Abstract Summary/Description
Chemistry, specifically organic chemistry, often induces fear and anxiety among students, and has been shown to be a main factor that discourages students from pursuing medical fields. It is often perceived to be a class with a level of impenetrable difficulty and is often referred to as a “gatekeeping” course. Research shows that student perceptions of chemistry can impact student performance and persistence. This study aims to deepen understanding of students’ experiences in organic chemistry as well as implement interventions to positively impact student outcomes with Situated Expectancy Value Theory (SEVT) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) at the foundation. SEVT describes motivation as a subconscious “cost-benefit analysis” that involves the constructs of expectancy, value, and cost. That is, an individual’s behavior is influenced by their expectations of the task, how much they value the task, and how costly they perceive that task to be. Currently there is a gap in the literature pertaining to organic chemistry students’ perceived costs. This study seeks to address this by conducting in-depth interviews and open-ended surveys. This data will inform the adaptation of writing interventions that will be used to help promote internalization, a construct of SDT. We predict that fostering internalization, or the process of shifting from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation, will help mitigate perceived cost for students. These findings will offer actionable strategies for educators that support the affective needs of students as well as promote their connection towards the learning process and towards content that they are learning.
