Organic chemistry students’ challenges with coherence formation between reactions and reaction coordinate diagrams

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 732-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maia Popova ◽  
Stacey Lowery Bretz
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Reaction Coordinate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Student Difficulties ◽  
Need Support ◽  
Elimination Reactions

The purpose of this study was to elucidate and describe students’ thinking when making connections between substitution and elimination reactions and their corresponding reaction coordinate diagrams. Thirty-six students enrolled in organic chemistry II participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Three major themes were identified that characterize students’ difficulties with integrating the information from the reactions and the reaction coordinate diagrams: incorrect ideas about the meanings of the reaction coordinate diagrams’ features, errors when examining reaction mechanisms, and an inability to assess the relative energies of reaction species. These findings suggest that students need support for coherence formation between reactions and reaction coordinate diagrams. Implications for teaching to address these student difficulties are suggested.

Organic chemistry students’ interpretations of the surface features of reaction coordinate diagrams

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 919-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maia Popova ◽  
Stacey Lowery Bretz
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Peak Height ◽  
Reaction Coordinate ◽  
Peak Width ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Surface Features ◽  
Chemistry Students

Organic chemistry students struggle with understanding the energetics of chemical reactions. Reaction coordinate diagrams are one tool that is widely used in organic chemistry classrooms to assist students with visualizing and explaining the energy changes that take place throughout a reaction. Thirty-six students enrolled in organic chemistry II participated in a qualitative study that used semi-structured interviews to investigate the extent to which students meaningfully extract and integrate information encoded in reaction coordinate diagrams. Results show that students have difficulties explaining the meanings of surface features such as peaks, valleys, peak height, and peak width. Analysis of students’ explanations resulted in four themes that describe students’ challenges with correctly interpreting the features of reaction coordinate diagrams. Students conflated transition states and intermediates, despite being able to recite definitions. Students described the chemical species encoded at points along thex-axis of the reaction coordinate diagrams, while largely ignoring the energies of the species encoded along they-axis. Implications for teaching organic chemistry are discussed.

Location-thinking, value-thinking, and graphical forms: combining analytical frameworks to analyze inferences made by students when interpreting the points and trends on a reaction coordinate diagram

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander P. Parobek ◽  
Patrick M. Chaffin ◽  
Marcy H. Towns
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Rate ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Reaction Rates ◽  
Reaction Coordinate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Analytical Frameworks ◽  
Chemical Representations

Reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs) are chemical representations widely employed to visualize the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters associated with reactions. Previous research has demonstrated a host of misconceptions students adopt when interpreting the perceived information encoded in RCDs. This qualitative research study explores how general chemistry students interpret points and trends on a RCD and how these interpretations impact their inferences regarding the rate of a chemical reaction. Sixteen students participated in semi-structured interviews in which participants were asked to interpret the points and trends along provided RCDs and to compare relative reaction rates between RCDs. Findings derived from this study demonstrate the diversity of graphical reasoning adopted by students, the impact of students’ interpretations of the x-axis of a RCD on the graphical reasoning employed, and the influence of these ideas on inferences made about reaction rate. Informed by analytical frameworks grounded in the resources framework and the actor-oriented model of transfer, implications for instruction are provided with suggestions for how RCDs may be presented to assist students in recognizing the critical information encoded in these diagrams.

Investigating first-year undergraduate chemistry students’ reasoning with reaction coordinate diagrams when choosing among particulate-level reaction mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly B. Atkinson ◽  
Michael Croisant ◽  
Stacey Lowery Bretz
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Mechanism ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Peak Height ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Reaction Coordinate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Phase Reaction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Surface Features ◽  
Undergraduate Chemistry

Reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs) are an important tool used to visualize the energetics of a chemical reaction. RCDs provide information about the kinetics of the reaction, the mechanism by which the reaction occurs, and the relative thermodynamic stability of the molecules in a reaction. Previous research studies have characterized student thinking about chemical kinetics, including their confusion in distinguishing between kinetics and thermodynamics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 students enrolled in a second-semester, first-year undergraduate chemistry course to elicit students’ ideas about surface features of RCDs and to examine how students connect those surface features to features of particulate-level reaction mechanisms. Students were provided both a gas-phase reaction and its accompanying RCD, and then they were asked to choose the particulate-level reaction mechanism that best corresponded to both the reaction and the RCD from among several possible particulate-level reaction mechanisms. Students were asked to explain their reasoning throughout the interview. Findings include students who chose the correct mechanism with appropriate reasoning, as well as students who chose the correct mechanism yet still expressed inaccurate ideas related to the surface features of RCDs and the concepts encoded within them. Students struggled to explain and reason with surface features such as peaks, valleys, and peak height. Moreover, students frequently found it difficult to identify meaningful connections between these surface features, the stoichiometry of the reaction, and the steps in a reaction mechanism. In addition, many students failed to mention important features of RCDs when describing their reasoning about the connections between particulate-level reaction mechanisms and RCDs. The implications for incorporating these research findings into teaching practices in first-year undergraduate chemistry contexts are discussed.

