Looking for links: examining student responses in creative exercises for evidence of linking chemistry concepts

Abstract

Assumptive Learning Theory values the active process of linking concepts to promote meaningful over rote learning. To promote meaningful learning, assessment practices that encourage the linking of concepts need to be developed and utilized. Creative Exercises (CEs) have the potential to encourage such links. CEs are an open-ended assessment technique where students are given a single prompt and are asked to describe as many statements as they can that are distinct, correct, and relevant to the prompt. This study describes a qualitative investigation into student responses to CEs for evidence of students linking concepts throughout the course and the nature of the linked concepts. The findings indicate considerable interconnections of content in student responses. Further, students’ efforts toward making connections revealed several misconceptions regarding their understanding of the limits of models. CEs are therefore proposed as a means to encourage students to link concepts and to inform instructors about the links made, both correctly and incorrectly. Finally, to determine the prevalence of the incorrect links, a novel assessment technique is proposed based on students' responses to CEs.