Learning Organic Chemistry Research Articles

Web-Based Discussion in Teaching and Learning Organic Chemistry: Student’s Conception and Reflection

The current study explores students’ reflection and conception towards the utilization of web-based discussion in teaching and learning organic chemistry. The study seeks to investigate the influence of web-based discussion on students’ performance in teaching and learning organic chemistry. A total of 153 senior three students were involved in the study. A mixed research approach was used to collect data whereby an achievement test was used to collect quantitative data while an open-ended questionnaire was used to collect qualitative data. A paired t-test was used to analyze quantitative data while interpretive analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The results revealed that a web-based discussion is a powerful tool that enhances students’ performance in organic chemistry (p˂ 0.05, df =152). Students reflect positively on the effectiveness of web-based discussion as it helps them to share knowledge and experience, enhance interaction, confidence, and motivation. Some challenges were also highlighted including insufficient computer, smartphone, and internet connection.

Rubric-based formative assessment to support students’ learning of organic chemistry in the selected secondary schools in Rwanda: A technology-based learning

Rubric-based formative assessment to support students’ learning of organic chemistry in the selected secondary schools in Rwanda: A technology-based learning

Class Map: Improving Students’ Skills of Organic Synthesis in Learning Organic Chemistry for Pre-University Students

This action research uses the Kemmis & Mc Taggart Model (1988) to improve the skills for science stream of pre-university students in organic synthesis topic to convert one functional group to another by using Class Map in learning Organic Chemistry. The objectives of this study were to improve memory skills in conversion of functional groups in an Organic Chemistry reaction and to cultivate students' interest in the subject of Organic Chemistry. A total of six students of 6 Delta 2, SMK Sultan Abu Bakar were involved in this study. Preliminary surveys were conducted through observations, document analysis and interviews. The results of the survey showed that students could not remember the conversion of functional group well because in the Semester Three chemistry syllabus, there are too many chemical reactions, causing students less interested in learning Organic Chemistry. Students were exposed to the Class Map within two months. The test results displayed that (i) students can recall the functional group conversion reaction in an Organic Chemistry and (ii) students can apply the organic reactions learned in answering questions. The findings of the interviews showed that students can cultivate an interest in Organic Chemistry subject.

IMPROVEMENT OF LABORATORY WORKSHOP DURING THE STUDY OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN MODERN CONDITIONS

The purpose of the article is to analyze the features of conducting a small laboratory workshop as a means of studying the course of organic chemistry without the use of reagents included in the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances andprecursors.
 During the writing of the article, such methods of scientific research as analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization were used - to find out the state of solving the researched problem in the theory and methodology of teaching chemistry, to determine the theoretical foundations of the research, as well as a chemical experiment - to conduct experimental research and proving the effectiveness of theoretical assumptions.
 Based on the analysis of literary sources, the tasks, main functions and requirements for a chemical experiment in the process of learning organic chemistry are determined. It has been found that the problem of using a chemical experiment tostudy the basic principles of the structure of organic compounds, methods of their synthesis and properties requires further research in order to adapt the methodology of conducting experiments to the conditions under which the use of precursors andtoxic substances is limited. The greatest attention was focused on methodological aspects of reproduction and description of experiments on the oxidation of organic compounds, since most of such experiments had to be adapted to the conditions underwhich the use of potassium permanganate is prohibited.
 The results of the conducted research showed the possibility of adapting the methods of a small laboratory workshop in organic chemistry to the conditions under which the use of precursors and toxic substances is excluded. As a substitute forpotassium permanganate solution, potassium chromate and potassium dichromate solutions were used and a positive result was obtained. Developed recommendations can be used for research and conducting laboratory work in laboratories ofeducational institutions.

Development of Electronic Module Based on POE (Prediction, Observation, Explanation) in Natural Organic Chemistry Learning

Organic Chemistry of Natural Materials (KOBA) is a course that requires students to define, classify, and isolate compounds of natural materials. However, there are some students who still have difficulty understanding the application of material in everyday life. So that learning materials are needed that can make students active and independent in solving problems related to real life, namely by making E-Modules combined with the POE learning model. This study aims to obtain the validity of E-Module Based on POE products and to obtain questionnaire data on the responses of chemistry education students after using E-Module Based on POE. This type of research is Research and Development (R&D) with the Thiagarajan learning development model which consists of 4D (define, design, develop, and disseminate) which involves one group of subjects. The results showed that the E-Module Based on POE utilizing the Flip PDF Professional application produced a valid E-Module with an average CVR value of one. And the student response questionnaire data to the E-Module developed was 98.04% with the very good category. Means that the E-Module Based on POE developed can be a supplement to KOBA teaching materials.

