A survey of freshmen chemistry classes at Montana State University involving class composition,
factors affecting student performance, and student sequencing in these classes
by Anita Ann Dawson
A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE in Chemistry
Montana State University
© Copyright by Anita Ann Dawson (1970)
Abstract:
The work reported in this thesis concerns a study of class composition, factors affecting student
performance, and student sequencing in four freshmen chemistry courses conducted at Montana State
University during the academic year 1969-1970. Principal factors affecting student performance were
found to be previous background in high school chemistry, mathematics, and physics; interest as
evidenced by major subject area; and sex. The actual class composition of Chemistry 121 was found to
be quite different than that predicted from consideration of the University catalog course description.
Curriculum overlap between two courses surveyed resulted in a definite grade advantage for over 100
students pursuing this particular course sequence.
The principal goal of this work was to gather information for further reference in curriculum design and
course development work with freshmen chemistry courses at Montana State University.
The procedure and results of the study are included in the thesis. Attached to the thesis as an appendix
is the questionnaire used in the study.
STATEMENT
OF PERMISSION TO COPY
In presenting this th esis in partial fulfillm ent of the requirem ents for an
advanced degree at Montana State U niversity, I agree that the Library shall
make it freely available for inspection.
I further agree that perm ission for
extensive copying of this th esis for scholarly purposes may be granted by my
major p rofessor, or, in his absence, by the D irector of L ib ra ries. It is under­
stood that any copying or publication of this th esis for financial gain shall not
be allowed without my w ritten perm ission.
Date
/"5~
7O
A SURVEY OF FRESHMEN CHEMISTRY CLASSES AT MONTANA STATE
UNIVERSITY INVOLVING CLASS COMPOSITION, FACTORS
AFFECTING STUDENT PERFORMANCE, AND STUDENT
SEQUENCING IN THESE CLASSES
by
ANITA ANN DAWSON
:
r
A th esis submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial
fulfillm ent of the requirem ents for the degree
of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
Chemistry
Approved:
Head, Major Department
CM
Chairman, Examining Committee
Graduate Dean
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bozeman,. Montana
Decem ber, 1970
- iii -
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The advise, encouragem ent, and help from the many persons involved in
the work of this study is greatly appreciated.
The author is grateful for the suggestions and comments offered by her
com m ittee m em bers Dr„ Sam R ogers, Dr0 Bradford Mundy, D r0 Arnold Craig,
and Dr„ Gordon Julian, all of the Department of Chemistry, Montana State Uni­
v ersity.
She would like to particularly recognize Dr0 John R0 Amend, Depart­
ment of Chemistry, Montana State U niversity, for his encouragement and guid­
ance throughout the development of this th esis.
The author would like to express her thanks and appreciation to Mr.
Raymond Spaeth who wrote the. computer program for the data.
In conclusion, the author would like to exp ress her thanks to Mrs. Dixie
Lainhart, who typed the final form .
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
page
Fjist of Fable S
«
L ist of Figures
Atbstr act
o
«
0
o oo
0
«
*
®
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
®
0
0
»
0
0
*
0
*
© # « * © © © * © © © © © © © « © © * © © © © vii
o , ©. * ©# ©©©©©©©©©©* ©©©* ©* ©©©©©
iui
Chapter I.
The Purpose of Scope of This Study. . . © „ . . . . . © .
I
Chapter II.
A Review of Previous Studies in This Area . . . . . . . .
5
Chapter III.
A.
B.
C=
D.
Chapter IV.
Class Composition
Chemistry
Chem istry
Chemistry
Chem istry
10
121 . ©
.
122
© ...........................©
131 . . . = . . © ...................... . « = . = . . = ©
134 .© = . . = ................................................ © . ©
H
13
15
17
Factors Affecting Student Performance . © © ......................
19
A.
Chem istry 121
...................... . © . .
1. Sex © © . © © © © . * = © = © = © . © « » © © © © ©
2. Background. © . © = . . = © = . = ............................... ©
3. Interest or Subject A rea . . . , . © = « © = . = = = .
4. Summary for Chemistry 121 © ................................... .... . .
19
19
21
29
48
B=
Chemistry 1 2 2 .....................
I. SeX o e e . e e e e o o
2© Background. © . . . © ,
3. Interest or Subject A rea
4© Summary for Chemistry
49
49
51
57
77
C.
Chemistry 131 © © * © . © . = . = © =© = © © © * = . ©
I * Sex © *
. © o © . . = * ©= . * ©©©©©©©* »
2= Background © © .................................© . . © . . . . . © . .
3= Interest or Subject A rea
4© Summary for Chemistry 1 3 1
' © . . © . . . .
0
D.
Chemistry
134 . © ©
. . © . .
©.» = ©. .
= =
e ® o e © o o e © © o o o o
...................... © . © . © = . . ©
= © . - . = ©©© = = . = , . ,
122 . . © . , . . . .
= . = ©
78
78
80
87
99
. 100
—"y —
Page
I o
2„
3.
Chapter V.
Chapter VI.
Sex
Background „ . . . . . . . . . .
0 . . . . . .
Summary for Chemistry 134 . . . . . . . . . .
.
.
Factors Affecting Student Performance
Conclusions and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bibliography. . .
100
102
118
119
125
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
129
Appendix . . . . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
130
LIST
OF
TABLES
page
Table I.
Percentile Ranks for Sub Groups (abbreviated table).
. .
6
Table 2.
Percentage of Student Drops in Freshm en Chemistry
C ourses
. .
12.0
LIST
OF
FIGURES
page
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
I. C lass Composition in Chemistry 121
-B y Subject A rea-. ...................................................................
12
2. C lass Composition in Chemistry 122
-B y Subject A rea- .................................................................. ....
14
3. C lass Composition in Chemistry 131
-B y Subject A r e a -.
.........................................................
16
4. C lass Composition in Chem istry 134
-B y Subject A r e a -..................................................... ......................... ....
18
5. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Sex, and Final
Course Grade -C hem istry 121- .....................................................
20
6. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in Chem istry, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 121- .
...........................................................................
23
7. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in P h ysics, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 2 1 -............................................................................... ' . .
24
Figure
8. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 2 1 -..............................................................................................25
Figure
9. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, College Math Back­
ground, and Final Course Grade (Freshmen and Sophomore
Data) -C hem istry 1 2 1 - ......................................................................
26
Figure 10. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, College Math Back­
ground, and Final Course Grade (Junior and Senior Data)
-C hem istry 121 - ........................................................
27
Figure 11. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Y ears Out
of High School, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 2 1 , - ....................................................................................
28
- v i ii page
Figure 12. Freshm en in Agriculture
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - .......................... ..................................
31
Figure 13. Freshm en in Home Economics
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - ..........................................................................
33
Figure 14. Sophomores in Home Econom ics
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - ...................... . . . . ' . ..........................
34
Figure 15. Freshm en in Nursing
-C hem istry 1 2 1 ...................... ............................................... .... . .
36
Figure 16. Freshm en in Engineering
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - ...................................................................................
38
Figure 17. Freshm en in Education
-C hem istry 121-
40
Figure 18. Sophomores in Education
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - .............................................................
41
Figure 19. Freshm en in Humanities
-C hem istry 121- ....................................................
43
Figure 20. Freshm en in Science
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - ...........................................
45
Figure 21. Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C hem istry 1 2 1 - ................................................ ......................... .... .
47
Figure 22. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Sex, and Final
Course Grade
-C hem istry 122- . ...........................
50
Figure 23. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in High School Chem istry, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122- . ..............................................................
52
- ix page
Figure 24. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in High School P h ysics, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122- ....................................................................................
53
Figure 25. The Relationship Between Class. Standing, Previous Back­
ground, in High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122- •..........................................
54
Figure 26. The Relationship Between Class Standing, Previous Back­
ground in College Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122- . ...............................................................................
55
Figure 27. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Years Out of
High School, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122..........................................................
56
Figure 28. Freshm en in Agriculture
-C hem istry 122- . .......................................................................
59
Figure 29. Freshm en in Home Economics
-C hem istry 1 2 2 - ............................................ .... ■...............................
62
Figure 30. Sophomores in Home Economics
-C hem istry 122........................................
63
Figure 31. Freshm en in Nursing
-C hem istry 122-
65
..............................................
Figure 32. Freshm en in Engineering
-C hem istry 122- . .....................................................
67
Figure 33. Freshm en in Education
-C hem istry 122.............................................
70
Figure 34. Sophomores in Education
-C hem istry 1 2 2 - ..................................................................................
71
Figure 35. Freslm ien in Science
-C hem istry 122-
74
.......................
- X -
-
'
page
Figure 36.. Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C hem istry 1 2 2 - .....................
76
Figure 37. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Sex, and
Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 131- . . . . . . . . . .
79
Figure 38. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in High School Chem istry, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 131- .............................................................
82
Figure 39. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in High School P h ysics, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 3 1 - ........................................................
83
Figure 40. The Relationship Betw een.C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 131- ..................................................................
84
Figure 41. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Back­
ground in College Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 131- ....................................................................................
85
Figure 42. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Y ears Out of
High School, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 3 1 - ......................................................................
86
Figure 43. Freshm en in Agriculture
-C hem istry 131- . . . . . . . * .......................................
89
Figure 44. Freshm en in Engineering
-C hem istry 1 3 1 - ..........................................................................
91
Figure 45. Freshm en in Education
-C hem istry 131- ............................................................................... .
93
Figure 46. Freshm en in Science
-C hem istry 1 3 1 - ...................................................................................
96
- xi page
Figure 47.
Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C hem istry 1 3 1 - ..................................................................
Figure 48. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Sex, and
Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - .......................................
Figure 49.
98
101
The Relationship Between C lass Standing,Previous
Chemistry Background, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 134- ........................................................................................ 103
Figure 50. The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous Physics
Background, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ........................................................................................ 104
Figure 51.
The Relationship Between C lass Standing,Previous Back­
ground in High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ........................................................................................ 105
Figure 52.
Sophomores in Agriculture
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ........................................................................................ 107
Figure 53.
Sophomores in Engineering
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ....................................... ........................................... I l l
Figure 54.
Juniors in Engineering
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ..................................................................
112
Sophomores in Science
-C hem istry 134- ................................................
115
Sophomores in Other Curricula
-C hem istry 1 3 4 - ..................
117
Chemistry 134 — Where Students CameFrom . B ased on
Sample of 334 Students of the 413 E n r o lle d ...................... ....
123
Figure 55.
Figure 56.
Figure 57.
Figure 58.
Student Sequencing in Freshm en Chemistry C la s s e s ...................... 124
ABSTRACT
The work reported in this th esis concerns a study of c la ss composition,
factors affecting student perform ance, and student sequencing in four freshm en
chem istry cou rses conducted at Montana State University during the academic
year 1969-^1970. Principal factors affecting student performance were found to
be previous background in high school chem istry, m athem atics, and physics;
in terest as evidenced by major subject area; and sex. The actual cla ss com posi­
tion of Chemistry 121 was found to be quite different than that predicted from
consideration of the U niversity catalog course description. Curriculum overlap
between two cou rses surveyed resulted in a definite grade advantage for over 100
students pursuing this particular course sequence.
The principal goal of this work was to gather inform ation for further r e f­
erence in curriculum design and course development work with freshm en chem ­
istr y cou rses at Montana State U niversity.
The procedure and resu lts of the study are included in the th esis.
to the th esis as an appendix is the questionnaire used in the study.
Attached
CH APTER I
THE PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THIS STUDY
The freshm en chem istry course's have by far the la rg est enrollm ent'of
the chem istry c la sse s at Montana State U niversity.
Of the 18,051 student
credit hours taken in chem istry during the academic year 1968-1969, 12,915 of
th ese w ere taken by students enrolled in Chemistry 121, 122, 131, 132, 133,
134, 135, and 136.
