Record Details
A comparison of student performance in lower division collegiate general chemistry programs between selected community colleges and four-year institutions in Oregon
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | A comparison of student performance in lower division collegiate general chemistry programs between selected community colleges and four-year institutions in Oregon |
| Names |
Denney, Clifford Owen
(creator) Fox, Fred W. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1968-07-29 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1969 |
| Abstract | This research was conducted to compare the performance of community college students to four -year institutional students both of which were enrolled in one of three different programs of general college chemistry for nonscience majors during the 1967 -68 academic year. The three programs were defined as follows: Program A - A Chemistry course for those students who have: 1. No high school chemistry background or; 2. A college board (S. A. T. ) score of 451 or less in mathematics, or; 3. A total college board (S. A. T. ) score of 861 or less in mathematics plus verbal or; 4. A high school grade point average (G. P. A. ) of less than 2. 5 (4. 0 equals perfect) This program is designed as an introductory elementary course of nine quarter hours credit and is a terminal course to be taken only by students who will not go on to take higher level chemistry courses. Program B - This course is designed for students with the same background and scores as those in Program A, but who do plan to go on and take higher level chemistry courses. This course is a minimum of twelve quarter hours. The greater number of hours will allow a more thorough approach and provide a better background. Program C - A chemistry course for those students who have: 1. High school chemistry background and; 2. A college board (S. A. T. ) score of 452 or above in mathematics, and; 3. A total college board (S. A. T. ) score of 862 or above in mathematics plus verbal or; 4. A high school chemistry background and a high school grade point average (G. P. A. ) of 2. 5 or above (4. 0 equals perfect) This course is designed for the science related majors (engineering, forestry, etc. ) but not for science majors (chemistry, pre -medical, etc. ). It is a modern, and strictly college level general chemistry course in which the majority of general chemistry students are enrolled. The objectives of this program are similar to those of Program B in that the course is designed to prepare students for additional courses in chemistry. Therefore, the criterion instruments used in Program C were identical to those used in Program B. Near the completion of these programs, measurements, of student performance from the two types of institutions, were taken in terms of two important objectives of chemistry teaching; critical thinking ability and knowledge of facts and principles. The criterion instruments used to measure these objectives were: The Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Form Z, developed by R. Ennis and J. Millman, and two knowledge of facts and principles tests developed by the researcher. To assure that the students from the two types of institutions, within the three programs, were comparable before the differential experimental treatment, they were matched by S. A. T. math scores or, where these were not available, high school math grade point averages were used. The population for this investigation consisted of full -time students enrolled in one of the three different general college chemistry programs at either of four community colleges or two four -year institutions in Oregon. In Program A there were a total of 188 community college students and the same number of four -year institutional students. Similarly, there were 70 from each of the two types of institutions for Program B and 174 from each type for Program C. Findings The findings from this research were based on results of an analysis of variance statistical design with F values computed at the 5 percent level. 1. There was no significant statistical difference between community college and four -year institutional general chemistry Program A in terms of student critical thinking ability and student knowledge of facts and principles of chemistry. 2. There was no significant statistical difference between community college and four -year institutional general chemistry Program B in terms of student critical thinking ability. 3. There was a significant statistical difference between one of the four -year institutions and all the other participating institutions in terms of student knowledge of facts and principles of chemistry for Program B. It was concluded that a significant factor influencing this finding was the procedural difference in course offering between the one four -year institution and all of the other participating colleges. For the one four -year institution Program B was offered in three sequential quarters in contrast to the other colleges offering Program B in 4 quarters, three of which were sequential and a fourth offered sometime the next year. It was the conclusion of the author that this break in course continuity significantly impeded the success of students in Program B in terms of knowledge of facts and principles in chemistry. 4. There was no significant statistical difference between community college and four -year institutional general chemistry Program C in terms of student critical thinking ability and student knowledge of facts and principles of chemistry. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Community colleges -- Oregon |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/46574 |
