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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2006  > November  >
Research: Science and Education
Chemical Education Research
High School Chemistry Content Background of Introductory College Chemistry Students and Its Association with College Chemistry Grades
Robert H. Tai
Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4273

R. Bruce Ward and Philip M. Sadler
Science Education Department, Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138

Cover
November 2006
Vol. 83 No. 11
p. 1703
Abstract
Do students who focus on some content areas in high school chemistry have an advantage over others in college chemistry? Published research on high school preparation for college science dates back as far as the 1920s, but results have been mixed. This manuscript seeks to answer this question through the use of a broad-based survey of 3521 introductory college chemistry students. This study provides descriptive analyses showing the distribution of high school content experiences reported by college chemistry students from 31 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The results indicate that stoichiometry rises above seven other topic areas studied in high school as most strongly predictive of college chemistry success. In addition, three mathematics background predictors, including calculus background, were found to be highly significant.
Supplement
A method to deal with missing data and an analytical approach for using non-normally distributed variables are discussed.
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Citation
Tai, Robert H.; Ward, R. Bruce; Sadler, Philip M. J. Chem. Educ. 2006 83 1703.
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Keywords
Chemical Education Research; First-Year Undergraduate / General; High School / Introductory Chemistry; Mathematics / Symbolic Mathematics; Stoichiometry; Student / Career Counseling
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History
Created:
Last Updated:
9/19/2006
9/20/2006
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