Beginning chemistry students must comprehend the unique and specific language of chemistry. Chemists use specialized diagrams, notation, and vocabulary, as well as more general academic language communicate our science, but many students enter introductory chemistry unprepared to interpret college-level chemistry texts. Data show that students with ACT reading scores below the college readiness benchmark are significantly more likely to drop, fail or withdraw from undergraduate chemistry. Since the ACT does not measure chemistry-specific reading tasks, the connection between text comprehension and student outcomes may be even more pronounced. The connection, though, goes mostly unacknowledged: many supports for struggling students focus on math and problem-solving over vocabulary, particle diagrams, or chemical formulas.<br/>This work seeks to create an intervention to enhance students’ skills in chemistry-based reading comprehension. The authors modified an existing college reading course to meet the specific needs of introductory chemistry students. To help students develop tools to succeed in chemistry, the new course couples general support for notetaking and study skills with more explicit instruction on the conventions of chemical language and diagrams. Quantitative trends highlighted the importance of reading comprehension for success in introductory chemistry, and qualitative data from interviews and assignments provided more insight into how the intervention could best serve students. Conclusions from this work suggest practices to enhance comprehension and support students in introductory chemistry courses.

Chemistry reading group: Design of an interdisciplinary support course for introductory chemistry students

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ACS Fall 2022

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