The transition to first year chemistry: student, secondary and tertiary educator's perceptions of student preparedness

Abstract

Student preparedness is an essential component of transition to university influenced by a broad suite of attributes including academic aptitude, prior knowledge, self-efficacy, self-confidence and a complex assortment of study and life skills. In the case of chemistry education, students' self-perceptions of preparedness are intrinsically linked to prior learning of both theory and hands on laboratory experiences, and interwoven with intricacies such as science identity, gender, and secondary school background. Accordingly, this study sought to establish a deeper understanding of learners' and educators' perceptions of student preparedness upon commencing tertiary studies in chemistry. The research used a mixed methods approach including questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews to capture the breadth and depth of these perceptions. 924 students from the first year chemistry cohort completed either one or two surveys designed to capture their prospective and retrospective self-perceptions of how well prepared they were for the course. Nine of these students also participated in focus groups. Secondary educator's views were captured via a qualitative online survey to conveniently enable a broad cohort to be sampled, while tertiary educators from the institution where this study was conducted were interviewed in person. Key findings from students include: a strong correlation between self-perception of preparedness and academic performance, those with negative perceptions of preparedness are genuinely an at-risk category, an overall positive shift for perceptions of preparedness for students as they get to the end of the semester (which is more pronounced for students who attended private secondary schools), and a significant disparity between genders at the start of the semester that was no longer present by the end. Additional key findings include the disparity between secondary and tertiary educator's perspectives of how well prepared students are for the transition to tertiary level chemistry studies. While the former have a favourable view, the latter consider many students to be quite poorly prepared, with each cohort ultimately focusing on different attributes. We suggest the implications for these findings include the importance of emphasising expectations of students as they commence their courses, and that work still needs to be done to align the perspectives of educators at all levels when it comes to preparing and supporting students as they transition to higher education.