An Academic Survey Concerning High School and University Students’ Attitudes and Approaches to Problem Solving in Chemistry

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal differences between attitudes and approaches of students from different types of high school and the first grade of university towards problem solving in chemistry. For this purpose, the scale originally developed by Mason and Singh (2010) to measure students’ attitude and approaches towards problem solving in physics (AAPS), was adapted for chemistry. The Attitudes and Approaches to Chemistry Problem Solving (AACPS) scale included Likert-type items and was conducted with 552 students from science (2), regular (2), and vocational (2) high schools, plus one university. No statistically significant difference were found among high schools, but there was between high school and university students, and between female and male students in terms of their attitudes and approaches towards problem solving in chemistry. University students demonstrated more expert-like attitudes towards problem solving, and science and regular high school students were similarly expertlike, while the vocational high school students were rather novice-like. The results obtained through the AAPS physics attitude scale conducted in the same sample group were compared with results of the chemistry scale. Variances between these attitudes and approaches towards problem solving in both chemistry and physics were analyzed and some suggestions made.