These courses .are designed for the students with varying
-interests and background.
The Chemistry 131 se r ie s, which includes 131, 132,
133, 134, 135, 136, is designed for the student who has had high school chem­
istry and plans on a career in the science field, such as chem istry, physics,
math, m icrobiology, or the life scien ces.
The approach to the course is
m athem atical and requires that the student have an adequate background in
m athem atics.
The Chemistry 121 s e r ie s, which includes Chemistry 121, Chem
istry 122, and perhaps Chemistry 134, is generally considered a terminal
course.
It is designed for the student who is not science oriented and for those
whose subject m atter does not require a large amount of science such as home
econ om ics, nursing, agriculture, humanities, and education.
High school
chem istry is not a prerequisite for this course.
Chemistry departments in large un iversities are faced with a severe
problem in sorting out their incoming freshm en students and placing them in
appropriate cou rses for the fir st year.
Montana State also has this problem.
—2 —
Students are placed in Chem istry 131 or Chem istry 121 according to varying
backgrounds and in terests.
Other u n iversities also have sim ilar system s de­
signed to assign freshm en to those c la sse s which w ill not be beyond their reach,
but yet w ill .offer the inspiration and excitem ent of new m aterial.
Iowa State
U niversity has a plan which encom passes four separate courses for the fresh ­
men (I).
Each freshm an is placed on the b asis of his high school record and
score on examinations (especially m athem atics aptitude). Women who w ill
major in home econom ics are placed in a separate c purse, enrolling from 50 to
300 students.
Other students who have had no chem istry are placed in a second
course, which ranges in siz e from 200 to 350 students, while those with prior
training in chem istry but with low grade records are placed in a third course
(900 to 1100 students).
These three courses all undertake the study of chem istry
from a beginning le v el, but proceed at somewhat different rates and different
le v e ls of sophistication made possible by the past training of the students a s­
signed to them .
Students who have had high school chepiistry and have a good
academ ic record are assigned to a fourth course (750 to 800 students).
Most of
the prospective chem istry m ajors are included in this course, which provides
only a very rapid review of the basic principles, and consequently can cover the
m aterial of the normal three quarter course in only two quarters.
Here at MSU we do not uge .such an elaborate plan because our enrollment
—3 —
is not as high.
A sim pler plan involving Chemistry 121 and 131 for the fresh ­
men is in use.
Even though Chemistry 121 is designed for the student with no
previous chem istry background, m ost of our high schools today offer a relatively
modern chem istry course for one year and many students take it.
Consequently,
over half of the students enrolled in Chemistry 121 have had high school chem­
istry .
Their previous background was definitely to their advantage as w ill be
shown later.
Still many people feel the needs of the student with no previous
background in chem istry or maybe a specialized field are not being met.
P er­
haps Montana State should consider a modified version of the Iowa State Univer­
sity plan to help solve this problem.
The purpose of this study was threefold:
(1)
To determine the composition of the three large c la ss sequences in
freshm en chem istry at Montana State University: Chemistry 121, a course for
non-science oriented students with no previous chem istry background required;
Chemistry 131, a freshm en course designed for the science oriented student
with high school chem istry or the equivalent being a prerequisite; and Chem­
istry 134, an introductory organic chem istry cla ss with Chemistry 121 or 131
as a prerequisite.
(2)
To identify and determine certain factors affecting the performance
of these students in their perspective chem istry course.
F actors considered
- 4 -
included (a) background previous to the course, (b) interest or subject area, and •
(c) sex.
(3)
To observe maintenance of sequence continuity.
Do students continue
with the sequence they started? Do they drop out or change to another sequence?
And what percent drop the course in which they are already enrolled?
The overall scope of the study included a survey that was done during the
fa ll and winter quarters of the school year 1969-1970.
The survey requested
answ ers to questions such as: years out of high school, sex , cla ss standing,
amount of high school math, amount of college math, whether or not the student
took high school chem istry or ph ysics, present major subject area, and for the
Chemistry 121 students if they w ere planning on taking Chemistry 131.
Later
the student's grade was added to this information and correlations w ere sought
between these factors and their grade in the course.
CH APTER II
A REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES IN THIS AREA
The study conducted was specific for a situation at Montana State U niver­
sity.
There w ere 2033 freshm en students enrolled fall quarter from Montana
high sch ools.
48% of these students w ere from first cla ss high schools in the
sta te„ 31% w ere from second c la ss high sch ools, 14% w ere from third class
high sch ools, and 7% w ere from private high schools in Montana.
Only in a
fir st c la ss high school would the chem istry or physics teacher be teaching only
that specific course.
In the sm all rural towns which included the second and
third c la ss high schools, the chem istry teacher may also teach a variety, of
other subjects.
Having this unique situation with students from varied environ­
ments makes finding related literature difficult.
The following studies, each
lim iting their study to a specific factor, are of interest because their findings
are of sim ilar nature to som e of the resu lts found in this study.
Charles W. Hendrickson of Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights,
Ohio, and Al Judge of Euclid Senior High School, Euclid, Ohio, conducted a
study of the Form 1967 ACS-NSTA test which was released in March 1967 at the
NSTA convention.
The resu lts of the study were released in 1968 and appeared
in the April 1968 issu e of The Science Teacher (2).
10,651 sco res representing 145 high schools throughout the country w ere
used for the study.
The examination is designed as an end-of-year achievement
- 6 -
for the fir st year high school chem istry course.
within the total group.
There w ere five sub groups
These were: Sub Group A which consisted of 275 juniors
and sen iors with 0 to 2 sem esters of m athem atics prior to taking the chem istry
course.
Sub Group B consisted of 666 sophom ores with 2 to 4 sem esters of
m athem atics prior to taking the chem istry course.
Sub Group C consisted of
1112 juniors having 4 to 6 sem esters of m athem atics but no physics prior to
taking the chem istry course.
Sub Group D consisted of 1220 sen iors with 6 to
8 sem este rs of m athem atics but no physics prior to taking the chem istry course.
Sub Group E consisted of 584 seniors with 6 to 8 sem esters of mathematics and
two sem esters of physics prior to taking the chem istry course.
The te st was composed of two equal parts of 40 questions each, giving a
total possible score of 80.
The following table shows the resu lts of the test with
the different sub groups.
Table I.
Percentile ranks for sub groups (abbreviated table)
SUB GROUP AND RELIABILITY
COEFFICIENT
SCORES*
Part I
Part II
Sub group A
28.1
14.6
7.8
3 0 .8
3 .9
3 .9
8 .2
0.0
0.0
0.0
.959
R eliability coefficient
.9 2 4
15.9
9.4
.9 2 8
Total
5 9 .8
2 9 .8
16.7
Percentile
Rank
99
75
50
25
I
- 7 -
Table I.
P ercentile ranks for sub groups (abbreviated table ). (Continued)
Percentile
Rank
SUB GROUP AND RELIABILITY
COEFFICIENT
SCORES*.
Part I - Part II
Total
Sub group B
38.0
25.9
18.4
10.5
0.0
.942
38.8
28.4
20.3
12.7
0.0
.946
74.4
54.1
39.6
23.5
1.8
.971
99
75
50
25
I
36.2
21.3
14.0
8.3
0.0
.921
71.9
39.8
26.9
16.1
1.4
.953
99
75
50
25
I
R eliability coefficient
35.8
19'. I
12.4
7.4
0.0
.912
33.7
20.1
13.6
8.0
0.0
.909
65.0
37.9
26.1
15.9
1.4
.944
99
75
50
25
I
R eliability coefficient
32.3
17.9
12.3
7.4
0.0
.882
36.7
24.9
17.1
9.5
0.0
.943
71.1
46.4
32.6
19.0
2.2
.964
99
75
50
25
I
R eliability coefficient
36.3
22.0
15.3
8.7
0.0
.924
R eliability coefficient
Sub group C
Sub group D
Sub group E
*Maximurn possible score, Part I: 40; Part II: 40; Total: 80.
The group with no previous math background, Sub Group A, had the low­
e st grades.
The sophom ores, Sub Group B, received the best grades on the te st
- 8 —
even though they had only 2 to 4 sem esters of math and no ph ysics.
The group
of juniors. Sub Group C, with 4 to 6 sem este rs of math but no physics had ap­
proxim ately the sam e sco res as the sen iors. Sub Group E, with 6 to 8 sem esters
of math and two sem esters of physics.
Hendrickson and Judge concluded from the study that a good math back­
ground helped to some degree on these te sts, but physics did not seem to have
any apparent positive effect.
At the University of Colorado during the academic year 1967. Beverlv
Loeffler M eier conducted an investigation to determine the value of studying high
school physics prior to taking college physics and its effect on the college physics
perform ance (3).
veyed.
The freshm en students of Physics 111 were the students su r­
It was a comparative study of no high school physics, conventional high
school physics, and PSSC high school physics and the relation these had on per­
form ance,
The criteria that were established were: I) course grade, 2) final
exam score and four hourly test sco res.
The following conclusions were drawn:
(I) High school physics was of benefit for those taking the freshm en physics
course at the U niversity of Colorado,
Those students, on the w hole, performed
better than students with no Mgh school physics.
(2) For students who had taken
PSSC ph ysics, this course was more helpful than conventional high school ph ysics.
(3) Conventional physics was more helpful than no high school ph ysics,
(4) As
- 9 —
the college course progressed the benefit of high school physics became more
apparent.
CH APTER III
CLASS COMPOSITION
The com position of a cla ss should determine what w ill be the direction
and level of teaching and the content of the course.
In a sm all cla ss this is r e Ia-
' tively easy to do since the students are generally from the sam e curriculum and
communication with each student is easy and often a part of the course.
Deciding
the direction and level of teaching in a large cla ss is not quite as easy.
Most
large c la ss e s consist of freshm en and sophomores from a variety of backgrounds
and subject areas.
Communication between the student and instructor is diffi­
cult and often tim es im possible except for individual conferences with the instruc­
tor in Ms office.
The instructor is many tim es at a lo ss when he faces that vast
sea of faces not knowing the preparation the students have had or what they
expect to get out of the course because of their varying backgrounds.
If the
instructor had information as to the com position of his c la ss , he could d eter­
mine what and how to teach the subject m atter with an attempt to meet the needs
of all the students.
The following presents a brief description of the cla ss com ­
position of Chemistry 121, 122, 131, and 134.
- 11 -
CHEMISTRY 121
There were 861 students enrolled in Chemistry 121 during the fall and
winter quarters of 1969-70.
used for this study.
Of these a sample of 652 (76% of the class) was
The majority of the students came from the majors listed
on the following graph with the category "other" added to include students not
represented by these curriculum s.
The largest percentage of the cla ss (72%)
w ere freshm en, but in a few curricula the students were m ostly sophomores,
as in home econom ics and education.
Approximately two thirds of the cla ss
w ere men and one third w ere women.
The backgrounds of the students varied from a little high school math for
som e to those with excellent math courses in high school for others.
Some stu­
dents had taken no college math while others had courses higher than Math 121
(calculus).
Almost two thirds of the cla ss had taken chem istry in high school,
but only one third had taken high school physics.
—12 —
Agriculture
139 (21.4%)
Home Economics
62
Nursing
90(13.9%)
Engineering
- —
(9.5%)
146 (22.5%)
52
(8.0%)
Humanities
16
(2.5%)
Science
20
(3.1%)
Education
-----
127 (19.1%)
Other
Sample size 652
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent
Figure _1
C la s s C om p osition in C h em istry 121
- By Subject A r e a -
80
90
100
- 13 -
CHEM ISTRY 122
Chemistry 122 is the second quarter of the Chemistry 121 se r ie s.
course m aterial is different for the two c la sse s.
