Evaluating the Success of Hispanic-Surname Students in First-Semester General Chemistry
Abstract
This study was undertaken to identify methods and variables that affect classroom instruction, student achievement, and retention in a first-semester general chemistry course at a designated minority (primarily Hispanic) public institution of higher education. The course was a large-group lecture class (n = 241) of first-semester general chemistry that included 92 students with Hispanic surnames. Background information was gathered on the students' university-required entrance examinations, results from a logical thinking ability test, and scores from an instructor-developed diagnostic pretest. Ethnicity and gender data were collected and evaluated for trends that might affect students' success in chemistry achievement. Sixteen (17 percent) of the Hispanic-surname students enrolled in this class participated in a one-hour-per-week recitation session. The data indicate that university mathematics level is a strong predictor of success regardless of ethnicity, gender, or pre-course achievement variables, and participation in recitation sessions also improved course averages for all student groups. Included in the final analysis of this study are the benefits that can be attributed to good counseling.
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