Exploring Student’s Anxiety in Undergraduate Chemistry: A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach
Mentor 1
Kristen Murphy
Start Date
28-4-2023 12:00 AM
Description
Participating in undergraduate level chemistry courses can elicit strong anxious feelings in students. Previous research suggests that anxiety varies among subgroups and educational experience. Similar results have been found where anxiety data was collected via anxiety survey responses and semi-structured interviews with general chemistry I and II students at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. The results from these interviews revealed which students experience the most anxiety towards common general chemistry subjects. Data from anxiety surveys was analyzed using factor analysis to determine a factor structure which helps group questions by similar features. Further validation of the factor structure was explored using qualitative student interviews. The understanding of which cohorts exhibit the most anxiety can help lecturers create a more equitable learning environment for those with reservations towards chemistry. It is vital to explore which groups of students exhibit higher levels of anxiety as this understanding can help instructors create a more equitable learning environment for students with reservations towards learning chemistry.
Exploring Student’s Anxiety in Undergraduate Chemistry: A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach
Participating in undergraduate level chemistry courses can elicit strong anxious feelings in students. Previous research suggests that anxiety varies among subgroups and educational experience. Similar results have been found where anxiety data was collected via anxiety survey responses and semi-structured interviews with general chemistry I and II students at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. The results from these interviews revealed which students experience the most anxiety towards common general chemistry subjects. Data from anxiety surveys was analyzed using factor analysis to determine a factor structure which helps group questions by similar features. Further validation of the factor structure was explored using qualitative student interviews. The understanding of which cohorts exhibit the most anxiety can help lecturers create a more equitable learning environment for those with reservations towards chemistry. It is vital to explore which groups of students exhibit higher levels of anxiety as this understanding can help instructors create a more equitable learning environment for students with reservations towards learning chemistry.