The
Chemistry 121 is a general
inorganic chem istry course and Chemistry 122 is an introduction to organic and
biological chem istry.
A survey sim ilar to that conducted on the Chemistry 121 c la sse s was
also conducted on the Chemistry 122 c la sse s of winter and spring quarters, 1970.
There w ere 518 students enrolled in Chemistry 122 during these quarters, a
carry over of 60% from the 861 students enrolled in Chemistry 121. A sample
of 349 students (67% of students enrolled) from Chemistry 122 was used for the
study.
74% of the sample were freshm en, 66% of these first year graduates of
high school.
More than two thirds of the c la ss had taken high school chem istry,
but only one third had taken high school physics.
The previous math backgrounds
in high school of the students ranged from those who had taken no math course
higher than Algebra I to those who had taken the highest math course offered
which was usually calculus.
The same was true for college math backgrounds.
The Chemistry 122 students came from a wide variety of interests and
subject area m ajors.
m ajors.
50% of the students sampled were agriculture or nursing
The other 50% varied from 1% of the students in humanities to 14% of
the students in engineering, with the other curricula falling in between.
- 14 -
Agriculture
95 (30.0%)
Home Economics
46(12.2% )
Nursing
71 (20.0%)
Engineering
50 (14.2%)
Education
___
Humanities
Science
Other
--------
25
(7.0%)
5
(1.3%)
11
(3.1%)
46 (12.2%)
Sample size 349
10
20
30
40
50
GO
70
Percent
Figure 2
C la s s C om p osition in C h em istry 122
-B y Subject A r e a -
80
90
100
- 15 -
CHEMISTRY 131
The background of the Chemistry 131 students was more uniform than
the Chemistry 121 c la ss.
These students are more science oriented and th ere­
fore have prepared them selves by talcing a good deal of math and science in Mgh
school.
There was only one freshm an in Chemistry 131 who had not taken high
school chem istry.
Five sophomores had not taken chem istry in Mgh school, but
it is possible they might have taken Chemistry 121 to prepare them selves for
Chemistry 131.
Most of the students had good math backgrounds, only a few had
not taken any high school math higher than Algebra II and alm ost everyone was
taking Math 114 (college math) or a higher math sequence in college.
There were no home econom ics or nursing students enrolled in Chem­
istry 131.
There w ere too few students in education and humanities to make a
significant sam ple.
Most of the students in the "other" category are those in
m icrobiology-m edical technology option, p re-m edicine, and pre-veterinary
m edicine.
There were 500 students enrolled in Chemistry 131 during the fall quar­
ter of 1969.
A sample of 343 (60% of the cla ss) was used in the study.
sam ple, 67 w ere women.
Of tMs
- 16 -
Agriculture
—
17
(5.0%)
Home Economics
0
(0%)
Nursing
0
(0%)
Engineering
144 (41.0%)
Education
4
(1.4%)
Humanities
5
(1.5%)
Science
---------------
Other
-------------------------
65 (19.4%)
108 (31.7%)
Sample size 334
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent
Figure Sl
C la s s C om p osition m C h em istry 131
-B y Subject A r e a -
80
90
100
- 17 -
CHEM ISTRY 134
Chemistry' 134 is an introductory organic chem istry course designed for
students coming from the Chemistry 121 or Chemistry 131 s e r ie s .
The same
survey conducted on the Chemistry 121, 122, and 131 c la ss e s was also conducted
on Chem istry 134. There were 165 students enrolled during fall quarter of 1969.
A sample of 137, 83% of the c la ss , was used in the survey.
During spring quar­
ter, 1970, there w ere 413 students enrolled in Chemistry 134, many of these
freshm en.
This particular survey was not conducted on this c la ss.
50% of the
students sampled in the fall were sophom ores, and these students w ill be the
focus of this part of the. study.
One-half of these students sampled were women.
90% of the sophom ores sampled had taken high school chem istry and slightly le s s
than 50% had taken high school ph ysics.
The agriculture, scien ce, and students in "other curricula" com prised
82% of the sophom ores sampled.
There were no nursing students sampled.
—18 —
40 (29.2%)
Agriculture
Home Economics
3 (2.2%)
Nursing
I
(0.7%)
23 (16.8%)
Engineering
Education
8
(5.8%)
Humanities
4
(2.9%)
Science
25 (18.4%)
Other
33 (24.0%)
Sample size 137
Figure 4
C la s s C om p osition in C h em istry 134
-B y Subject A r e a -
CH APTER IV
FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT PERFORMANCE
The factors affecting a student's performance in a c la ss are many and
varied.
Maturity, em otional stability, and environment certainly play a large
role in a student's work.
But these are hard to m easure and, with each student
being an individual, vary with each person.
Factors such as background, in ter­
e st, and sex w ere easy to m easure and evaluate and are just as important.
CHEMISTRY 121
As stated e a rlier, the Chemistry 121 cla ss enrolls a wide variety of stu­
dents with varying in terests and backgrounds.
With this variety it is possible
to look at the factors that seem to have the greatest effect on the student's grade.
The following d iscussion w ill include a thorough examination of three principal
factors that have an effect on a student's performance: background, interest,
and sex.
SEX
The men and women perform ed differently in this course.
The average
grade for the women sampled (246) in the c la ss was 2.84, while for the men
sam pled (406), it was 2.50.
The women performed better than the men in each
of the c la ss e s except sophom ores.
-20-
F r e sh m e n
Male
327 (50.15%)
Fem ale
144 (22.09%)
Sophomores
Male
53
(8.13%)
Fem ale
74 (11.35%)
Juniors
Male
20
(3.07%)
Fem ale
24
(3.68%)
Seniors
Male
(0.92%)
Fem ale
(0.61%)
Sample size 652
D
C
B
A
Grade
Figure 5^
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, S e x ,
and F in al C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 121-
- 21 -
BACKGROUND
A student's preparation for college work is an important factor
affecting his perform ance.
Although many courses are designed for those
with no previous background, the more a student has been exposed to a sub­
ject the better he w ill do.
It was observed that the students with a previ­
ous high school chem istry and/or physics course performed much better
than those without these cou rses.
Usually those with the background in
chem istry had averages from 0.5 to 1.0 grade point higher than those who
had not.
One of the m ost interesting correlations was the effect math back­
ground had on the student's grade.
The more math the student had in high
school the better his chances were for a higher grade in Chemistry 121.
Students having taken calculus and trigonom etry in high school usually ave­
raged over a 2.50, many tim es it was higher than th is.
math also proved to be an indicator of perform ance.
of math course the higher the grade in Chemistry 121.
The lev el of college
The higher the lev el
However, many
students who w ere not or had not taken any college math performed as w ell
as those with som e math cou rses.
The number of years a student had been out of high school seem ed
to also affect their grade, som etim es slightly but som etim es significantly.
- 22 -
On the average the fir st year graduates did better than those out of high
school two to four y ea rs, but those who had graduated four or more years
from high school did better than those two to four years out of high school.
This could be due to a maturity factor.
- 23 -
F resh m en
Yes
332 (50.92%)
No
139 (21.32%)
Sophomores
Yes
75 (11.50%)
No
52
(7.98%)
Yes
20
(3.07%)
No
24
(3.68%)
Juniors
Seniors
Yes
(0.31%)
No
(1.23%)
Sample size 652
D
C
B
A
Grade
Figure £
The Re la tio n sh ip B e tw een C la s s Standing. P r e v io u s
B ackground in C h cm isi tv . and Final C ou rse G rade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
- 24 -
F resh m en
Yes
180 (27.61%)
No
291 (44.63%)
Sophomores
Yes
36
No
91 (13.96%)
(5.52%)
Juniors
Yes
No
9
(1.38%)
35
(5.37%)
Seniors
Yes
(0.46%)
No
(1.07%)
Sample size 652
D
C
B
A
Grade
Figure 7_
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing. P r e v io u s
Background in P h y s ic s , and F in a l C ou rse G rade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
—25 “
Freshm en
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
64 (9.82%)
146 (22.39%)
121 (18.56%)
92 (14.11%)
47 (7.21%)
Sophomores
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
4
30
26
43
24
(0.61%)
(4.60%)
(3.99%)
(6.60%)
(3.68%)
Juniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
3
3
17
15
6
(0.46%)
(0.46%)
(2.61%)
(2.30%)
(0.92%)
Seniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
0 (0.0%)
2 (0.31%)
5 (0.77%)
2 (0.31%)
I (0.15%)
Sample size 652
1.0
D
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
B
3.5
4.0
A
Figure 8_
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background m High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C h e m istr y 121-
- 26 -
F resh m en
4
Higher than 121
(0.61%)
121
99 (15.18%)
115
38
(5.83%)
114
162 (24.85%)
107
5 (0.77%)
47
001
(7.2196)
116 (17.79%)
None
Sophomores
Higher than 121
__
7
(1.07%)
121
- ...
4
(0.61%)
115
20
(3.07%)
114
25
(3.83%)
107
22
(3.37%)
001
8
(1.23%)
41
(6.29%)
None
Sample size 652
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
B
3.0
3.5
A
4.0
Grade
Figure £
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, College Math
Background, and Final Course Grade
(Freshmen and Sophomore Data)
- C h em istr y 1 2 1 -
- 27 -
Juniors
Higher than 121
0 (0.0%)
121
0
(0. 0%)
115
7
(1.0%)
114
16
(2.45%)
107
14
(2.15%)
001
2
(0.31%)
None
5
(0.77%)
Higher than 121
0
(0.0%)
121
0
(0 . 0 %)
115
2
(0.31%)
114
5
(0.77%)
I
(0.15%)
001
0
(0.0%)
None
2
(0.31%)
Seniors
__________
107
Sample size 652
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
2.5
B
C
3.0
3.5
A
4.0
Grade
Figure 10
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, College Math
Background, and Final Course Grade
(Junior and Senior Data)
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
- 28 -
Freshm en
One
Two to Four
Four or More
395 (60.58%)
9.R (4 99% )
48 (7.36%)
Sophomores
Two to Four
Four or More
H O ( 1 6 .8 7 % )
13
/1.99%)
34
10
(5.21%)
(1.53%)
Juniors
Two to Four
Four or More
Seniors
Two to Four
Four or More
-
-
2 (0.31%)
6 (0.92%)
Sample size 652
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
2.5
B
C
3.0
3.5
A
4.0
Grade
Figure 11
The Relationship Between Class Standing,
Years Out of High School, and Final Course Grade
- Chemistry 121-
-
29
-
INTEREST OR SUBJECT AREA
The varying student interests or subject area m ajors revealed in terest­
ing trends in this study.
The largest number of students (285) w ere from the
agricultural and engineering fields with a fair percentage of the various other
areas represented also.
Each subject area was studied with resp ect to the fo l­
lowing fa c to r s: years out of high school, sex, high school chem istry, high
vT
school ph ysics, high school math, and college math.
These factors were com ­
pared to perform ance in the cla ss which is an average grade of the students in
each category.
A sample size and percent of those students in each category of
the c la ss is also shown.
AGRICULTURE
There were 139 agriculture students sampled (30.0% of cla ss size) in
Chemistry 121 during the fall and winter quarters.
with only ten women sam pled.
Most of these were men
The largest percentage of the group (85%) were
freshm en and these w ere the ones evaluated.
There were 11 students who w ere freshm en that had been out of high
school for four or more y ea rs.
These students performed better than those who
had been out only one or two years by alm ost half a grade point.
haps be attributed to a maturity factor.
This can p er­
The women on the average did better
than the men, but there w ere only ten women agriculture students and the sample
-
was sm all.
