Science-Technology-Society (STS) and ChemCom Courses Versus College Chemistry Courses: Is There a Mismatch?

Abstract

This opinion paper poses questions for the chemical education community to consider about the nature of college chemistry courses and the expected student prerequisites. It also explores the basis for a potential mismatch that may exist for students enrolled in a traditional college chemistry course who have had Science-Technology-Society (STS) or ChemCom courses as their only prior high school chemistry courses. Even though ChemCom and STS courses are not designed to prepare students for traditional college chemistry courses for science and engineering majors, there has been an increase in the number of ChemCom and STS students enrolling in these courses. As background, the general teaching approach of ChemCom and STS courses is discussed in terms of the behaviorist, cognitive, and constructivist learning theories. This article addresses the advantages and disadvantages of high school chemistry courses based on ChemCom and reviews the chemical education research comparing the effectiveness of ChemCom courses to traditional high school chemistry courses. The authors concluded that more research comparing the effect of these instructional methods on both traditional and alternative assessments is warranted.