High School Chemistry Instructional Practices and Their Association with College Chemistry Grades

Abstract

This large-scale survey study looks for connections between high school chemistry classroom instructional practices and the performance of these students in introductory college chemistry. Based on survey data collected from over 3000 students in 31 different colleges and universities, the results indicate that students who reported higher frequencies of high school chemistry experiences such as peer teaching and “everyday” (i.e., common) examples, on the average, earned higher college grades. However, students who reported higher frequencies of demonstrations and individual work among other indicators, on the average, earned lower grades. Overall, the results suggest that peer engagement in high school chemistry may be associated with success in college chemistry.