30
-
Over half of the agricultural m ajors had taken chem istry in high
school and their grades in the c la ss w ere higher ranging from an average of
1.82 for those without high school chem istry to an average of 2.50 for those with
it.
This would lead one to conclude that previous background in high school
chem istry was an important factor in the study of this course.
L ess than a third
of the students had high school ph ysics, and this also affected their grade, but
not as dram atically as lack of chem istry background.
Those who had taken
physics in high school averaged 2.54 in Chemistry 121 while those who had not
taken it averaged 2.11.
One of the m ost interesting factors was the affect that
math had on the c la ss perform ance.
There was a definite correlation between
the amount of high school math and the grade received in the c la ss.
also noticed with the varying amounts of college math.
Math definitely plays an
important part in a scien ce course and this was proven here.
age for freshm en in agriculture was 2.25.
Tins was
The overall aver­
- 31 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
96
11
11
Sex
Male
Fem ale
108
10
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
74
44
High School Physics
Yes
No
37
81
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
8
31
23
35
21
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
0
11
10
56
0
29
12
Sample size 118
1.0
D
1.5
3.0
B
2.0
C
Grade
Figure 12
Freshm en in A griculture
-C h e m istr y 1 2 1 -
3.5
4.0
A
-32
-
HOME ECONOMICS
There were only 14 freshm en in home econom ics in Chemistry 121,
w hereas there w ere 36 sophom ores.
of this difference.
Statistics on both w ill be shown because
The freshm en w ere all women and only one was not a first
year graduate of high school.
not high school ph ysics.
The majority had taken high school chem istry but
Those with chem istry performed better than those
without, but the opposite held for the ph ysics.
The math background varied,
grades occurring according to amount taken.
11 of the students were not taking
any college math but their overall was 3.09.
The overall average for the fresh ­
men home econom ics students was 3.07.
The sophom ores w ere again all women.
as the freshm en, but this was a larger sam ple.
Their average was not as high
A third of these women had not
taken high school chem istry but the difference in grades between those who had
and those who had not was slight.
Those with physics, though, averaged 0.5
grade point higher than those without high school physics.
Math background
again was varied with those with the highest level making the better grades.
This held true for college math also.
econom ics students was 2.47.
The overall average for sophomore home
- 33 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
Grade
Figure 13
Freshm en in Home Economics
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
14
- 34 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 14
Sophomores in Home Economics
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
A
36
- 35. -
NURSING
The nursing students at MSU usually take Chemistry 121 during their
freshm an year.
83 of the 90 nursing students surveyed were freshm en.
women dominated the cla ss with only one male nurse present.
nurses w ere fir st year high school graduates.
not do as' w ell, but this was a sm all sam ple.
very few had taken physics.
Almost all of the
The other six that were older did
Here also, chem istry and physics
in high school w ere important in their perform ance.
courses did a great deal better.
The
Those who had taken these
Most of the students had taken chem istry, but
There was alm ost a whole grade point difference in
the average grade for those (82) with chem istry (2.82) as compared to those (11)
without the previous background (1.91).
Math in high school was an asset.
The
positive correlation seen ea rlier between the amount of math previous to the
course and grade was also present here.
Most of the students were not taking
any college math so it is hard to determine the effect some math in college might
have had.
The average grade for the freshm en nurses during the fall and w inter
quarters was 2.70.
- 36 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
77
4
2
Sex
Male
Fem ale
I
82
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
72
11
High School Physics
Yes
No
7
76
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
4
17
30
25
7
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
0
1
0
6
3
2
71
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
Figure 15
Freshm en in Nursing
-C hem istry 121-
2.5
3.0
B
Grade
3.5
4.0
A
83
- 37 -
ENGINEERING
The engineers w ere the group with the largest enrollm ent of any subject
area.
There w ere 146 used in the sam ple, 138 of these freshm en.
Five of these
w ere women who averaged over a half of a grade point better than the men.
Most of the students w ere fir st year graduates out of high school, but there w ere
23 who had been out of high school two or more y ea rs.
quite as high as the others.
These 23 did not average
Approximately two thirds of the students had taken
high school chem istry and physics and their average grade was alm ost three
fourths of a grade point higher than those who had not taken these courses.
A
good percentage of the c la ss had taken a large amount of math in high school,
many of them calculus and trigonom etry.
This gave them an advantage over
those who had not and their average grade was quite high.
Alm ost half of the
engineering students w ere taking math 121 (calculus) and these students aver­
aged a 3.00 overall in the chem istry c la ss .
A positive correlation can be seen
between math background in both high school and college and the average grade
in the chem istry course.
was 2.78.
The average grade in Chemistry 121 for the engineers
- 38 -
Years out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
115
5
18
Sex
Male
Fem ale
133
5
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
96
42
High School Physics
Yes
No
94
44
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
41
53
30
8
5
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
________ I
74
13
40
0
5
5
Sample size 138
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
B
Grade
Figure 16
Freshm en in Engi nee ring
-C hem istry 121-
3.0
3.5
A
4.0
-
39
-
EDUCATION
The education students w ere divided sim ilar to the home econom ics stu­
dents, more of them sophom ores than freshm en.
w ill be discussed.
of high school.
Because of th is both c la ss e s
There w ere 15 freshm en, m ost of them fir st year graduates
The 12 men in this group did not perform as w ell as the women
(2.42 as compared to 3.00 for the women).
Half of the students had taken chem ­
istr y in high school and the grade averages were about the sam e as those who
had not.
Physics background did not affect their grades and m ost of them had
not taken it in high school.
ea rlier .
Math correlations were sim ilar to those seen
The overall average for the freshm en education m ajors was 2.53.
The sophomore c la ss had 26 education students sampled with a third of
these being men.
Again m ost had taken high school chem istry and their per­
formance was better and the same held true for physics even though fewer stu­
dents had taken physics in high school.
The students w ere spread out in their
math backgrounds and the correlations seen e a rlier did not hold here.
m ore education students averaged 2.65 in Chemistry 121.
Sopho­
- 40 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F our
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School P hysics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 17
Freshm en in Education
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
A
15
—41 —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 18
Sophomores in Education
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
A
26
-
4:2
~
HUMANITIES
The number of humanities m ajors in Chemistry. 121 was so sm all (8) that
an accurate discussion of the results is not possible.
Yet, the same trends that
held true for the other curriculum s w ere here also.
This is evident in the chem ­
istry and physics backgrounds as w ell as the math.
subject area had an average of 2.88 for the course.
The eight students in this
- 43 -
Y ears Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
5
2
I
Sex
Male
Fem ale
6
2
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
6
2
High School Physics
Yes
No
2
6
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
2
2
3
I
0
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
0
I
I
4
I
0
I
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
B
Grade
Figure 19
Freshm en in Humanities
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
3.5
4.0
A
8
—4 4 —
SCIENCE
The science m ajors w ere sm all in number (16) like the home econom ics
and humanities students, but nevertheless tended to perform in the same manner
as the others.
All but two w ere men and only one was not a fir st year graduate
out of high school.
The students who previously had high school chem istry p er­
formed better than those who had not taken it.
The same trend that was usually
noted before for physics background was not present here.
The students who had
not taken physics in high school performed better than those who had taken it.
Math provided to be an a sse t, both high school and college math.
average for the sixteen science m ajors in Chemistry 121 was 2.50.
The overall
- 45 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F our
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 20
Freshm en in Science
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
A
16
“ 46 —
OTHER
Students from the other curricula showed the same trends as those p re­
viously d iscu ssed .
The women averaged a grade point higher than the men.
Those who had chem istry and physics backgrounds also had higher averages.
Math in general showed a positive correlation with grade point in both high
school and college, but not to the extent that had been shown in the other areas.
There w ere 127 students from other curriculum s, 79 of these w ere freshmen.
The average grade for freshm en from "other" curricula was 2.65.
- 47 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Male
Fem ale
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121
115
114
107
001
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 21
Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 1 -
A
79
-4 8 —
SUMMARY FOR CHEMISTRY 121
Chemistry 121 is a service course with the largest enrollm ent of the
freshm en cou rses.
During the academic year 1969-70, the students enrolled
during the fall and winter quarters numbered 861.
72% of the students sampled
w ere freshm en, tw o-thirds of them w ere men.
The composition of Chemistry 121 by subject area was perhaps the m ost
varied of the freshm en courses surveyed except for Chemistry 122 which was
sim ilar to Chemistry 121.
ch aracteristics.
Yet the students on the whole displayed sim ilar
Two-thirds of the students sampled in Chem istry 121 had p re­
viously taken high school chem istry, even though Chemistry 121 is designed for
students without a high school chem istry background.
sam pled had taken high school physics.
One-third of the students
Students having these previous high
school cou rses had a definite advantage over the students lacking the chem istry
and physics background and their performance was distinctly better,
The grade
obtained in Chemistry 121 was directly related to the amount of mathematics
taken at both the high school and college le v e ls.
This fact was interesting
because the math involved in the content of Chemistry 121 is elem entary and
does not require an extensive math background.
—49 —
CHEM ISTRY 122
The Chemistry 122 c la ss was surveyed for two reasons, the first to det­
erm ine cla ss com position and the second to determine if the factors that affected
a student's performance in Chemistry 121 also affected student performance in
Chemistry 122.
The course m aterial for th ese c la sse s is different and a stu­
dent's performance in Chem istry 121 does not n ecessarily determ ine perfor­
mance in Chemistry 122.
Previous background,, interest and sex may have had
an affect on a student's performance and w ill be examined later.
SEX
The perform ance of the men and women in this course w as not signifi­
cantly different.
The freshm en women sampled (104) had an average of 2.55,
and the freshm en men sampled (154) averaged 2.37, in this course.
The upper­
classm en men and women sampled also showed the sam e trend, with the women
perform ing slightly better than the men.
- 50 -
Freshm en
Men
154 (44.00%)
Women
104 (29.71%)
Sophomores
Men
22
(6.29%)
Women
47 113.43%!
Juniors
-
11
(3.14%)
Women
7
12.00%)
Men
3
(0.8696)
Women
I
10.29%)
Men
.
Seniors
Sample size 349
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
3.5
B
A
Grade
4.0
Figure 22
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, S e x ,
and F inal C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
—51 —
PREVIOUS BACKGROUND
The performance of the freshm en was affected the m ost by the amount of
previous background.
The freshm en students sampled with no previous chem­
istry background received an average grade of 2.05 in Chemistry 122.
Those
students sam pled who had a previous background in chem istry averaged 2.50.
Students with previous physics and math backgrounds perform ed better than
those without the background.
Among the upperclassm en sampled, the amount
of previous background had no apparent affect upon student performance in
Chemistry 122.
Previous math background was usually directly related to the grade ob­
tained in Chemistry 122 at both the high school and college le v el.
