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2001
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February
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Research: Science and Education
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Chemical Education Research
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Undergraduate Science and Engineering Students' Understanding of the Reliability of Chemical Data
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Bette Davidowitz
Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Fred Lubben
Department of Educational Studies, University of York, York, UK
Marissa Rollnick
College of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
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February 2001
Vol. 78 No. 2
p. 247
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| Abstract |
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This study investigates the status of procedural knowledge of sophomore science and chemical engineering students in South Africa. Procedural knowledge includes collection, manipulation, and interpretation of experimental data. A piloted questionnaire was administered to these students before any instruction on data handling. Comparisons were made across the tasks, and clusters of responses were identified. Analysis of the responses to the questionnaire revealed that one in seven students replicate measurements to identify the recurring value. Almost a third of the students replicate measurements to perfect their measuring skills. About half of the students replicate measurements in order to take a mean, and a third of these show an awareness of the spread of measurements. Over 80 percent of students were able to recognize an anomalous reading and there is also some perception of an acceptable range for the readings. Most students appear to see the relationship of the spread to the mean when the means are the same, but the response is much more variable when the means are different. In drawing a straight-line graph, the majority of students made some attempt to draw the "best fit". Some implications for teaching are given.
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| More Information |
 Citation |
Davidowitz, Bette; Lubben, Fred; Rollnick, Marissa. J. Chem. Educ. 2001 78 247.
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Keywords |
Chemical Education Research; Curriculum; Laboratory Instruction; Qualitative Analysis; Teaching/Learning Theory/Practice
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History |
Created:
Last Updated: |
December 22, 2000
August 31, 2005
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| Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues >
2001
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February
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247
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