Measuring the impact of incorporating systems thinking into general chemistry on affective components of student learning

Recently, there has been an increased interest in incorporating systems thinking content into various chemistry classrooms. One promise of systems thinking is that students will be able to connect typical chemistry concepts learned in lectures with real-life situations through context-rich instruction. Such experiences may impact affective factors related to learning such as motivation and attitude of students. These factors have often revealed negative orientation for students in chemistry courses, where the majority of students are externally motivated, whereas intrinsic motivation is positively correlated with students’ course performance. A modified Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) and the short version of the Attitude towards the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCIv2) were used to assess whether a systems-thinking instructional approach resulted in changes in students’ motivation and attitudes in general chemistry. Pre- and post-survey data suggest that a first-semester chemistry course that incorporates systems thinking does not induce significant positive changes in students’ motivation. End of the semester motivation and attitude levels were correlated with students’ ACS exam scores, where students with higher levels of intrinsic motivation showed better performance on the ACS exam. Although the results obtained in this study were not optimistic, they suggest several areas of study within systems thinking instruction as potential areas to improve both instruction and student reception of the systems thinking components of instruction.