- 52 -
Freshm en
Yes
200 (57.14%)
No
58 (16.57%)
Sophomores
Yes
42 (12.00%)
No
27
(7.71%)
Yes
6
(1.71%)
No
12
(3.43%)
Yes
2
(0.57%)
No
2
(0.57%)
Juniors
Seniors
Sample size 349
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
3.5
B
A
Grade
4.0
Figure 23
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
B ackground in High School C h e m istr y , and F in al C o u rse Grade
- C h em istry 1 2 2 -
—53 —
Freshm en
Yes
86 (24.57%)
No
172 (49.14%)
Sophomores
Yes
15
No
54 (15.43%)
(4.29%)
Juniors
Yes
4
(1.14%)
No
14
(4.00%)
Seniors
Yes
(0.29%)
No
(0.86%)
Sample size 349
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 24
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
B ackground in High School P h y s ic s , and F in a l C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
- 54 -
Freshm en
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
28 (8.00%)
86 (24.57%)
67 (19.14%)
55 (15.71%)
22 (6.29%)
Sophomores
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
I
15
16
24
13
(0.29%)
(4.29%)
(4.57%)
(6.86%)
(3.71%)
Juniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
(0.57%)
(0.0%)
(1.14%)
(2.57%)
(0.86%)
Seniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
(0 . 0%)
(0.29%)
(0.86%)
(0 . 0%)
(0 . 0%)
Sample size 349
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 25
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in High School Math, and Final Course Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
-55-
Freshm en
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
4 (1.14%)
43 (12.29%)
16 (4.57%)
86 (24.57%)
3 (0.86%)
25 (7.14%)
81 (23.14%)
Sophomores
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
2 (0.57%)
I (0.29%)
12 (3.43%)
11 (3.14%)
17 (4.86%)
4 (1.14%)
22 (6.29%)
Juniors
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
0
0
4
5
6
I
2
Sample size 345
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0
B
Grade
3.5
4.0
A
Figure 26
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in College Math, and Final Course Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
(0.0%)
(0.0%)
(1.14%)
(1.43%)
(1.71%)
(0.29%)
(0.57%)
- 56 -
Freshm en
232 (66.29%)
12 (3.43%)
14 (4.00%)
One
Two to Four
Four or More
Sophomores
60 (17.14%)
8 (2.29%)
Two to Four
Four or More
Juniors
12 (3.43%)
6 (1.17%)
Two to Four
Four or More
Seniors
( 0% )
Two to Four
Four or More
(0.86%)
Sample size 347
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 27
The Relationship Between Class Standing,
Years Out of High School, and Final Course Grade
-C hem istry 122-
- 57 -
INTEREST OR SUBJECT AREA
In Chemistry 121 it was noted that the nursing, engineering, and hum­
anities students sampled obtained the higher grades in the course.
122 this was not entirely the case.
In Chemistry
Students sampled in home econom ics, edu­
cation, and engineering perform ed better in Chemistry 122 than in Chemistry
121.
The reason for this is not known.
Each subject area that was listed on the questionnaire had a good sample
representation in the study.
These subject areas w ill be examined in the hopes
of determining if the factors that affected performance in Chemistry 121 also
had the same affect on performance in Chemistry 122.
The factors w ill be the
sam e as those examined in Chemistry 121 and Chemistry 131: Years out of high
school, sex, previous high school chem istry, previous high school physics,
previous high school math, and college math background.
-
58
-
AGRICULTURE
Of the 349 students sam pled, 95 of these (30.0%) w ere agriculture m ajors.
81 of these 95 students w ere freshm en.
Six of the freshm en sampled were
women, who did not perform as w ell as the men (2.17 as compared to 2.27 for
the freshm en men).
Tw o-thirds of the students in agriculture had taken chem­
istry in high school and their performance was better (2.37) than those students
who did not have the background in chem istry (2.04).
men sampled did not have a physics background.
One-third of these fr e sh ­
As was noted in the other
freshm en chem istry cou rses (Chemistry 121 and Chemistry 131), students
lacking this background did not perform as w ell as those students with a physics
background.
In Chem istry 122 the freshm en agriculture m ajors with a high
school physics background received an average grade of 2.45 as compared to
2.19 for those students without a physics background.
The grade obtained in
Chem istry 122 was directly related to the amount of math taken in high school.
The sam e trend was also noted in college math background and can be seen on
the following graph.
The average grade obtained by freshm en agriculture m ajors in Chem­
istry 122 was 2.26.
- 59 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F our
F o u r o r M ore
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School P hysics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 28
Freshm en in Agriculture
-C hem istry 122-
A
81
-
60
-
HOME ECONOMICS
As in Chemistry 121 m ost of the home econom ic students sampled w ere
sophom ores (27 of the 46 students sampled).
m ics students sampled w ere women.
istry .
The twelve freshm en home econo­
All but two had taken high school chem ­
Their performance (3,20) in Chem istry 122 was better than those without
chem istry background (2.00)) but the sample is sm all and an accurate conclusion
cannot be made.
Previous physics background did not affect the freshm en p er­
form ance in Chemistry 122 in any unfavorable way.
The eleven women who had
not taken physics in high School received an average grade of 3.09 in Chemistry
122,
The one person who did take physics in high school received a 2.00 in
Chemistry 122,
The freshm en had good math backgrounds and their grade in
Chem istry 122 was directly related to th is.
Nine of the students did not or were
not taking any college math, yet the average grade for these students was 3.00.
The average grade obtained by a freshm an student in home econom ies was 3.00.
The sophdmQreS sampled (27) w ere again all women,
TwO^thirds of
these students had taken chem istry in high school but their performance in
Chem istry 122 (2,26) was not as good as those Students who did not have any
previous chem istry background (2,75),
cerning physics background.
The opposite trend was Observed con­
The four Students sampled who had taken high
school physics received an average grade of 2,75 in Chemistry 122.
Those
- 61 -
students lacking physics background obtained an average grade of 2.35.
The
amount of math background in high school or college did not affect the perfor­
mance of the sophom ores sampled in Chemistry 122.
Those students with no
college math background perform ed better (2.57) than those with some college
math (2.00 to 2.12 depending on the college math course).
The overall average
grade for the sophomore home econom ics student in Chemistry 122 was 2.41.
- 62 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
2.0
2.5
Grade
Figure 29
Freshm en in Home Economics
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
3.5
4.0
12
- 63 Y e a r s Out of H igh School
One
Two to F ou r
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 30
Sophomores in Home Economics
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
A
27
- 64 -
NURSING
The nursing students com prised 20% of the students sampled in the Chem­
istry 122 c la ss.
Of these 71 students, 66 w ere freshm en.
women who were fir st year graduates of high school.
A ll but one were
A high school chem istry
background affected the sampled nursing student’s perform ances in Chemistry
122.
Those students (7) without previous chem istry background had an average
of 1.57 as compared to 2.44 for those students (59) who had taken high school
chem istry.
P h ysics taken prior to Chemistry 122 proved to be a factor in p er­
form ance.
Of the seven students sampled who had taken physics in high school,
their grade was 3.00 in Chemistry 122.
school physics (59) averaged 2.27.
Those students who had not taken high
The amount of math taken in high school did
not seem to affect perform ances in Chemistry 122 except in c a se s where the
students had not taken any high school math course beyond geom etry.
The.se
students did not perform as w ell as those Who had taken a higher lev el math
course.
A college math background, or a math course taken concurrently with
Chem istry 122, favorably affected student performance in Chemistry 122.
The average grade obtained by freshm en nursing students in Chemistry
122 was 2.35.
—65 —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r or M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 31
Freshm en in Nursing
- C h em istr y 122-
A
66
-
66
-
ENGINEERING
The number of students sampled (50) in engineering in Chemistry 122 was
much low er than in Chemistry 121 where there w ere 146 engineering students.
F o r ty -six of these students w ere freshm en.
Three of the freshm en were women
whose performance (3.33) in Chemistry 122 was much better than the men (2.47).
As observed ea rlier in the other subject area m ajors, tw o-thirds of the students
sampled had taken chem istry in high school.
Their performance (2.59) was
better than those who had not taken high school chem istry (2.36).
Two-thirds
of the engineering students sampled had also taken high school physics and the
resu lt was the sam e as those with high school chem istry.
Those who had taken
high school physics perform ed better (2.62) than those who had not taken the
physics course (2.25).
The amount of math background was directly related to
the grade obtained in Chem istry 122 at both the high school and college le v els.
The average grade obtained by freshm en engineering Students in Chem­
istry 122 was 2.52.
—67 —
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
41
2
3
Sex
43
3
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
32
14
High School Physics
Yes
No
34
12
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
13
22
9
0
2
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
1
26
4
11
0
2
2
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0
B
Grade
Figure 32
Freshm en in Engineering
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
3.5
4 .0
A
46
—68 -
EDUCATION
There were 25 students sampled in education, ten of these were fresh ­
men, eleven were sophom ores, and four w ere juniors.
A graph of the fa c­
tors affecting the performance of the freshm en and sophom ores has been
completed.
Eight of the freshm en education students sampled were men who
did not perform as w ell (2.63) as the women (3.00).
Eight of these students
had taken high school chem istry and their performance (2.75) in Chemistry
122 was better than those without a previous background in chem istry (2.50).
The seven students who did not take high school physics performed better
in Chemistry 122 (2.71) than those who had taken physics (2.67), but the dif­
ference is sm all.
The amount of math taken in high school and college was
directly related to the grade obtained in Chemistry 122.
The average grade
obtained in Chemistry 122 by a freshm an education student was 2.70.
Of the eleven sophom ores sampled, nine were women whose perfor­
mance in Chemistry 122 (2.67) was better than the men (2.50).
Those stu­
dents who had taken chem istry and physics in high school did not perform
as w ell as those students who did not have high school chem istry and ph ysics.
The amount of math taken previous to Chemistry 122 had a reverse effect
of that observed with students of other subject areas.
The higher the lev el
of the math course, the lower the grade in Chemistry 122.
2.64 was the
—69 -
average grade in Chemistry 122 for a sophomore student majoring in edu­
cation.
- 70 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r or M ore
8
I
1
Sex
8
2
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
8
2
High School Physics
Yes
No
3
7
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
I
I
5
1
2
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
0
I
1
0
0
2
2
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
B
Grade
Figure 33
Freshm en in Education
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
3.5
4 .0
A
10
- 71 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
0
11
0
Sex
2
9
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
3
High School Physics
Yes
No
2
9
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
0
2
3
4
2
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
0
0
0
2
9
0
0
8
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0
B
Grade
Figure 34
Sophomores in Education
-C hem istry 122-
3.5
4.0
A
11
- 72 -
HUMANITIES .
The number of students sampled that w ere humanities m ajors (3) was too
sm all to warrant a conclusive discussion.
formance w ill not be included.
A graph of the resu lts of their p er­
- 73
-
SCIENCE
Students sampled that w ere science m ajors were few.
There were e le ­
ven students in this subject area, seven of these were freshm en.
Two of these
freshm en w ere women whose performance (3.00) in Chemistry 122 was better
than the men (2.00).
Students (5) who had taken chem istry in high school p er­
form ed better (2.40) than those students who had not taken chem istry in high
school (2.00).
school ph ysics.
This was the opposite for those students who had taken high
Their performance in Chemistry 122 (2.00) was lower than the
students who did not take physics in high school (2.67).
The amount of math
background at either the high school or college lev el did not have a positive or
negative affect on their perform ance.
The average grade for the freshm en science m ajors sampled in Chem­
istry 122 was 2.29.
- 74 —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School P hysics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 35
Freshm en in Science
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
A
- 75 -
OTHER
There were 33 freshm en students sampled that were in "other" curricu­
la . ' Approximately half w ere Women who perform ed better (2.93) in Chemistry
122 than the men (2.53).
Only four of the students in this category had not taken
high school chem istry and th eir performance (1.75) was much low er than those
students with a chem istry background (2.83).
Approximately half of the students
sampled had taken high school physics and their performance (2.93) was better
in Chemistry 122 than those without previous physics (2.53).
The amount of
math taken at both the high school and college lev els was directly related to the
grade obtained in Chemistry 122.
The average grade obtained by the freshm en sampled in "other" curricu­
la in Chemistry 122 was 2.70.
- 76 Y e a r s Out o f High School
One
Tw o to F ou r
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra H
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 36
Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C h e m is tr y 1 2 2 -
A
33
SUMMARY FOR' CHEMISTRY 122 Students taking Chemistry. 122 had usually taken Chemistry 121 the quar­
te r before.
67%'of the students sampled in Chemistry 122 during winter and
spring, quarters of 1970 had taken "Chemistry 121 the quarter before they took
Chem istry 122.'