The The perceptions of Senior High School students and teachers about organic chemistry: A Ghanaian perspective

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions that senior high school (SHS) chemistry students and teachers have about organic chemistry as well as to compare organic chemistry topics that are difficult for students and teachers. Simple random sampling (lottery) and purposive sampling methods were used to select a sample of one hundred (100) SHS students who studied elective chemistry and ten (10) chemistry teachers. The research instruments used to collect data for this study were the ‘organic chemistry perceptions questionnaire for students’ (OCPQS) and ‘organic chemistry perceptions questionnaire for teachers’ (OCPQT). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that these SHS students have a fairly positive perception of organic chemistry while their teachers had a highly positive perception of organic chemistry. Preparation and chemical reactions of alkenes, preparation and chemical reactions of alkynes, structure and stability of benzene, reactions of benzene, comparison of reactions of benzene and alkenes, petroleum, polymers and naming of alkanes and structural isomerism were perceived by students as difficult to understand. The rest of the Ghanaian SHS organic chemistry topics (26 out of 34 topics) were perceived as easy to understand by students. Also, the teachers perceived all the SHS organic chemistry topics as easy to teach with the exception of reactions of benzene. The insights gained about teachers’ and students’ perceived difficult organic chemistry topics in this study imply that teachers’ perceptions and how these are communicated to students can have significant effects on learning. The authors believe that both teachers and learners could benefit from this increased awareness of perceptions about difficulties in teaching and learning organic chemistry. They therefore suggest that further studies into how teachers’ perceptions influence their teaching and consequently their students’ experiences be carried out. In addition, in future research, a diagnostic test based on the topics in the SHS organic chemistry syllabus could be added to ascertain whether the perceived difficult topics are actually difficult for students to answer questions on. This would help teachers to separate perceived difficulties from the actual difficulties (realities) and be able to address them in their lessons.

SCARING INTEREST IN LEARNING CHEMISTRY BASED ON CAREER INTEREST THROUGH ECOLECTROCHEMISTRY: PRESENTING INCLUSIVE CHEMISTRY IN ONLINE CLASS

The online learning of organic chemistry series chemistry in class XII MIPA Catholic SMA Santu Petrus Pontianak in the first three months of the odd semester showed a decrease in interest in learning chemistry. This study was conducted to find chemistry lessons that match the career interests of students, especially the study topics in the physical chemistry learning series (voltaic cells and electrolytic cells). On the topic of voltaic cells, group projects are carried out by choosing their own types of assignments according to the interests and learning styles of students with activities of making chemical songs, simple practicum, limited webinars and advertisements for voltaic cell products. On the topic of electrolysis cells, a group project was carried out with the concept of combining economics/business into electrochemistry, called ecolectrochemistry. The voltaic cell project assessment uses five parameters: the accuracy of the voltaic cell concept, the relevance of the voltaic cell concept to the concept raised, creativity, fulfillment of task requirements, and collaboration. The ecolectrochemistry project assesses problem-solving skills using the IDEALS model, presentation assessment and assessment of creative and disciplined attitudes. The active and enthusiastic involvement of students is better than in the organic chemistry series. There is an increase in interest in learning chemistry from 27.38% to 65.48% and there is an increase in the average learning outcomes of the physical chemistry learning series compared to the organic chemistry learning series. These results indicate that learning designed according to students'.

Connecting explanations to representations: benefits of highlighting techniques in tutorial videos on students’ learning in organic chemistry

ABSTRACT Research in science education agrees that one of the key challenges of learners in the discipline is certainly connecting domain-specific representations to the underlying concepts. One way of supporting students to make applicable connections is using purposefully designed highlighting techniques in multimedia instructions. In order to examine the influence of different highlighting techniques on learning, 171 chemistry undergraduate students were provided with tutorial videos either with static, dynamic or without highlighting. The results show that students viewing tutorial videos with dynamic highlighting gave more sophisticated answers in direct retention tasks. Furthermore, results indicate that low prior knowledge is compensated by both static and dynamic highlighting techniques. This finding is supported by causal mediation analysis, which indicates that the effect of prior knowledge is moderated by the different highlighting techniques. Besides student learning outcomes, students’ evaluation of the different tutorial videos shows significant benefits of the highlighted instructions in terms of perceiving higher comprehensibility. The results support the use of appropriate highlighting techniques in instructional formats to foster a stronger link between conceptual knowledge and representations.

