There are many different molecular representations used within organic chemistry classes, and many students find it hard to choose the right one to use for a given application. This study uses eye tracking data to examine students’ use of representations while answering questions on multiple organic chemistry topics. The purpose of this study was to see if students allocate attention preferentially to particular representations, and if their use of representations changes based on the type of question asked. Results suggest that question type and experience in chemistry impact student choice of representation, but that gender does not impact representation use during problem solving.

Investigating students’ choice of representations for problem solving in organic chemistry

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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