Assessing the relationship between practical activities and students’ problem-solving skills in stoichiometry

Abstract

Stoichiometry is one of the major topics that have proven to be difficult for students to understand and perform well in. Much research has presented different teaching methodologiesin which the concepts can best be taught and various hands-on activities, however, availability of resources and students' attitudes towards the topic still remain the main hindering factors. This study aims to assess the correlation between practical activities done at high school and the problem-solving skills of first-year university chemistry students in stoichiometry. Results showed that students struggled with the mathematical, analytical and reasoning problemsolving skills. There was not much correlation between the number of practical experiments done at high school and students' performance in the stoichiometry questionnaire, but lecturers reported that the students' performance improved after a semester including practical activitiesat university. The overall perception towards practical activities was positive, and the students also showed that they were not happy with how the practical chemistry concepts were taught and the amount of practical activities they did at high school. In view of these findings, the study recommends that students be given more hands-on activities to help them better understand chemistry concepts and that teachers should use different teaching methodologies that actively involve students in the learning process. The study further recommends that underresourced schools be given necessary apparatus for them to be able to perform various practicals with students, and that students be given necessary support as they transition from high school to university so they can cope with academic requirements and improve their overall chemistry performance.