Organic Chemistry Students’ Written Descriptions and Explanations of Resonance and Its Influence on Reactivity

Resonance is a fundamental concept that is necessary for students’ successful learning in organic chemistry. However, there is a need to know more about both (1) what students find important when describing resonance and (2) students’ conceptual understanding. This research seeks to address this discrepancy by examining second-semester organic chemistry students’ responses to a writing-to-learn (WTL) assignment focused on resonance. This work is guided by the cognitive process theory of writing and studies within undergraduate STEM and chemistry courses that indicate the usefulness of WTL assignments for examining how students convey their understanding of fundamental concepts. We analyzed students’ responses to a WTL assignment designed to elicit students’ explanations of resonance and its influence on reactivity to a general, nonscientific audience. The goal of our analysis was to identify the features students found important when explaining resonance and to gain insight regarding their conceptual understanding. The analysis was guided by an analytical framework outlining the learning objectives for resonance at the introductory organic chemistry level. We identified various elements in students’ writing, including (1) the analogies or examples students used to explain resonance, (2) the basic definitions of the concept students included, and (3) the various ways students described the influence of resonance on reactivity. Our findings indicate that students generally described resonance with an operational rather than conceptual definition, focusing on the process of drawing resonance structures rather than providing conceptual explanations. Furthermore, we identified that students tended to associate resonance with stability, with many students often extending this association to make overgeneralized statements about the influence of resonance on reactivity.

Effect of smart classroom on learners’ performance in organic chemistry: A case study of senior five students in Kicukiro district- Rwanda

The present study was conducted to explore the effect of smart classroom on learners’ performance in chemistry. This study was carried out on 71 senior five students selected randomly. After collecting data, t-test and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Based on the research findings, it has been discovered that smart classroom motivated learners in teaching and learning organic chemistry. The results showed a significance difference between leaners taught through smart classroom and those not taught through smart classroom. These results also demonstrated that there is a positive effect of smart classroom on learners’ performance in chemistry. This indicated that an effort should be put in increasing adequate smart classrooms across the country to improve the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, other researchers should emphasize on the effect of smart classroom on other units in chemistry. In addition, educational stakeholders should emphasis on the use of smart classroom in instructional activities in education.

Students’ Learning Experience with a Flipped Introductory Organic Chemistry Course: A Course Designed for Non-Chemistry Majors

The use of flipped classrooms has been gaining popularity across various disciplines as student-centered active learning pedagogy. In this study, an introductory organic chemistry course was delivered through flipped classroom methodologies, incorporating blended learning to deliver content and group work in the classroom. The learning experiences of non-chemistry majors students enrolled in the course are discussed. The majority of the students adjusted to the pedagogy and felt autonomy in their learning. These students also believed that most of the flipped classroom design components were a good use of their time in learning organic chemistry.

Exploring the Perception of Chemistry Students at Kulliyyah of Science in Learning Organic Chemistry

Students perceive organic chemistry as a challenging subject for them to learn and master, which results in a high failure rate. This study investigates the perception of chemistry students of the Department of Chemistry, Kulliyyah of Science at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), on organic chemistry courses and identify the topics that the students found difficult to grasp, which may affect their grades. The correlation of students’ perception on the difficulty level in studying organic chemistry subjects (I and II) with the grades obtained for both courses, and the correlation of the type of study attitude with the grades achieved for Organic Chemistry I and II, were also investigated. From the data analysis of questionnaires distributed to 160 respondents, stereochemistry (n = 58.8 %), determination of reaction type (n = 59.4 %), construction of the reaction mechanisms (n = 73.2 %), and characterisation of organic reaction (n = 77.5 %), were the topics that the students perceived to be difficult. Perception on the difficulty in studying organic chemistry was positively associated with the achievement of excellent grades for both organic chemistry subjects (I; rs = 0.413**, p<0.01 and II; rs = 0.436**, p<0.01). Quality of study attitude shows no association with the grades obtained for organic chemistry I (rs = 0.330**, p = 1.00) but positively associated with grades of organic chemistry II subject (rs = 0.140, p<0.01). This study could serve as a reference for lecturers to search for ways to design appropriate teaching approaches for better learning experiences.

