First-semester general chemistry I (gen chem I) is often seen as a gateway course, which often restricts the career choices of students.  The need to retain students in chemistry is a goal of both very large (R1, Carnegie classification) universities and smaller institutions; however, the student populations may vary considerably. So how does prior knowledge affect students' success at R1 and other universities; how are the retention rates impacted by any differences in gen chem I students? In this investigation, we evaluated the profiles of typical gen chem I students enrolled at these universities in Texas: UT Austin, TAMU College Station, ACU, UNT, TSU, and TAMU-SA, noting their high school background, current mathematics course enrollment, math ability, and reasoning ability levels.  We compared these student profiles to performance on common examination questions given throughout the semester.  Finally we compared student retention in first-semester general chemistry with the STEM-graduation rate at each university. Results yield interesting patterns among the common questions and student profiles from the various universities.<br/>

What is the relationship between a students' profile and their success on common questions in first-semester general chemistry?

255th National Meeting (2018)

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