Chemistry Atoms First

[Stetson Saenz]

Thepurpose of this study was to investigate the difference between the "atoms first" and the "traditional" curricula. Specifically focusing on which curriculum better aligns to curricular expectations, leads to higher student success when students are grouped together, and when students are differentiated based on several factors. The main difference between the two approaches being the sequence of topics presented in the first semester general chemistry course. This study involves more than 9,500 general chemistry I and II students over 7 semesters with about half of them being taught using the "atoms first" approach. Student success was measured using the American Chemical Society's (ACS) final examination scores and the final letter grades. Alignment to curricular expectations was determined via a qualitative review of textbooks written for each of the approaches. This showed that the "atoms first" approach better aligns to research supported best practices. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to determine if there is a significant difference between the "atoms first" and the "traditional" curricula. The "traditional" approach was found to lead to higher student achievement for both measures of student success in both chemistry I and II courses. Lastly, multiple linear, multinomial logistic, and binary logistic regressions were run using all of the subgroups---gender, race/ethnicity, major, ACT composite, math ACT, overall GPA, and classroom size---as predictor variables to determine if any significant interactions between the curricular methods and the different subgroups existed. Results found that the relationship between gender, GPA, and classroom size groupings significantly impact student achievement in general chemistry. Specifically, the "traditional" approach lead to higher student success compared to the "atoms first" approach for males, females, below average GPA students, above average GPA students, and students in large classroom settings. However, there are several factors---final examination content, new teacher impact, teacher's view of science, and withdrawal rate and timing---that need to be taken into account when implementing these findings. Overall, the results of this study provides a cautionary reminder of the many impacts affecting curriculum implementation and the importance of professional development and training during a curriculum transitional period.

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As the author of landmark chemistry books and textbooks, Donald McQuarrie's name is synonymous with excellence in chemical education. From his classic text on Statistical Mechanics to his recent quantum-first tour de force on Physical Chemistry, McQuarrie's best selling textbooks are highly acclaimed by the chemistry community. McQuarrie received his PhD from the University of Oregon, and is Professor Emeritus from the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis.

Ethan Gallogly earned his BS from the University of Connecticut and his PhD from the University of California, Davis. Following completion of his doctoral studies, Gallogly, who is bilingual, worked as a foreign expert in Mainland China. Afterward, he accepted a position at the University of California at Berkeley as a Chemistry Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator for three years before joining the faculty of Santa Monica College in 1999. Most recently, Gallogly has been awarded a sabbatical to research fuel cell technology at Sichuan University.

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