Understanding the State of the Art for Measurement in Chemistry Education Research: Examining the Psychometric Evidence

The 100th anniversary of the first article (published in 1921) examining student success and the high school to university transition in chemistry provides an excellent opportunity to consider what has...

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Towards a theoretically sound measure of chemistry students’ motivation; investigating rank-sort survey methodology to reduce response style bias

Chemistry Education Research and Practice ◽

10.1039/d1rp00206f ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Scott E. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Education Research ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Q Methodology ◽

Chemistry Education ◽

Academic Motivation ◽

Survey Methodology ◽

Likert Scale ◽

Response Style ◽

Chemistry Students ◽

Chemistry Education Research

Prior research has demonstrated the important role of chemistry students’ affect in academic performance. Likert-scale surveys are the most prevalent tools to measure students’ affect within chemistry education research, however, data collected through a Likert-scale survey may exhibit response style bias which can hinder accurately measuring students’ affect. This study investigates the utility of a novel survey methodology, termed rank-sort survey, in understanding students’ academic motivation in a general chemistry course. Informed by Q methodology, in a rank-sort survey participants rank a set of statements in terms of level of agreement with limits in place on how many items can be assigned a particular rank. In this investigation, a rank-sort survey was developed by using statements from an existing Likert-scale instrument, the Academic Motivation Survey in Chemistry. Data collected from the rank-sort surveys, compared to Likert-scale surveys, showed a better alignment with self-determination theory, the underlying theoretical framework, and a better ability to predict students’ academic performance in chemistry. The study also discusses which surveys in chemistry education research are likely to benefit from adopting a rank-sort approach.

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The international dimension of Chemistry Education Research and Practice

Chemistry Education Research and Practice ◽

10.1039/c2rp90013k ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 398-400 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Keith S. Taber

Keyword(s):

Education Research ◽

Chemistry Education ◽

Research And Practice ◽

International Dimension ◽

Chemistry Education Research

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Preparing Chemistry Education Research Manuscripts for Publication

ACS Symposium Series - Tools of Chemistry Education Research ◽

10.1021/bk-2014-1166.ch016 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 299-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Keith S. Taber ◽

Marcy H. Towns ◽

David F. Treagust

Keyword(s):

Education Research ◽

Chemistry Education ◽

Chemistry Education Research

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A novel qualitative method to improve access, elicitation, and sample diversification for enhanced transferability applied to studying chemistry outreach

Chemistry Education Research and Practice ◽

10.1039/c7rp00200a ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 410-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Justin M. Pratt ◽

Ellen J. Yezierski

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Education Research ◽

Data Collection ◽

Chemistry Education ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Thick Description ◽

Research Survey ◽

Site Investigations ◽

Available Technology ◽

Chemistry Education Research

Conducting qualitative research in any discipline warrants two actions: accessing participants and eliciting their ideas. In chemistry education research, survey techniques have been used to increase access to participants and diversify samples. Interview tasks (such as card sorting, using demonstrations, and using simulations) have been used to elicit participant ideas. While surveys can increase participation and remove geographic barriers from studies, they typically lack the ability to obtain detailed, thick description of participant ideas, which are possible from in-person interviews. Minimal research in CER has examined how to harness technology to synthesize traditionally diverse research approaches to advance the field. This paper presents a novel method for interviewing research participants employing freely available technology to investigate student ideas about the purposes of conducting chemistry outreach, how success of an outreach event is evaluated, and student understanding of the chemistry content embedded in activities facilitated at events. As the outreach practitioner population comes from numerous institutions and is therefore geographically diverse, technology is necessary in order to gain access to these students. To elicit their ideas and remove barriers associated with rapport, interview tasks are adapted and implemented electronically. The description of a novel set of methods is coupled with evidence from the interviews to illustrate the trustworthiness of the data obtained and to support the method as a means to improve qualitative data collection in chemistry education research. These methods create a unique data collection environment for off-site investigations and are applicable to all disciplines, as they shed light on how qualitative research in the 21st century can increase the diversity of samples and improve the transferability of findings.

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