According to the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University, the major goal of the department is to help the future chemists learn the most modern research techniques and to think creatively about solutions to major scientific problems (2015). Stoichiometry is one of the most crucial and fundamental techniques in chemistry because of its real-life applications in chemistry as well as research. Stoichiometry allows chemists to make predictions about the outcomes of chemical reactions. Producing useful predictions is one of the main goals of chemistry since it provides the chemists with the ability to explain phenomena that happen in the natural world. Stoichiometry is the heart of chemistry since without stoichiometry, it would be problematic
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As Cynthia Bridges, a doctoral student at Walden University, states in her paper entitled “Experiences Teaching Stoichiometry to Students in Grades 10 and 11”, many students develop negative attitudes such as “low scores on tests and quizzes, missing and incomplete assignments, lack of student participation, low self-esteem, reduced time on task, and minimal student performance” (2015) once the concept of stoichiometry is introduced in classrooms. This verifies that many students often do well in chemistry until the teacher introduces the concept of stoichiometry. The fact that students are already struggling with the topic even before they go to college causes a grave concern to the teachers. This will increase the probability that their attitudes toward chemistry will turn negative, and their understanding and achievement in chemistry will continues to decline. The results of the study conducted by W.L. Yarroch from Michigan Technology University in the article “Student Understanding of Chemical Equation Balancing Study” highlights the alarming statistic where only 27% of students succeeded in solving stoichiometric problems, and 22% of the total interpreted and correctly used balanced equations for stoichiometry (1985). These statistics prove that students are having major difficulties to master the topic since …show more content…
Teachers’ responses to this concept could be limited and in some cases, incoherent. Students probably being introduced to stoichiometry topic in different ways since there is high possibility that their previous teachers all showed them different methods of solving stoichiometric problems. Martin Fach in his research “Results of an interview study as basis for the development of stepped supporting tools for stoichiometric problems” has confirmed this assumption by restating the response from a student saying that, “he was highly confused on how to best solve those problems, because the teacher in grade 8 had taught them differently from the teacher in grade 9” (2006). As expected, the way of teaching that the teacher adapted for their classroom learning for stoichiometry topic seems to have a great impact on how students overcome the stoichiometric
As Cynthia Bridges, a doctoral student at Walden University, states in her paper entitled “Experiences Teaching Stoichiometry to Students in Grades 10 and 11”, many students develop negative attitudes such as “low scores on tests and quizzes, missing and incomplete assignments, lack of student participation, low self-esteem, reduced time on task, and minimal student performance” (2015) once the concept of stoichiometry is introduced in classrooms. This verifies that many students often do well in chemistry until the teacher introduces the concept of stoichiometry. The fact that students are already struggling with the topic even before they go to college causes a grave concern to the teachers. This will increase the probability that their attitudes toward chemistry will turn negative, and their understanding and achievement in chemistry will continues to decline. The results of the study conducted by W.L. Yarroch from Michigan Technology University in the article “Student Understanding of Chemical Equation Balancing Study” highlights the alarming statistic where only 27% of students succeeded in solving stoichiometric problems, and 22% of the total interpreted and correctly used balanced equations for stoichiometry (1985). These statistics prove that students are having major difficulties to master the topic since …show more content…
Teachers’ responses to this concept could be limited and in some cases, incoherent. Students probably being introduced to stoichiometry topic in different ways since there is high possibility that their previous teachers all showed them different methods of solving stoichiometric problems. Martin Fach in his research “Results of an interview study as basis for the development of stepped supporting tools for stoichiometric problems” has confirmed this assumption by restating the response from a student saying that, “he was highly confused on how to best solve those problems, because the teacher in grade 8 had taught them differently from the teacher in grade 9” (2006). As expected, the way of teaching that the teacher adapted for their classroom learning for stoichiometry topic seems to have a great impact on how students overcome the stoichiometric