- " The survey was conducted to determ ine if the factors that affected a
student’s perform ance in Chemistry 121 also affected student performance in
Chem istry 122.
This was found to be true.
Students having previous high
school background in chem istry, p h ysics, and a relatively good math background
perform ed better on the average in Chemistry 122 than those students lacking
th ese backgrounds.
■
-
Subject area m ajors w ere diversified with a range of performance vary­
ing from a grade point average of 3.00 for "freshmen home econom ics students
to a grade point average of 2.26 for freshm en agriculture students.
The perfor­
mance of the freshm en in Chemistry 122 for the different subject areas was
sligh tly 5Iower or the sam e as the performance for the sam e students when they
to o k C h e m istr y 1 2 1 .
- 78 -
CHEMISTRY 131
The areas surveyed for the Chemistry 131 cla ss are the same as those
surveyed for the Chemistry 121 students.
Chemistry 131 is designed for science
oriented students with previous high school chem istry or equivalent chem istry
background.
SEX ■
The women in the Chemistry 131 c la ss did not do as w ell as the men.
This resu lt was opposite that observed with Chemistry 121.
The overall aver­
age for the freshm en women surveyed was 2.03, as compared to 2.40 for the
freshm en men.
The graph on the following page shows the difference in grades
between the sex es and the c la ss e s they represent.
It is noted that the upper­
classm en did not do as w ell as the underclassm en in this course.
- 79 -
Freshm en
Male
239 (69.68%)
Fem ale
59 (17.20%)
Sophomores
Male
Fem ale
27
(7.87%)
6
(1.75%)
Juniors
Male
(2.62%)
Fem ale
(0.58%)
Seniors
Male
(0.29%)
Fem ale
(0 .0%)
Sample size 343
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 37
The R ela tio n sh ip B e tw e e n C la s s Standing, S e x ,
and F in a l C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
—
80
—
PREVIOUS BACKGROUND'
A good background w as alm ost vital to student survival in this course.
Without any previous cou rses in chem istry, physics, or a relatively high lev el
math course, the student could not be expected to obtain a grade better than a
11C".
There w ere only seven students who had not previously taken chem istry
and none of these students received a higher grade than "C".
ground also played an important role in this course.
Physics back­
Most of the students had
taken physics in high school and their grades w ere much better than those stu­
dents who had not taken high school p h ysics.
The average Chemistry 131 grade
for students with a physics course prior-to college was 2.39 as compared to 1.95
for those students without high school physics.
The correlation between math background and performance was sim ilar
to the Chemistry 1 2 l c la ss .
The grade obtained in Chemistry 131 was directly
related to the amount of math the student had taken.
Perhaps the only difference
between the Chemistry 121 and 131 c la sse s as far as math is concerned was the
perform ance of those students without any college math.
In the Chemistry 121
c la ss the students not taking any math in college often perform ed as well if not
better than the other students.
In the Chem istry 131 c la ss the students perform ed
poorly if they w ere not taking any college math or had not taken any previously.
The freshm en perform ed much better than the other c la s s e s , but the
—81 ~
sam ple of the other c la ss e s is so sm all that it is really not a fair deduction.
The
number of years since the student graduated from high school had an effect on
his grade, but usually not for the better if the student had been out of school for •
several y ea rs.
The m ore y ea rs that had elapsed since high school graduation
and enrollm ent in Chemistry 131, the lower the student's performance in Chem­
istr y 131.
—82 —
Freshm en
Yes
297 (86.59%)
No
I
(0.29%)
Yes
28
(8.16%)
No
5
(1.46%)
Yes
10
(2.92%)
No
I
(0.29%)
Yes
I
(0.29%)
No
0
(0. 0%)
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
Sample size 343
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
3.5
B
A
Grade
4.0
Figure 38
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
Background in High School C h e m istr y , and F i nal C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
—83 —
Freshm en
Yes
239 (69.68%)
No
59 (17.20%)
Sophomores
Yes
21
(6. 12%)
No
12
(3.50%)
Juniors
Yes
(0.87%)
No
(2.33%)
Seniors
Yes
(0.29%)
No
(0 .0%)
Sample size 343
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 39
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
B ackground in B igh School P h y s ic s , and F in a l C ou rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
—84 “
Freshm en
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
115 (33.53%)
126 (36.73%)
40 (11.66%)
11 (3.21%)
3 (0.87%)
Sophomores
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
7
18
7
I
0
(2.04%)
(5.25%)
(2.04%)
(0.29%)
(0.0%)
Juniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
(0.29%)
(0.58%)
(1.17%)
(0.87%)
(0.29%)
Seniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
(0. 0%)
(0.29%)
(0 . 0%)
(0.0%)
(0 .0%)
Sample size 343
Grade
Figure 40
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
B ackground m H igh School M ath, and F in al C o u rse Grade
- C h em istr y 1 3 1 -
—85 —
Freshm en
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
32
171
21
62
0
0
12
(9.33%)
(49.85%)
(6 . 12%)
(18.08%)
(0.0%)
(0.0%)
(3.50%)
Sophomores
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
7 (2.04%)
10 (2.92%)
13 (3.79%)
2 (0.58%)
0 (0 . 0%)
0 (0 .0%)
I (0.29%)
Juniors
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
1 (0.29%)
3 (0.87%)
4 (1.17%)
2 (0.57%)
I (0.29%)
0 (0.0%)
0 (0 . 0%)
Sample siz e 342
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0 3.5
B
A
Grade
4.0
Figure 41
The Relationship Between C lass Standing, Previous
Background in College Math, and Final Course Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
- 86 -
Freshm en
272 (79.30%)
15 (4.37%)
11 (3.21%)
One
Tw n to F ou r
Four or More
Sophomores
One
Two to Four
Four or More
Juniors
One
Two to Four
Four or More
0 (0.0%)
29 (8.45%)
3 (0.87%)
______L
_
.
0 (0.0%)
9 (2.62%)
I (0.29%)
_ .. .... ___
Seniors
0 (0.0%)
I (0.0%)
0 (0.0%)
One
T w n t.n F o u r
Four or More
Sample size 343
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
B
Grade
3.5
4.0
A
Figure 42
The Relationship Between Class Standing,
Years Out of High School, and Final Course Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
—■87 —
INTEREST OR SUBJECT AREA
The students from the different subject areas of study displayed a varying
range of perform ance.
There are six subject areas with m ost of the students
concentrated in three of th ese, therefore the comparison of performance in the
subject areas is sm all.
The same variables w ere observed as in the Chemistry
121 c la ss: years out of high school, sex , previous background in high school
chem istry, previous background in high school ph ysics, previous background in
high school math, and a college math background.
to perform ance in the c la ss.
These factors w ere compared
—88 —
AGRICULTURE
Seventeen m em bers sampled of the Chemistry 131 c la ss were agriculture
m ajors, fifteen of these freshm en.
Three of these freshm en were women.
All
but one of the fifteen w ere fir st year graduates of high school and their overall
average was 1.50.
ple is sm all.
The women did not do as w ell as the men (0.67), but the sam ­
All of the students had taken chem istry in high school and only
three had not taken ph ysics.
Those who had taken high school physics performed
better than those who had not (1.58 compared to 1.33).
Math played an im port­
ant role but the distribution of the students in each lev el of math course makes
the sam ple so sm all it is hard to draw any definite conclusions.
The trend was
the sam e as in Chem istry 121, the more math one had in high school and college
the better his chances w ere for a better grade in college chem istry.
The overall average for freshm en students sampled in agriculture for
Chemistry 131 was 1.53.
—89 —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
115 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 43
Freshm en in Agriculture
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
A
15
- 90 -
ENGINEERING
There w ere 144 engineering students sampled in C hem istry'131 rep re­
senting a large percentage (41.0%) of the sam ple.
All but three w ere freshm en.
Eight of these students w ere women who averaged about a half grade point (2.00)
low er than the men (2.56). Only fifteen of the students had been out of high school
for m ore than one year.
Those who had finished four or m ore years before en­
tering college perform ed better than the others.
Even though this was not con­
sisten t with varying curriculum s one would like to attribute th is to maturity. All
the engineers had taken high school chem istry and only nine did not take physics
while in high school.
It is not possible to compare performance for those w ith­
out previous background in chem istry and those with previous background in
chem istry since everyone had taken high school chem istry.
The positive c o r r e ­
lation between math background and grade in chem istry observed earlier was
present here also.
Many of the students had taken calculus and trigonom etry in
high school and m ost w ere taking Math 121 (calculus).while in college.
These
students perform ed better than those with a lower le v el of math background.
The freshm en engineering students had the highest overall average of the
C h e m istr y 131 stu d en ts — 2 .5 3 .
—91 —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Tw o to F ou r
F ou r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size 141
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 44
Freshm en in Engineering
- C h em istr y 1 3 1 -
A
—92 —
EDUCATION
The number of education m ajors sampled is so sm all (4) in Chemistry
131 that an accurate d iscussion of the resu lts is not possible.
all freshm en and had taken high school chem istry.
The students were
Although these students had
relatively good math backgrounds, their performance in Chemistry 131 was not
as good as the performance of individuals from other subject areas.
- 93 -
Y ears Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
4
0
0
Sex
2
2
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
4
0
High School Physics
Yes
No
3
I
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
1
3
0
0
0
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
0
2
0
I
0
0
I
Sample size
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0
B
Grade
Figure 45
Freshm en in Education
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
3.5
4.0
A
—94 —
HUMANITIES
The two freshm en students from humanities failed Chemistry 131.
Both
w ere m en and had taken chem istry in high school. Both students had taken c a l­
culus in high school and one student was taking a college math course higher
than Math 121 (calculus) and the other was taking Math 114 (College Math),.
—95 —
SCIENCE
Most of the scien ce students w ere freshm en, 57 of the 65 sampled being
in th is c la ss .
Twenty of the students w ere women.
the sam e for both the men and women.
The performance was about
All but two w ere fir st year graduates of
high school so.no com parison can be made to age and perform ance.
Only one
student had not taken chem istry in high school and 13 had not taken physics.
Those who had not taken physics did not perform as w ell as those who had.
There w as over a half a grade point difference (2.48 as compared to 1.85).
Forty-nine of the freshm en took claculus or trigonom etry in high school.
grades w ere higher than those who had taken low er lev el math cou rses.
Their
In c o l­
lege math the sam e correlation can be observed, those with the higher le v e l of
math background perform ed best.
The overall average for the scien ce m ajors in Chem istry 131 was 2.33.
—96 —
Y e a r s Out of H igh School
One
Two to F our
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 46
Freshm en in Science
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
A
57
— 97 "
OTHER
The students from other curricula had a wide variety of interests,, but a
good share of them w ere pre-m ed, p re-v et, or m icrobiology m ajors with a m edtech option.
field .
Most of the students w ere in a science area, but in a specialized
There w ere 108 students sampled in this category with 79 of these being
freshm en.
A ll but seven w ere fir st year graduates of high school and about a
fourth of the students w ere women, who perform ed about as w ell (2.12) as the '
men (2.15).
All the students had taken chem istry while in high school. About
half had taken physics in high school, but these students perform ed approximately
as w ell as those who had not taken it.
The grade distribution of students in the
various math cou rses was more noticeable in this group than the others.
Most
of the students had taken Algebra II or higher in high school and their perfor­
mance was much better than the students with le s s m athem atics background.
The students in "other" curricula averaged 2.14 in Chemistry 131.
- 98 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Tw o to F our
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 47
Freshm en in Other Curricula
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 1 -
A
79
—99
—
SUMMARY FOR CHEMISTRY 131
Chemistry 131 is a serv ice course for science oriented students.
Five
hundred students w ere enrolled during the fa ll and winter quarters of 1969-1970.