Organic chemistry students' ideas about nucleophiles and electrophiles: the role of charges and mechanisms

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 797-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Anzovino ◽  
Stacey Lowery Bretz
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Specific Chemical Reactions

Organic chemistry students struggle with reaction mechanisms and the electron-pushing formalism (EPF) used by practicing organic chemists. Faculty have identified an understanding of nucleophiles and electrophiles as one conceptual prerequisite to mastery of the EPF, but little is known about organic chemistry students' knowledge of nucleophiles and electrophiles. This research explored the ideas held by second-semester organic chemistry students about nucleophiles and electrophiles, finding that these students prioritize structure over function, relying primarily on charges to define and identify such species, both in general and in the context of specific chemical reactions. Contrary to faculty who view knowledge of nucleophiles and electrophiles as prerequisite to learning mechanisms and EPF, students demonstrated that they needed to know the mechanism of a reaction before they were able to assess whether the reaction involved nucleophiles and electrophiles or not.

scholarly journals Exploring the Perception of Chemistry Students at Kulliyyah of Science in Learning Organic Chemistry

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-30
Author(s):  
Nurul Nadiah Rosly ◽  
Shafida Abd Hamid ◽  
Nor Azlina A. Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
High Failure Rate ◽  
Organic Reaction ◽  
Reaction Type ◽  
Chemistry Students

Students perceive organic chemistry as a challenging subject for them to learn and master, which results in a high failure rate. This study investigates the perception of chemistry students of the Department of Chemistry, Kulliyyah of Science at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), on organic chemistry courses and identify the topics that the students found difficult to grasp, which may affect their grades. The correlation of students’ perception on the difficulty level in studying organic chemistry subjects (I and II) with the grades obtained for both courses, and the correlation of the type of study attitude with the grades achieved for Organic Chemistry I and II, were also investigated. From the data analysis of questionnaires distributed to 160 respondents, stereochemistry (n = 58.8 %), determination of reaction type (n = 59.4 %), construction of the reaction mechanisms (n = 73.2 %), and characterisation of organic reaction (n = 77.5 %), were the topics that the students perceived to be difficult. Perception on the difficulty in studying organic chemistry was positively associated with the achievement of excellent grades for both organic chemistry subjects (I; rs = 0.413**, p<0.01 and II; rs = 0.436**, p<0.01). Quality of study attitude shows no association with the grades obtained for organic chemistry I (rs = 0.330**, p = 1.00) but positively associated with grades of organic chemistry II subject (rs = 0.140, p<0.01). This study could serve as a reference for lecturers to search for ways to design appropriate teaching approaches for better learning experiences.

scholarly journals Utilizing Rasch analysis to establish the psychometric properties of a concept inventory on concepts important for developing proficiency in organic reaction mechanisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Nedungadi ◽  
Sue H. Paek ◽  
Corina E. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Rasch Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Organic Reaction ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Organic Reaction Mechanisms

AbstractUndergraduate organic chemistry has been found to be historically difficult for students and one area where students struggle is organic reaction mechanisms. The difficulties students face with reaction mechanisms has been a source of interest in chemical education research but most studies done have been purely qualitative. An assessment tool that could be used on a large-scale for instructors to gauge the difficulties their students face, would be useful. The aim of this pilot study is to use Rasch analysis to establish the validity and reliability of the concepts important for developing proficiency in organic reaction mechanisms inventory (RMCPI). The test, containing 25 items, was administered to first semester organic chemistry students (N = 44) at a mid-sized university. The data was analyzed using Rasch techniques to explore the dimensionality of the instrument, the difficulty of the items, the item fit, and the reliability. The results indicate that the instrument is unidimensional and most of the items fit well to the dichotomous Rasch model. The test was found to be difficult and this will be explored further by increasing the sample size, administering the test to students from other universities and increasing the number of items on the inventory.

scholarly journals Development and psychometric analysis of an inventory of fundamental concepts for understanding organic reaction mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Nedungadi ◽  
Michael D. Mosher ◽  
Sue Hyeon Paek ◽  
Richard M. Hyslop ◽  
Corina E. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Test Theory ◽  
Psychometric Analysis ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Organic Reaction ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Alternate Conceptions ◽  
Organic Reaction Mechanisms

Abstract The fundamental concepts for organic reaction mechanisms inventory (FC-ORMI) is a multiple-choice instrument designed to assess students’ conception of fundamental concepts for understanding organic reaction mechanisms. The concepts were identified from open-ended interviews and a national survey of organic chemistry instructors reported in a previous study. This manuscript describes the development of the inventory items related to these identified concepts and the psychometric analysis of the instrument. In the developmental stage, open-ended questions were administered to first-semester organic chemistry students (N = 138), and open-ended interviews were conducted with students (N = 22) from the same pool to gain insight into their thought processes. The answers revealed alternate conceptions which were used to formulate distractors for the inventory. A pilot version and a beta version of the inventory were administered to 105 and 359 first-semester organic chemistry students, respectively. From these administrations, the 26-item alpha version was developed and administered to first-semester undergraduate organic chemistry students (N = 753). Psychometric analysis was conducted at the item and test level using Classical Test Theory and Rasch analysis. The results indicate that the items on the FC-ORMI function well to reveal students’ alternate conceptions. The instrument meets the acceptable standards of validity and reliability for concept inventories.

Organic chemistry students' fragmented ideas about the structure and function of nucleophiles and electrophiles: a concept map analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1019-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Anzovino ◽  
Stacey Lowery Bretz
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Concept Map ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Cognitive Map ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Function ◽  
Map Analysis

Organic chemistry students struggle with multiple aspects of reaction mechanisms and the curved arrow notation used by organic chemists. Many faculty believe that an understanding of nucleophiles and electrophiles, among other concepts, is required before students can develop fluency with the electron-pushing formalism (EPF). An expert concept map was created to depict an understanding of nucleophiles and electrophiles ideally held by undergraduates. Second year organic chemistry students were interviewed and asked to give examples of nucleophiles and electrophiles and to identify them in reactions. A cognitive map was created to represent each student's understanding. The students' maps were compared to the expert map, revealing that students possess fragmented ideas about the structure and function of nucleophiles and electrophiles.

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