The Reliability and Usability Perception of Organic Chemistry Synthetic Pathways Board Game

This study aims to present the reliability and student’s usability perception of an educational board game in teaching and learning synthetic pathways at matriculation level. This board game mainly called as Synthetic Pathways of Organic Compounds (COPS). The research design used was ADDIE model. Needs analysis survey on 35 chemistry teachers and lecturers as well as previous literatures proved synthetic pathways and retrosynthetic reactions can be taught using game-based learning approach. Respondents for the research were one year matriculation program students from one of the colleges in Malaysia which was determined using two stage cluster sampling. Analysis of the usability perception data (mean score) shows students agreed on achieving learning goals (4.57) of organic chemistry synthetic pathways via COPS board game. Besides that, they also agreed on attractive board design (4.45), good board organisation (4.43), excellent playability (4.48) and high usability (4.48). Besides that, COPS board game also has showed high reliability with the coefficient value recorded at 0.984. The output of this study implies that COPS board game has high reliability and usability perception in learning organic chemistry synthetic pathways among matriculation students.

Preservice Chemistry Teacher Perception toward Contextual Learning Implementation of OLEDs in Organic Chemistry Learning

This study aimed to explore chemistry pre-service teacher view toward implementation of contextual learning in Organic Chemistry. The context that was investigated about is Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), which was a novel display technology that is being used for smartphone display. Seventeen pre-service chemistry teachers were interviewed about their knowledge about organic chemistry, conjugated double bond, OLEDs and their view about implementing OLEDs context in organic chemistry learning. Three groups of questions were asked to the pre-service chemistry teacher, most of them indicating lack knowledge about detail information of OLEDs even though they really appreciate if OLEDs was introduced in Organic Chemistry learning especially in conjugated double bond and nature-generated organic compound topics.

UNDERSTANDING MOLECULAR BONDING AND GEOMETRY THROUGH FLIPPED CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION

Understanding molecule bonding and geometry are essential requirements in learning organic chemistry. Studies found that students cannot fully grasp the meaning of these abstract concepts, and pandemic conditions become an added challenge for learning organic chemistry virtually. In this study, We implement flipped classroom model for teaching organic chemistry, particularly for molecule bonding and geometry. Results indicated the benefit of the flipped classroom for students' improved understanding, and advanced analysis for several learning aspects also corroborated this finding.

University instructors’ knowledge for teaching organic chemistry mechanisms

Many recent studies document the difficulties that students experience when learning organic chemistry, often due to the complex visualization and reasoning skills required to successfully understand the ways molecules interact in specific environments. Many of these studies call on instructors to improve their teaching strategies to support students’ learning of organic chemistry mechanisms, but few have focused on instructors’ knowledge of organic chemistry and how they use their knowledge to teach this topic. To investigate university instructors’ knowledge for teaching organic chemistry mechanisms, we utilized a task-based think-aloud interview protocol where graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and faculty instructors assessed authentic undergraduate student responses to three organic chemistry mechanism questions. We describe this knowledge for a substitution, an acid–base, and an addition reaction. For all mechanisms, we describe how GTA participants’ knowledge for teaching related to their content knowledge. This result revealed differences between GTA and faculty participants’ knowledge for teaching mechanisms that were specific to features of each mechanistic task. For example, in a substitution reaction question, all faculty participants recognized and explained issues with a student's drawing of a transition state and apparent understanding of partial bonds. These features of the student's drawing were not recognized by any GTA participants, who focused instead on the student's prior knowledge about ionic bonding. These findings qualitatively illuminate strengths and weaknesses in graduate students’ knowledge for teaching which can guide how they are supported as instructors.