I
89% of the students sampled (343) w ere freshm en.
The m aterial presented in Chemistry 131 was more m athem atically o r i­
ented than the m aterial in Chemistry 121.
an adequate background in m athem atics.
This demanded that the students have
The amount of math background at both
the high school and college le v els was related to the grade obtained in Chemistry
131.
This was esp ecially evident in this chem istry course, m ore so than the
other cou rses which w ere surveyed.
for Chem istry 131.
High school chem istry was a prerequisite
There w ere seven students sampled who lacked this chem ­
istry background, and their performance (2.00) was not as good as those students
who had taken high school chem istry (2.30).
The subject area m ajors of the Chemistry 131 students w ere not as d iver­
sified as the Chemistry 121 students.
scien ce and engineering field s.
Students were predominantly from the
Education and humanities students were few (9)
and there w ere no home econom ics or nursing students in the sam ple.
There
w ere perform ance differences between the subject areas m ost represented but
th ese w ere insignificant.
- 100 -
CHEMISTRY 134
The Chemistry 134 course is offered two tim es during a given academic
y ea r, fall and spring quarters. As a general rule incoming freshm en do not take
Chemistry 134 until they have had Chemistry 121 or Chemistry 131, therefore
the students enrolled in Chemistry 134 during the fa ll quarter are sophomores
and the students in Chem istry 134 in the spring quarter are freshm en.
vey conducted was only for the students enrolled fa ll quarter.
The su r­
Previous back­
ground, in terest, and sex w ill be examined to determine the affect these factors
have on a student's perform ance in Chemistry 134.
SEX
The performance of the women and men in Chemistry 134 was approxi­
m ately the sam e for the sophom ores sampled (2.50 for men, 2.62 for women).
There w ere differences of performance in the other c la ss e s between the men and
women as can be seen on the graph.
- 101 -
F resh m en
10 (7.30%)
Men
Women
0
(0. 0%)
Sophomores
Men
42 (30.66%)
Women
39 (28.47%)
Juniors
25 (18.25%)
Men
Women
6
(4.38%)
13
(9.49%)
2
(1.46%)
Seniors
Men
Women
Sample size 137
D
C
B
A
Grade
Figure 48
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, S e x ,
and F in a l C o u rse Grade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 4 -
—102 —
PREVIOUS BACKGROUND
It is difficult to conclude that a student’s performance in Chemistry 134
is directly related to his previous high school background since these students
have taken Chemistry 121 or Chemistry 131.
Yet upon observing the resu lts,
there are differences in performance related to extent of background. Sopho­
more students sam pled with a physics background perform ed better in Chemistry
134 (2.97) than students who w ere lacking th is background (2.20).
One would
like to attribute this data to previous background affecting perform ance, but stu­
dents lacking a previous chem istry background performed better (2.63) than
those with the background (2.55).
- 103 -
F resh m en
Yes
(5.84%)
No
(1.46%)
Sophomores
73 (53.29%)
Yes
8
No
(5.84%)
Juniors
28 (20.44%)
Yes
No
3
(2.19%)
13
(9.49%)
Seniors
Yes
2 (1.46%)
No
Sample size 137
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 49
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
C h em istr y B ack grou n d , and F in a l C ou rse G rade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 4 -
- 104 -
F resh m en
Yes
(5.11%)
No
(2.19%)
Sophomores
Yes
38 (27.74%)
No
43 (31.39%)
Juniors
Yes
23 (16.79%)
No
8
(5.84%)
Seniors
Yes
11 (8.03%)
No
4
Sample size 137
D
C
B
Grade
A
Figure 50
T he R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
P h y s ic s B ack grou n d , and F in a l C ou rse G rade
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 4 -
(2.93%)
- 105 -
Freshm en
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
Sophomores
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
Juniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
Seniors
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
2 (1.46%)
5 (3.65%)
I (0.73%)
2 (1.46%)
0 (0.0%)
20
26
18
12
5
(14.60%)
(18.98%)
(13.14%)
(8.76%)
(3.65%)
11
12
6
2
0
(8.03%)
(8.76%)
(4.38%)
(1.46%)
(0.0%)
3
4
4
3
I
(2.19%)
(2.92%)
(2.92%)
(2.19%)
(0.73%)
Sample size 137
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5
3.0
B
Grade
4.0
A
Figure 51
The R e la tio n sh ip B etw een C la s s Standing, P r e v io u s
B ackground in High School M ath, and F in a l C o u rse Grade
-C h e m istr y 1 3 4 -
- 106 -
AGRICULTURE
Forty of the students sampled w ere agriculture majors* 23 of these
sophom ores representing 16.8% of the students sampled.
Two of these students
w ere women whose perform ance was slightly lower than the men (2.00 for the
women, 2.29 for the men).
The six students who had not taken chem istry in high
school perform ed better (2.33) than those students with the chem istry background
(2.24).
Students who had taken high school physics perform ed better (2.67) than
those without the background (2.00).
The grade in Chemistry 134 in m o st c a se s
was directly related to the amount of math taken at the high school and college
le v e ls.
The average grade obtained by a sophomore agriculture student in Chem­
istry 134 was 2.26.
- 107 -
Years Out of High School
One
Two to Four
Four or More
0
19
4
Sex
21
2
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
17
High School Physics
Yes
No
9
14
6
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
6
6
3
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
3
7
9
3
I
0
0
Sample size
.5
1.0
D
1.5
2.0
C
2.5 3.0 3.5
B
A
Grade
Figure 52
Sophomores in Agriculture
-C h e m is tr y 1 3 4 -
4.0
23
- 108 -
HOME ECONOMICS
There w ere three home econom ics students sampled in Chemistry 134. •
Two of these w ere sophom ores and one sen ior.
Due to the sm all sample no
graph or discu ssion of these students w ill be done.
The sophom ores had an
average grade of 3.00 and the senior, 4.00 in Chemistry 134.
- 109 -
ENGINEERING
There w ere 23 students sampled majoring in engineering.
Four of
th ese w ere freshm en, eight sophom ores, ten juniors, and one senior.
The
perform ance of the sophom ores and juniors w ill be examined.
The sophom ores w ere all men who averaged 3.25 in Chemistry 134.
Only one student did not take high school chem istry but his performance
(4.00) was not hindered by th is.
The average grade for the students with a
high school chem istry background was 3.14.
Seven of the students had taken
high school physics and their average grade in Chemistry 134 was 3.43.
One student had not taken high school physics and his grade in Chemistry
134 was 2.00.
Even with a sample this sm all the grade in Chemistry 134
w as directly related to the amount of math taken in high school and college.
The eight sophom ores in engineering had the highest average of any subject
area in Chemistry 134 — 3.25.
The juniors sampled (10) w ere again all men.
the juniors was not as good as the sophom ores.
The performance of
The juniors had all taken
high school chem istry and their average was 2.00, as compared to 3.14 for
the sophom ores.
Those students who had taken high school physics did not
perform as w ell (1.88) as those students who had taken the course (2.50).
The juniors w ere concentrated into two college math cou rses and their grades
- HO -
in Chemistry 134 w ere proportional to the lev el of math course they had
taken.
The average grade in Chemistry 134 for the juniors sampled m ajor­
ing in engineering was 2 .00o
/
—I l l —
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Tw o to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 53
Sophomores in Engineering
-C hem istry 134-
A
-
112 -
Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Tw o to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 54
Juniors in Engineering
-C hem istry 134-
A
10
- 113 -
EDUCATION
There w ere eight education students sampled in Chemistry 134. None of
th ese w ere freshm en.
ior.
Two w ere sophom ores, five w ere juniors, and one a sen ­
Due to the sm all sample in each c la ss no graph or d iscussion of these stu­
dents w ill be done.
The sophom ores averaged 1.50 in Chemistry 134, the juniors
averaged 3.00 and the one senior, 3.00.
HUMANITIES .
There w ere four students sampled in Chemistry 134 majoring in human­
itie s .
Three of those students w ere sophom ores and one a sen ior.
sm all sam ple no graph or d iscussion of these students w ill be done.
dents had an average of 2.00 in Chemistry 134.
Due to the
These stu­
— 1 3 .4 —
SCIENCE
There w ere 25 students sampled that w ere science m ajors, representing
18.3% of the students sampled.
Nineteen of these students w ere sophomores,
m ost of them (16) women whose perform ance was better (3.06) than that of the
men (2.67).
All the students had taken high school chem istry, but only nine had
taken high school p h ysics.
Those students who had taken high school physics
perform ed better (3.33) than those who had not taken physics in high school (2.70).
As observed e a rlier the grade received in Chemistry 134 was directly related to
the amount of math taken in high school and college.
The nineteen sophomore science m ajors received an average grade of
3.00 in Chemistry 134.
- 115 Y e a r s Out of High School
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 55
Sophomores in Science
-C hem istry 134-
A
19
- 116 -
OTHER CURRICULA
There w ere 33 students sampled in "other" curricula, representing 24%
of the sampled students.
Twenty-four of these students w ere sophom ores.
There w ere 15 sophomore women sampled and their performance was better
(2.40) than the men (2.33).
All but one student had taken high school chem istry
and half of the students had taken high school physics.
Students who took physics
in high school perform ed better (2.69) than those who did not take high school
physics (2.00).
The grade obtained in Chemistry 134 was directly related to the
amount of math taken in high school and college.
The average grade obtained in Chemistry 134 by a sophomore student in
"other" curricula was 2.38.
- 117 Y e a r s Out of High Sch ool
One
Two to F ou r
F o u r o r M ore
Sex
Men
Women
High School Chemistry
Yes
No
High School Physics
Yes
No
High School Math
Calculus
Trigonometry
Algebra II
Geometry
Algebra I
College Math
Higher than 121
121 (Calculus)
115 (Trigonometry)
114 (College Math)
107 (Basic Math)
001 (Algebra)
None
Sample size
D
C
B
Grade
Figure 56
Sophomores in Other Curricula
-C hem istry 134-
A
24
- 118 —
SUMMARY FOR CHEMISTRY 134
The students sampled in Chemistry 134 during fall quarter, 1969, w ere
m ostly sophom ores (59%). These students had previously taken Chemistry 121
or Chem istry 131 and, in m ost c a se s, additional freshm en chem istry courses.
The data presented does not take into account the student’s performance
in the chem istry courses prior to taking Chemistry. 134.
Except for college
math background, only high school background was considered.
Conclusions as
to the effect this background had on student performance in Chemistry 134 can­
not be accurate or final.
A generalization has been drawn in each case, but be­
cause of a student’s college chem istry background prior to Chemistry 134, high
school background and performance in Chemistry 134 cannot be directly related.
CH APTER V
FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT COURSE SEQUENCING
An investigation was conducted to determine the number of student drops
from the various freshm en chem istry cou rses.
C lass r o lls w ere obtained from
the Chemistry Department and the R egistrar’s Office at Montana State U niversity.
Percentages w ere computed and are listed on the table on the following page.
There are several reasons why a student drops a course.
One of the
m ost common is course conflict often caused by programming the student's r e g ­
istration.
These drops w ere not included in the percentages.
Another is poor
guidance on the part of the student's advisor as to the work entailed in a course.
The student is often lacking sufficient background to prepare him for the course.
He en ro lls, after a few w eeks d iscovers the m aterial is beyond his understanding
and drops the course.
Other students drop because of the instructor.
The stu­
dent fe e ls this particular instructor is not conveying to him the m aterial he needs
and w ill wait to take the course at another tim e from a different instructor.
The m aterial presented in the preceding chapter contains information con­
cerning performance of students with varying degrees of background and a variety
of subject area in terest in the various freshm en chem istry co u r se s. If the advi­
so rs of students taking these courses had this information, and information on
the student's background and needs, then they would be in a better position to
advise th eir students in course selection.
