Alignment of theoretically grounded constructs for the measurement of science and chemistry identity

Abstract

Identity has been theorized to aid in student persistence within STEM disciplines. In this study, science and chemistry identity were defined as being recognized as a science or chemistry person within the classroom. To generalize the effects that identity has on student persistence, a measurable construct must be defined, operationalized, and tested in multiple settings with different populations. This project addressed the first step in the process, defining the construct and grounding it in an established theoretical framework. This qualitative project utilized a previously described physics identity framework, with sub-constructs of performance/competence, recognition, and interest, as a starting point for the alignment of students’ perceptions of identity to the broader theoretical frameworks of identity. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from a range of chemistry courses at Portland State University. The interviews consisted of questions pertaining to the sub-constructs of identity. Thematic analysis was used to define emerging themes within student responses. These themes were found to align with an array of affective constructs, including mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, situational interest, and mindset. These constructs will be used to develop an identity measure for chemistry education that is grounded in the broader theoretical frameworks of identity.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of POGIL in a Large-Enrollment General Chemistry Course

“…In addition, the General Chemistry I grade proved to be a strong mediator of the differences in competency beliefs, which is to be expected given the strong relationship between competency beliefs and positive performance feedback. Differences in chemistry identity were also explained by grades, pointing toward identity as a dependent skill as well as knowledge development. ,, …”

“…The attitude measures were developed by adapting previously validated scales: Colorado Learning Science Survey for Use in Chemistry (CLASS-Chem), , the Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory (CSCI), , and a Science Identity survey. , These surveys have been independently validated in several prior studies in terms of stability, convergent validity, and malleability. ,− , After selecting items for our instruments, we conducted pilot studies. The first step was to conduct cognitive interviews .…”

Belonging in general chemistry predicts first-year undergraduates’ performance and attrition

“…In the affective or motivational domain, students' attitudes towards chemistry (Xu et al, 2013;Villafañe and Lewis, 2016) and their chemistry self-concepts (Lewis et al, 2009) have been shown to predict performance, above and beyond conventional cognitive measures. The potential impact of other affective predictors, such as chemistry self-efficacy (Ferrell and Barbera, 2015) and chemistry identity (Hosbein and Barbera, 2020), remains an area of active research.…”

The effect of metacognition on students’ chemistry identity: the chain mediating role of chemistry learning burnout and chemistry learning flow

“…Identity is composed of self-view developed by an individual in the process of participating in an activity and an individual's recognition and classification of their role in a specific community or professional field (Vincent-Ruz and Schunn, 2018). Accordingly, chemistry identity refers to ''recognized as a chemistry person'' (Hosbein and Barbera, 2020a).…”