Previous studies have reported that many students leave STEM programs partly due to the lack of content relevance. The benefits of context-based laboratory learning are somewhat understood in the laboratory learning environment and in chemistry courses for non-STEM majors. However, studies investigating the impact of the integration of real-world contexts into postsecondary chemistry lecture courses for STEM majors have been overlooked. This study is the first to our knowledge to investigate the impact of integrating real-world contexts and application cards activities—student-generated responses on the relevance of the learned chemistry concepts to their daily experiences, into the chemistry lecture courses on students’ perceived relevance of chemistry. Specifically, we investigated (1) the impact of integrating real-world contexts into the General Chemistry I lecture course on students’ perceptions of chemistry, (2) how embedding real-world contexts in chemistry problem sets, and application cards activities impact students’ learning experiences in the General Chemistry I course, and (3) if there are any differences in performance between students who are exposed to real-world contexts and their counterparts who are not in the General Chemistry I lecture course. A quasi-experimental design and a mixed-methods approach were employed. Data sources included structured and open-ended surveys and exam scores. Preliminary findings showed improved perceptions of chemistry relevance for students exposed to the real-world contexts and application cards activities compared to their counterparts who were not exposed to these interventions. Detailed results and implications for practice will be discussed.

Impact of integrating real-world contexts and application cards activities on students’ learning outcomes in General Chemistry-I lecture course

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