The Reaction Coordinate Diagram Inventory (RCDI) has been developed to measure student thinking and confidence with reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs) and their correspondence to reaction mechanisms. The RCDI was designed using a sequential mixed-methods protocol, such that the questions and distractors in the instrument were generated based on an analysis of qualitative semi-structured interviews in which general chemistry and organic chemistry students were asked to describe the concepts embedded in the surface features of RCDs and to use the mechanistic information encoded in RCDs. The RCDI was administered to second-semester general chemistry students (n = 443), second-semester organic chemistry students (n = 227), and second-semester physical/biophysical chemistry students (n = 45). Descriptive statistics and item function are presented for each of the three samples. Qualitative and quantitative evidence for the validity and reliability of the data generated by the RCDI are also presented. Major categories of misconceptions assessed by the RCDI and data demonstrating the prevalence of these misconceptions for all three groups of students are presented.
The Reaction Coordinate Diagram Inventory (RCDI) was developed to measure chemistry students' thinking and confidence when interpreting the kinetic and thermodynamic information encoded within reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs). The RCDI was designed based upon analyses of qualitative data collected in semi-structured interviews with general chemistry students or organic chemistry students to ensure all items and distractors were grounded in students' ideas and reasoning. A longitudinal, multi-institution research study was conducted using the RCDI to measure changes in undergraduate chemistry students' reasoning with RCDs, and their confidence in doing so, at three points in time: (1) end of secondsemester general chemistry, (2) beginning of first-semester organic chemistry, and (3) end of first-semester organic chemistry. The three institutions participating in this longitudinal study taught organic chemistry using either a traditional functional group curriculum or a mechanisms approach. Findings include evidence that individual students performed significantly better with significantly higher confidence as they progressed through courses, but that some RCD misconceptions, such as incorrectly assuming reaction progress indicates a time unit, are persistent throughout. Although two of the institutions taught organic chemistry using a mechanisms curriculum and one institution used the traditional functional group approach, no evidence exists of significant differences among students' RCDI total score and average confidence across institutions.
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...
Emphasizing stoichiometry appears to be a norm of introductory chemistry courses. In this longitudinal and mixed-methods study, we examined how the emphasis on stoichiometry in assessments of introductory chemistry impacted...
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