courses at all educational levels to create more opportunities for students to productively engage in decision making in realistic contexts.

Analyzing chemistry students' decision making in realistic contexts

251st National Meeting (2016)

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