CHED 383 |
| When a student is presented with a difficult challenge, there are two possible responses. The students may either blame themselves for not studying sufficiently, or direct the blame on the instructor for handing out too difficult an exam. The leading instrument that is used to quantify one's propensity to blame others is the James' Internal-External Locus of Control scale, developed by W. H. James in 1957. In academia, internals are more likely to perform better and spend more time studying because they believe that their efforts will lead to a better grade. In contrast, externals are more likely to attribute failure to an unfair teacher and regard a good grade as due to luck. The study described herein will address the relative percentages of students who are internal and external, within a variety of freshman chemistry courses. Students from CHM 101 (Armchair CHM), CHM 131 (General CHM, science majors), and CHM 120 (General CHM, non-science majors) were given the opportunity to participate in the survey. In addition to determining whether there are varying student sentiments between science majors/non-majors, this study will evaluate whether these sentiments result in observable improvements in study habits throughout the semester. That is, whether the midterm grades of internal students show marked improvement, relative to external students. |
|
Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Chemical Education
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |