Vol. 14 N° 1, 2013 - UNESP Rio Claro

Book reviews
The perception of chemistry of first-year undergraduate students at the University of Buenos Aires
The analysis shows as well that first-year undergraduates have a disciplinary
conception in which the ideas of inter- or trans-disciplinarity are absent.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The study of these perceptions allows us to reflect and make instructional
decisions (Di Risio et al., 2009b) in order to provide a positive influence on
teachers doing and learning within the frame of a massive introductory course.
Particularly, the idea of a negative image of Chemistry, allegedly “polluting
/ prejudicial / dangerous”, was already identified as an object of inquiry after
frequent statements made in research articles (Stocklmayer and Gilbert,
2002). However, along various bodies of our work, we find that few students
do actually have such conceptions.
Chemistry’s positive or negative image, according to what we recollected
at interviews and workshops, seems to be more related to student academic
situations than to their view of Chemistry as a discipline (Figure 2e, although
these representations were not majority). This is in agreement with reports
on the perception of the discipline of primary and high school students and
teachers in the United Kingdom (House of Lords, 2000).
f mary primary and and high high school school students students and and teachers teachers in the in United the United Kingdom Kingdom (House (House of of
mary and and high high school students and and teachers in in the the United Kingdom (House of of
, ords, 2000). 2000).
, 2000).
a) a., Chemical a) Chemical symbols symbols and and formulas formulas and formulas
a) a) Chemical symbols and and formulas
b) Associations b) Associations with with laboratory laboratory work work
b) b) Associations with with laboratory work
b. Associations with laboratory work
c) References
c.
c) References to the the to submicroscopic the submicroscopic level
level
level
c) c) References to to the the submicroscopic level
d) d. Metaphorical d) Metaphorical conceptions conceptions conceptions
d) d) Metaphorical conceptions
Figure 2: Categories for pictorial representations of “Chemistry”
a. Stress on the condition of students of undergraduate Chemistry
A global analysis of the responses suggests that the information known
by our students is vague and diffuse; the relationship between Chemistry
and food and medicines is most frequently quoted. Nevertheless and
despite the difficulties for the study of Chemistry as an academic subject
often remarked by students, their attitude towards the discipline is mostly
positive. They consider Chemistry as an important discipline for their
university careers and generally appreciate its applications and influence
igure 2: Categories 2: Categories for pictorial for pictorial representations representations of “Chemistry” of “Chemistry”
2: 2: Categories for for pictorial representations of of “Chemistry”
e) Stress e) Stress on the on condition the condition of students of students of undergraduate of undergraduate Chemistry Chemistry
e) e) Stress on on the the condition of of students of of undergraduate Chemistry
in everyday life, although probably with a very limited knowledge of what
it really is and the benefits this “central Science” (Shaik, 2003) provides
to Society as a whole.
During the inquiry process here analyzed, it was expected that students
graphical and verbal representations were influenced by what they learnt
about the discipline during their high school education (the survey was
presented at the beginning of the CBC course and Chemistry is taught during
high school final stage). Even though the nature of the responses seems to
support this hypothesis, repeating the inquiry with 399 high school students
during their final three years at this educational level (and therefore with
different curricular backgrounds of the discipline) showed similar answers
to those of the new undergraduates. Therefore it is true to say that their
ideas about the discipline come straight and exclusively from that period
of schooling. In fact, some authors have speculated that the general public
considers Chemistry as a body of knowledge reserved to scholars (Wallace
and Louden, 2000) and others (House of Lords, 2000) found that the
discipline is perceived, at the primary and high school levels, as “boring”
(opinion also shared by quite a few teachers). Considered altogether, this
information suggests that it is not expected that those levels of schooling
can provide at present any substantial input to a significant learning process
of the discipline.
Several authors have written about the perception of Chemistry
by students considering their learning experiences and the discipline as an
instructional object (Millar, 1996; Pilling et al., 2001; Gutwill-Wise, 2001).
On the other hand, there is no such information available when it comes
to the perception of Chemistry as a discipline of social relevance without
considering student experiences inside the educational system. We consider
it valuable to have specific information about this scenario, which will foster
the improvement of our instructional tools considering not their allegedly
negative image about Chemistry, but rather their general and vague (but
positive nevertheless) one.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the University of Buenos Aires for support for this work through
grants UBACyT U-401 and UBACyT 20020090200046.
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Received 17-05- 2011/ Approved 29-11-201
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