Investigating General Chemistry Students’ Ideas of the Role of Scientific Instruments

Abstract

Scientific instruments have long been a vital part of science, paving pathways to remarkable scientific advancements. Such advancements have changed the world both socially and culturally, especially in the past few decades. Students can be introduced to this idea through the concepts of nature of science (NOS): scientific observations are often filtered through apparatus, inferences can be made through observations, and science is a socially and culturally embedded practice. The curriculum often fails to emphasize the role of instruments in scientific practices, even in teaching laboratories. This study uses semistructured interviews to investigate the cognitive (thoughts) and affective (feelings) domains of first-year university students as they relate to scientific instrumentation, including students’ ideas of instruments. First, the study probed how general chemistry students conceptualize scientific instruments in relation to the three NOS notions. Second, students’ practices related to experimental data evaluation were investigated as data collection is a large part of psychomotor learning in laboratory. Third, students’ affective states toward learning about instruments were queried. The interview results suggested that a majority of participants acknowledge some ideas of NOS, while a few students displayed an advanced understanding when discussing scientific instruments and also tended to have higher interest and motivation toward learning about instruments.

Mass Is Better than Light: Students’ Perception of Using Spectrophotometry and Gravimetric Analysis to Determine the Formula of a Hydrate in the General Chemistry Lab

“…Where students understand the theoretical underpinnings of a process, such as spectrophotometry, this impacts their psychomotor and affective learning. This adds to the findings of An and Holme that providing information about instrumentation can improve students’ use of instruments and those of Miller et al that students using instrumentation in the lab preferred to understand it conceptually before learning to use an instrument . Unfortunately, many students do not understand the theory behind spectrophotometry, suggesting the need for more research into why students are not learning the theory even as they express their preference to understand it first.…”

“…27 As most incoming students' laboratory experience is with balances, glassware, and Bunsen burners, the introduction of an instrument as complex as a spectrophotometer is likely to be met with anxiety and nervousness. 26 This is part of students' overall anxiety with the prospect of laboratory work. 28 Thus, student success in a laboratory that requires collecting and analyzing spectrophotometric data is anything but assured and the ability to link conceptual understanding with technical skill is a difficult prospect.…”

Advanced Technique-Based Combination of Innovation Education and Safety Education in Higher Education

“…As a source of inspiring innovations, the safe operations for preventing possible risks during the electrospinning process are related closely to the electrospinning instrument, particularly its core part, namely, the spinneret . Scientific instruments have long been a vital part of science, paving the pathway to remarkable scientific advancements and provoking students’ interest and motivation toward practical learning and innovations . A series of related innovations from the students are exhibited.…”

“…A series of related innovations from the students are exhibited. These innovations, which result from the promotion of safety education of the students in the laboratory, include how to implement (1) single-fluid blending electrospinning by using a Teflon-coated metal spinneret, (2) coaxial and triaxial electrospinning using a polymer-metal-combined spinneret, , (3) side-by-side electrospinning through Teflon-coated parallel metal capillaries, and (4) the collection of samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and aligned nanofibers while avoiding high voltage . How these innovations have successfully deepened students’ cognition of electrospinning is also depicted.…”

Color, Candy, and Chromatography: A Combined TLC and HPLC Activity for the General Chemistry Laboratory

“…Of importance, it has also been reported that students exposed to and able to use advanced instrumentation in their introductory laboratories are more independent, have more developed critical thinking skills, and are more empowered than students who do not have the access. 21,22 In these studies, students seemed to enjoy working with the instruments all while still learning fundamental laboratory techniques.…”