DIFICULDADES NO ENSINO E NA APRENDIZAGEM DE QUÍMICA ORGÂNICA DO ENSINO SUPERIOR - ESTUDO DE CASO EM DUAS UNIVERSIDADES FEDERAIS

DIFFICULTIES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN HIGHER EDUCATION - A CASE STUDY IN TWO FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES. This research investigates difficulties associated to the curricular component Organic Chemistry I based on a study case of Chemistry undergraduate courses (Bachelor and Teachers education) in two Federal Universities in the Brazilian South region. The analytical process integrated official documents of the courses (pedagogic projects, students’ grades), questionnaires, interviews, and researcher’s logbook of classes. Results show that the students’ success in Organic Chemistry I is lower than the sum of failure, unattendance, and temporary cancellation rates altogether in the curricular component offered by the different teachers and institutions studied. A complex scenario is highlighted in relation to factors that affect learning and teaching processes in undergraduate Organic Chemistry courses. The subjects’ responses highlight difficulties related to specific contents, such as conformation and spatial visualization of molecules, stereochemistry, and reaction mechanisms; lack of concepts from High School; and individual habits and characteristics of teachers, students, or both, such as didactics, concentration, and engagement. The results report on the importance of rethinking strategies and methodologies in the context of Organic Chemistry I in Higher Education

Students’ meaningful learning experiences from participating in organic chemistry writing-to-learn activities

Teaching organic chemistry requires supporting learning strategies that meaningfully engage students with the challenging concepts and advanced problem-solving skills needed to be successful. Such meaningful learning experiences should encourage students to actively choose to incorporate new concepts into their existing knowledge frameworks by appealing to the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning. This study provides a qualitative analysis of students’ meaningful learning experiences after completing three Writing-to-Learn (WTL) assignments in an organic chemistry laboratory course. The assignments were designed to appeal to the three domains necessary for a meaningful learning experience, and this research seeks to understand if and how the WTL assignments promoted students’ meaningful learning. The primary data collected were the students’ responses to open-ended feedback surveys conducted after each assignment. These responses were qualitatively analyzed to identify themes across students’ experiences about their meaningful learning. The feedback survey analysis was triangulated with interviews conducted after each assignment. The results identify how the assignments connected to students’ existing knowledge from other courses and indicate that assignment components such as authentic contexts, clear expectations, and peer review supported students’ meaningful learning experiences. These results inform how assignment design can influence students’ learning experiences and suggest implications for how to support students’ meaningful learning of organic chemistry through writing.

The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Learning Achievements and Attitudes of Organic Chemistry Students

Supplemental Instruction (SI) has been a successful implementation into Colleges and Universities across the globe. SI has been found to reduce attrition and improve learning and success rate among participating students. At the City College of New York, we recently implemented SI into Organic Chemistry I courses to further support struggling students with the content and concept learning of Organic Chemistry, which is considered a difficult course with a high attrition rate. Our motivation for this research was to examine the impact of SI integration in a large lecture format Organic Chemistry course while assisting students learn and succeed in this challenging course. The objective of this research is to examine whether supplemental instruction (SI) impacts participants’ learning achievement, attitudes, and learning competencies. The experimental design was based on a quasi-experimental approach which included a questionnaire of open-ended and Likert-scaled questions that was distributed to SI participants, and SI participants’ grades were compared to the grades of non-SI participants. Data suggest that integrating Supplemental Instruction (SI) into Organic Chemistry courses positively impacts students’ attitudes towards the content and experience in the course, helps them better understand concepts and materials, improves students’ problem-solving skills, and is effective in improving students’ achievement, success, and the learning. SI participants had an overall passing average of 81%, compared to about 50% for non-SI participants. SI participation provided the participants with a unique and individualized learning experience that resulted in an enhanced conceptual understanding.

Augmented reality and learning in organic chemistry

<p>The use of augmented reality (AR) in the teaching-learning process of organic chemistry is considered an innovation in the didactics of this type of content and an area of opportunity for the so-called education 4.0. The aim of this article is to evaluate the learning in organic chemistry of bachelor’s degree students with the support of AR. The approach of the study was mixed and a rubric was used as the main instrument for the evaluation of AR projects designed with the HP Reveal<sup>® </sup>application, as well as a quick test or quiz that allowed the evaluation of specific student learning. The results showed an average score of 8.3/10 in the quality of the AR projects; the average obtained in the exam was 7.94/10. In conclusion, AR projects in high school students improve learning conditions in the area of chemistry through the identification of formulas and nomenclature of organic compounds.</p>