Science practices in the general chemistry laboratory: hits, misses, and near misses

Abstract

An emphasis on science practices in university science education provides a logical route to student development of scientific literacy and critical thinking. Unlike scientific literacy and critical thinking which have been the subjects of much debate and controversy, the science practices are consensus-based and well-defined. As the disaggregated components of critical thinking, science practices are well-positioned to support and systematically assess student development of critical thinking. In this paper, we report on our examination of general chemistry laboratory curricula for opportunities to engage students in science practices using the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol, 3D-LAP. Our findings suggest that the laboratory curricula provide opportunities for students to engage in some practices, while others are consistently underrepresented. Additionally, there is a disproportionate emphasis on mathematical thinking which not only has equity implications, especially for marginalized students, but could also have the unintended consequence of students developing a distorted view of the intellectual work of chemistry. The findings of our study indicate a need for greater balance with respect to the practices in the general chemistry laboratory curricula, and have the potential to inform the design, development, or adaptation of lab curricula to better support scientific literacy and critical thinking. We couple accountable disciplinary knowledge and constructive alignment to discuss these and other findings and implications of our work for teaching, learning, and research.