-
Table 2.
120 -
Percentage of Student Drops in Freshm en Chemistry Courses
Percentage
Course
Quarter and Year
Chemistry 121
Winter 1970
2 . 4 %
Chemistry 121
F all 1969
2.2%
Chemistry 121
Winter 1969
3 . 9 %
Chemistry 121
F all 1968
2.1%
Chemistry 121
Winter 1968
9 . 8 %
Chemistry 121
Fall 1967
2 . 9 %
Chemistry 121
Winter 1967
1 . 0 %
Chemistry 121
F all 1966
5 . 5 %
Chemistry 122
Spring 1970
8 . 9 %
Chemistry 122
Winter 1970
2.6%
Chemistry 122
Spring 1969
8 . 4 %
Chemistry 122
Winter 1969
1 . 7 %
Chemistry 122
Spring 1968
1 . 3 %
Chem istry 122
Winter 1968
1.6%
Chemistry 122
Spring 1967
0 . 0 %
Chemistry 122
Winter 1967
0 . 5 %
Chemistry 131
Winter 1970
2.6%
Chemistry 131
Fall. 1969
6 . 7 %
Chemistry 131
Winter 1969
9 . 1 %
Chemistry 131
F all 1968
6 . 4 %
Chemistry 131
Winter 1968
Chemistry 131
F all 1967
11.0%
7 : i %
-
121 -
Table 2„ Percentage of Student Drops in Freshm en Chemistry Courses (Continued)
Percentage
Course
Quarter and Year
Chemistry 131
Winter 1967
Chemistry 131
F all 1966
Chemistry 132
Spring 1970
6 . 9 %
Chemistry 132
Winter 1970
4 . 8 %
Chemistry 132
Spring 1969
Chemistry 132
Winter 1969
3 . 7 %
Chem istry 132
Spring 1968
3 . 0 %
Chemistry 132
Winter 1968
2.6%
Chemistry 132
Spring 1967
0 . 9 %
Chemistry 132
Winter 1967
0.6%
Chemistry 133
Spring 1970
3 . 6 %
Chemistry 133
Spring 1969
7 . 6 %
Chemistry 133
Spring 1968
2.8%
Chemistry 133
Spring 1967
1.7%
Chemistry 134
Spring 1970
3 . 5 %
Chemistry 134
Fall 1969
1.8%
Chemistry 134
Spring 1969
6.0%
Chemistry 134
F all 1968
2.8%
Chemistry 134
Spring 1968
2 . 9 %
Chemistry 134
F all 1967
4 . 1 %
Chemistry 134
Spring 1967
8.1%
Chem istry 134
F all 1966
5 . 7 %
2.0%
12.9%
1 4 . 3 %
-
122 -
The instructors of Chemistry 134 w ere interested in finding out what
chem istry courses the students of Chemistry 134 had prior to taking Chemistry
134.
A survey was conducted during spring quarter of 197 0 to determine which
chem istry s e r ie s (Chemistry 121 or Chemistry 131) the student had taken p re­
vious to Chemistry 134 and the performance of these students in the organic
course.
There w ere 413 students enrolled and a sample of 334 was used.
Chemistry 134 has m ore other freshm en courses feeding into it than any
other freshm an course.
133.
Students come from Chemistry 121, 122, 131, 132, and
Students having taken Chemistry 132 have already had much of the m ateri­
al presented in Chemistry 134 since Chemistry 122 is an introduction to organic
and biochem istry.
There w ere no students from Chemistry 133 during spring
quarter because Chem istry 133 is being taught concurrently with Chemistry 134.
The following resu lts w ere found:
Number of Students
95
62
94
62
9
Course Sequence
121-122-434
121— — 134
131-132-134
.131— — 134
131-122-134
GPA
2 . 8 9
% of Class
2 9 . 4 %
2 . 5 9
1 9 . 2 %
2.67
2 9 . 4 %
2 . 7 5
1 9 . 2 %
3.00
,
2 . 8 %
Students from Chemistry 122 had the highest GPA (3.00 and 2.89).
This
is understandable since Chemistry 122 contains much of the sam e information
presented in Chem istry 134.
GPA'e of the other groups.
There was not a significant difference between the
2. 8% (10)
121 -1 2 2 -1 3 4
121 -1 3 4
131 -1 3 2 -1 3 4
131 -1 3 4
131 -1 2 2 -1 3 4
Figure 57
Chemistry 134 — Where Students Came From
Based on Sample of 334 Students of the 413 Enrolled
2.89
2.59
2.67
2.75
3.00
123
(95)
(62)
(94)
(62)
(9)
- 124 CHEMISTRY 121
CHEMISTRY 131
STUDENT DROPS
STUDENT DROPS
W -7 0 ------ F- 6 9 ----W - 6 9 --------- F-68----- W -68F- 6 7 ------ W -67—
F - 6 6 -------------
l 6 % o f s a m p le 652
W - 6 7 ------ -
5 9 . 5 * F all-W inter
71 6" W in te r — S p r in g
60 ^ F a l l - W i n t e r
6 0 ^ W i n t e r — S p rin g
CHEMISTRY 122
CHEMISTRY 132
STUDENT DROPS
STUDENT DROPS
W - 7 0 -----W -69— W-68-----
CHEMISTRY 134
CHEMISTRY 133
STUDENT DROPS
STUDENT DROPS
F- 6 9 ---- -
S -67— •
CHEMISTRY 211
OTHER SOPHOMORE
COURSES
227, etc.
CHEMISTRY 241
Figure 58
Student Sequencing in Freshm en Chemistry C lasses
W 298
CH APTER VI
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Several conclusions can be made from the overall study.
(I) High
school chem istry proved to be an a sset for students sampled in all of the
freshm en chem istry cou rses.
Students with a previous high school ch em is­
try background perform ed better in all freshm en chem istry courses surveyed
than students lacking this background.
(2) High school physics proved to be
an a sse t for students sampled in the freshm en chem istry cou rses.
Students
with a previous background in high school physics perform ed better in all
freshm en chem istry cou rses surveyed than students lacking this background.
(3) The amount of high school math background was directly related to the
grade obtained in the freshm en chem istry courses sam pled.
(4) The amount
of math taken in college was directly related to the grade obtained in the
freshm en chem istry cou rses sampled.
(5) Freshm en entering college dir­
ectly from high school in the fall perform ed better than students who had
graduated from high school two or m ore years before entering college.
(6)
Freshm en students entering college who have graduated from high school
four or more years prior to entering college performed better than fresh ­
men students who had graduated from high school two to four years prior
to entering college.
During the study it became apparent that Chemistry 121 was not
- 126 -
serving as a freshm en service course strictly for non-science oriented stu­
dents with no previous chem istry background.
121 c la ss had taken high school chem istry.
Two thirds of the Chemistry
This was a distinct advantage
for those students, but a disadvantage for students lacking th is background.
The instructor is forced into a situation where he m ust teach the content in
a fashion that is challenging to the larger portion of the c la ss .
This m eans
the students lacking the high school chem istry background, students the
course was designed for, are left behind.
Perhaps a solution sim ilar to
that d iscu ssed in Chapter I concerning the situation at Iowa State U niversity
should be considered.
If there w ere two Chemistry 121 c la s s e s , one for
students who w ere non-science oriented but who had taken high school chem ­
istr y , and one course for students who w ere also non-science oriented, but
who lacked the high school chem istry background, then th is problem perhaps
could be solved.
It was noted in the sequencing of students d iscussed in Chapter V
that many students (29.4% of the students sampled in Chem istry 134 during
spring quarter, 1970) had taken Chemistry 122 previous to taking Chemistry
134.
Chemistry 122 is an introduction to organic and biological chem istry
and much of the m aterial was being presented in Chemistry 134, which is
an introduction to organic chem istry.
Consequently these Chemistry 122
-
127 -
students received the highest averages in the Chemistry 134 c la ss.
validity of this sequencing is questioned because of two reasons:
The
(I) The
inappropriate ness in placing students who have had half the course m aterial
previously with students who have not seen the m aterial.
volved.
hour.
(2) The cost in­
It co sts the state and student $13.83 for a single student quarter
$13.83 x 4 hours per Chemistry 122 cla ss = $55.32 for each student
for this four credit course.
istr y 121->122->134.
The sam ple shows that 95 students took Chem­
From the c la ss sample of 81% it can be predicted that
117 students actually w ere in this "sequence".
dents is approximately $6500.
$55.32 per student x 117 stu­
This was the cost spring quarter, 1970, to
repeat course work for students who passed Chemistry 122.
It is recommended that a survey of this type be conducted for sev ­
e ra l m ore y ea rs.
Information of th is type is valuable to advisors of fr e sh ­
men taking th ese freshm en chem istry co u rses.
High schools throughout the
state could guide their students in course work while in high school in order
to prepare them for the chem istry cou rses required for th eir chosen cu rri­
culum.
If this study, or one sim ilar to it, w as conducted over several
y e a r s, enough data could be compiled to draw conclusions concerning per­
form ance of students from the different subject areas.
In many of the sub­
ject areas sampled there w ere not enough students in a given category to
- 128 -
warrant a conclusion regarding perform ance„
It is hoped this inform ation w ill be of benefit to the Chemistry D e­
partment at Montana State U niversity for course design and student guidance
in the future.
This study was unique for this university, and was conducted
with the hope of benefitting students taking these cou rses.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I0
Walter, Robert I . , "Freshman Motivation and Placem ent in Large U niver­
s itie s, " Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 43, no, 9, p. 499,
September, 1966,
2,
Hendrickson, Charles W0, and Judge, Al, "The ACS-NSTA Chemistry T ests:
A Report on the 1967 T est for F irst-Y ea r High School Chemistry, "
The Science T eacher, vol, 35, no. 4, pp. 33-34, April, 1968.
3.
M eier, B everly L oeffler, "High School Physics Background and Subsequent
Perform ance in Beginning College P hysics, " U niversity of Colorado,
Boulder, Colorado, 1968.
6
APPENDIX
V)
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHEM 121, 131, 134
NAME
I. What is your c la ss standing ?
I,
2.
II,
freshman;
sophomore;
3,
4,
junior;
senior.
Ans.
How many years have you been out of high school?
1,
2,
one;
two to four years;
3,
I,
male;
2,
fem ale.
Ans,
2,
no.
Ans.
2.
no.
Ans.
four or m ore.
Ans.
III, Sex:
IV,
Have you had high school chem istry ?
I,
V,
Have you had high school physics ?
Io
VI,
yes;
The highest high school math you have had is ?
I,
2.
3.
vn.
yes;
Algebra I;
Geometry;
Algebra II;
4,
5,
Intro College
Math (Calculus);
Trigonometry.
Ans.
The highest college math you have had (including concurrent registration)
I,
2.
3,
OOl (Algebra)
107 (B asic Math)
114 (College Math);
5,
6,
7,
121 (Calculus);
Higher than any of these;
None.
Ans.
If taking Chem istry 121, please answer this question:
V in .
Do you plan to take Chem 131 ?
I.
yes;
20
no.
Ans0
-
IX.
132 -
What is your present vocation or major subject area?
1.
2.
3.
4„
5.
6.
7.
8.
Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering;
Home Economics;
Nursing;
Engineering (E lectrical, M echanical, Civil, Chemical);
Education (Elementary or Secondary);
Humanities;
B asic Science (Math, Chem istry, P h ysics, Earth Science)
Other.
Ans.
________ M » -rt iimtvp RSTTY LIBRARIES
1762 10013547
4
- D323
cop.2
I
»
Dawson, A nita
A survey of freshmen
chem istry classes
NAMK
A N 6
X6b*E8«