How students taking introductory biology experience the chemistry content

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Biology Education Research
• Chemistry Education Research

Background:

• Student learning experiences in chemistry courses are well-documented.
• However, less is known about student experiences learning foundational chemistry concepts within introductory biology courses.
• These chemistry experiences may influence overall biology course performance and student outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how undergraduate students' experiences learning chemistry topics affect their identities as biologists in introductory biology courses.
• To identify common themes in student responses regarding the impact of chemistry learning on their biology identity.

Main Methods:

• The study involved undergraduate students in introductory biology courses at a public R1 institution.
• An open-response question was used to gather data on the influence of chemistry experiences on biology identity.
• Thematic analysis was employed to analyze student responses.

Main Results:

• Nearly half of the students reported positive impacts of learning chemistry on their biology learning experiences.
• Students who struggled with chemistry were significantly more likely to report negative experiences in biology.
• Prior chemistry preparation and student background correlated with difficulties in chemistry and negative biology experiences.

Conclusions:

• Learning specific content, like chemistry, profoundly affects student psychosocial metrics, including their sense of self as biologists.
• Biology educators should focus on supporting students with chemistry challenges to improve learning and reduce stress in introductory biology.
• Interdisciplinary support integrating chemistry and biology education is recommended.