Organic Chemistry in Action! What Is the Reaction?

Abstract

The Organic Chemistry in Action! (OCIA!) program is a set of teaching resources designed to facilitate the teaching and learning of introductory level organic chemistry. The OCIA! program was developed in collaboration with practicing and experienced chemistry teachers, using findings from Chemistry Education Research (CER). The program was developed as an alternative mode of teaching the prescribed high school organic chemistry curriculum in Ireland. The program aims to improve learners’ attitudes towards, interest in and understanding of organic chemistry. The OCIA! program has been trialed with 87 students in six high schools. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated using three methods: feedback from the chemistry teachers in the experimental group (n = 6), feedback from the students in the experimental group (n = 87) and quasi-experimental comparison with students in a control group (n = 117). The evaluation has shown that this project was effective in improving the students’ attitudes towards,...