Students’ Perceptions and Learning Experiences of Tertiary-Level Chemistry

There is evidence worldwide that governments seek to effect a change in the culture of tertiary institutions with increasing emphasis placed on the quality of education at the tertiary level. As a consequence, there is a need to understand the learning experiences of undergraduate students. Here we report on an investigation of first-year learning experiences in two first-year chemistry one-semester courses in a New Zealand tertiary educational institution. We sought to identify positive and negative learning experiences at the first-year undergraduate level for chemistry students. Students were surveyed using the learning experiences scale of the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ) twice in the academic year (end of the first semester N=109; end of the second semester N = 84). In addition, 17 students enrolled in a first-year chemistry course were interviewed at the beginning of their tertiary education career and again at the end of their first and second-semester chemistry courses. The research findings suggest that students dislike a lecturing style that includes providing them with a complete set of notes before the lecture. They enjoy tutorials, but surprisingly are less positive about their practical learning experiences due, in part, to the emphasis on volumetric analysis.