Integrating Authentic Research Experiences into the Quantitative Analysis Chemistry Laboratory Course: STEM Majors’ Self-Reported Perceptions and Experiences

Abstract

Integrating authentic research-based experiences that mimic real-world scientific practices and relevance to student personal life into a chemistry curriculum can make abstract chemical principles more palpable to students. Unfortunately, many reported research-based experiences chemistry laboratory experiments lack relevance to a student’s personal life. Additionally, the impact of a “relevant” authentic research-based experience curriculum on students’ affective outcomes beyond the General Chemistry courses has been overlooked. Two authentic research experiences modules developed around nanotechnology applications were implemented in a Quantitative Analysis Chemistry laboratory course for STEM majors. A follow-up study assessed the STEM majors’ perceptions of the learning environment and the organization of lab after exposure to both conventional experiments and authentic research-based experiences modules, as well as their perceived learning gains and the relevance of the laboratory experiments. Data were collected through validated surveys, and open-ended survey items and classroom observations. There were 55 students who participated in the study. Results showed significant improvements of students’ perceptions of learning environment and organization of the laboratory, favoring authentic research experiences modules over the conventional experiments. Self-reported learning gains and relevance of the experiments to students were also associated with the authentic research-based experiments. Students’ perceptions favoring the intervention modules related to learning through scientific inquiry, content relevance to real-world applications and student personal life, and use of real-world materials and a wide array of chemical instruments and techniques. Results imply the need to implement authentic research-based experiences centered on real-world issues and student personal life in the chemistry laboratory courses.