Effects of Context-Based Laboratory Experiments on Attitudes of Analytical Chemistry Students

1999 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Pringle ◽  
Julie Henderleiter
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Chemistry Students

Analytical chemistry students’ explanatory statements in the context of their corresponding lecture

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1183-1198
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Scott E. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Thin Layer ◽  
Thin Layer Chromatography ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Secondary Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Layer Chromatography

Conceptually understanding chemistry requires the ability to transition among representational levels to use an understanding of submicroscopic entities and properties to explain macroscopic phenomena. Past literature describes student struggles with these transitions but provides limited information about upper-level post-secondary chemistry students’ abilities to transition among levels. This group is of particular interest as they are engaging in potentially their final training before entering a career as professional chemists, thus if students are likely to develop this skill during their formal education it should be manifest among this group. This study characterized analytical chemistry students’ responses to open-ended assessments on acid–base titrations and thin-layer chromatography for the use of sub-microscopic entities or properties to explain these macroscopic phenomena. Further, to understand whether explanatory statements were an expectation inherent in the instructional context of the setting, the analytical chemistry instructor's lectures on acid–base titrations and thin-layer chromatography were analyzed with the same framework. The analysis found that students seldom invoked explanatory statements within their responses and that congruence between lectures and responses to assessment was primarily limited to the use of macroscopic, descriptive terms. Despite the fact that the lecture in class regularly invoked explanatory statements in one context, this did not translate to student use of explanatory statements. To further test the hypothesis that analytical chemistry students struggle with explanatory statements, a follow-on study was also conducted among a second cohort of students reviewing their responses when specifically prompted to use sub-microscopic entities to explain a macroscopic phenomenon. The results suggest that fewer than half of the students showed proficiency on generating explanatory statements when explicitly prompted to do so. Instructional implications to promote explanatory statements are proposed in the discussion.

Student experiences of project-based learning in an analytical chemistry laboratory course in higher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Matilainen ◽  
Piia Nuora ◽  
Piia Valto
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Work Group ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Laboratory Course

AbstractThis study describes students’ experiences in project-based learning (PjBL) incorporated as part of a revised undergraduate analytical chemistry laboratory course. We examined which phases were the easiest as well as the most challenging and what student skills developed during the research project. The research data were collected between 2016 and 2018 via two questionnaires. They were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. One questionnaire focused on the whole course (in 2016–2018, n = 127) of which only the answers on the research project questions were analyzed. The other questionnaire focused on only the research project (in 2018, n = 42). Based on the results of our study, students felt that the research project was useful for their future laboratory experiments. Several sets working life skills as well as self-assessment skills were also developed during the project. These included skills related to laboratory work, group working, planning the research, problem solving and data collection. The students named the easiest phases to be the concrete laboratory experiments, making the seminar presentation, drawing up the research plan and reporting the results. As the most challenging phases, they named the design phase of the project, challenges related to experimental works and data collection. For example, students experienced uncertainty when gathering information and the whole project appeared challenging during the design phase. However, when students started to work, they saw that the work progressed smoothly if they had designed it well. When students have an opportunity to create their own research project, they acquire meaningful learning experiences.

Island Explorations: Discovering Effects of Environmental Research-Based Lab Activities on Analytical Chemistry Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 1887-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Hall Tomasik ◽  
Dale LeCaptain ◽  
Sarah Murphy ◽  
Mary Martin ◽  
Rachel M. Knight ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Chemistry Students

scholarly journals THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING TITRATION CURVES IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (34) ◽  
pp. 213-219
Author(s):  
Roberto FERNANDEZ-MAESTRE
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Acceptable Error ◽  
Chemistry Teachers ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Undergraduate Chemistry ◽  
Titration Curves ◽  
Chemistry Textbooks ◽  
Ultimate Purpose ◽  
Selection Of

Titration curves are an essential subject of an Analytical Chemistry course. The main objective of calculating titration curves is the selection of an indicator for such titrations. The calculation of titration errors is imperative because they establish if a given indicator can be used for a given titration. This study reviews the available literature on titration curves and calculating their errors. Its purpose is to draw attention to the importance of undergraduate chemistry students having competencies to determine the titration errors rather than skills to build titration curves as the ultimate purpose of these curves is to determine the failure committed when using a given indicator to assess their endpoints. It is shown that the pH and potential calculation at the equivalence point in acid-base and redox titrations, respectively, are not required to choose the titration indicator, one that yields an acceptable error according to the type of application needed. Methods to calculate these errors in the four main types of titrations are presented; those for complexometric and precipitation titrations are simpler than in the literature. Here, it is also demonstrated that calculating points immediately after and before the curve inflection are more critical for this selection in these two types of titrations. Also, it is deducted that complexometric and precipitation curves are not required to select indicators for these titrations. These demonstrations are essential because analytical chemistry teachers may disregard teaching important topics by spending time calculating unnecessary titration curves (complexometric and precipitation titrations) or additional points of titration curves (redox and acid-base titrations) when the calculation of titration errors of these reactions is more critical. Most analytical chemistry textbooks neglect this topic. Undergraduate chemistry programs should focus more on calculating titration errors than on the construction of titration curves.

Making Sense of Errors Made by Analytical Chemistry Students in Their Writing

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 490
Author(s):  
Misiwe Katiya ◽  
Thembinkosi Mtonjeni ◽  
Puleng Sefalane-Nkohla
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Making Sense
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