Students' Perceptions of Chemistry Laboratory Environments: Moving From a Phenomenographic to a Quantitative Approach

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Postsecondary Science Education

Abstract

Based on a phenomenographic study that established students’ perspectives of an Organic Chemistry laboratory, this current study used interview data to create a questionnaire assessing seven student perspectives of the chemistry laboratory environment. In a cross-sectional study, questionnaires were administered to a sample of n = 157 chemistry students coming from three universities. These questionnaires were analyzed to 1) determine correlations between perspectives and 2) identify subgroups of students across perspectives using latent profile analysis (LPA). The results show that perspectives are correlated in accordance to most of the assumptions from our previous work as well as provide suggestions for further related perspectives. The LPA identified five profiles which we present and discuss in the paper.

Authors

• Nikita Lauren Burrows, Monmouth University

• Marianna Siemens, Leibniz Universitat Hannover

• Leonie Peschel, Leibniz Universitat Hannover

• Suazette Mooring, Georgia State University

• Andreas Nehring, Leibniz Universitat Hannover