Students often have a difficult time conceptually understanding the particulate nature concepts behind common chemistry problems, suggesting that a greater emphasis should be placed on the particulate level in introductory chemistry courses. Over the past two academic years the United States Naval Academy (USNA), successfully piloted an introductory level chemistry course called "Atoms First" (SC111AF) that intentionally integrated a particulate-level focus. This course was offered along with a conventional introductory level chemistry course (SC111). The overall objective of the pilot was to determine the effectiveness of the SC111AF curriculum which was investigated by evaluating student responses to a variety of question types, including multiple choice and free response, analyzed through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data was collected during this pilot from SC111AF/SC111 consenting students in order to conduct a longitudinal analysis of particulate level knowledge, including a breakdown by achievement level. Emphasis was placed on evaluating students’ conceptual understanding of the particulate nature versus their computational ability to successfully answer more algorithmic questions. For example, a question that asked the students to determine the freezing point of an ionic solution and also to list the species present in solution indicated a disconnect between conceptual and algorithmic responses. Many students were successful with the mathematical calculation without being explained the major species identities and concentrations. The proportion of students with this disconnect was lower for the SC111AF group than the SC111 group. We will present the detailed analysis for this and other questions relating to the effectiveness of placing an emphasis on teaching chemistry with a particulate nature focus.

Analysis of particulate level understanding in an atoms first general chemistry course

2019 Spring National Meeting

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