Simon Rees

Can language focussed activities improve understanding of chemical language in non-traditional students?

Students commonly find the language of chemistry challenging and a barrier to developing understanding. This study investigated developments in chemical language understanding by a group of non-traditional students over the duration of a one year pre-undergraduate (Foundation) course at a UK university. The chemistry course was designed to include a range of literacy based strategies to promote understanding including: word games, corpus linguistics, word roots and origins, and reading comprehension. Understanding of chemical language was assessed with a chemical language assessment (CLA) that was administered three times during the year. The CLA assessed understanding of scientific affixes, symbolic language, non-technical words, technical words, fundamental words and topic-specific vocabulary. Results indicate that chemical language understanding improved over the duration of the study with moderate to large effect sizes. Students who scored low in the initial CLA (below 40%) improved but their scores remained lower than the rest of the students at the end of the year. The topic-specific and technical sections scored low for all students at the start of the year and remained the lowest at the end of the year. Examples of symbolic and non-technical language remained problematic for some students at the end of the year. There was a correlation (r = 0.53) between initial CLA score and final exam outcomes although some students with low initial CLA scores did perform well in the final exam. These findings are discussed in relation to the role of literacy based strategies in chemistry teaching.

Write on the edge: using a chemistry corpus to develop academic writing skills resources for undergraduate chemists

Many undergraduate students find the production of an extended piece of academic writing challenging. This challenge is more acute in the sciences where production of extended texts is infrequent throughout undergraduate studies. This paper reports the development of a new English for Academic Purposes (EAP) workshop and associated resources for third year undergraduate chemists to support their dissertation module. The workshop is designed to utilise a searchable database of student texts (a corpus) developed as part of the FOCUS project at Durham University. This novel use of data-driven learning (DDL), common in second language pedagogy, transfers well to the chemistry classroom as the processes of research and discovery (of words rather than chemicals) involved in DDL parallel similar processes in chemistry research. Our workshop and online consolidation activities have been positively evaluated by both staff and our current cohort of students. The project is being rolled out across other departments at Durham as well as the corpus tool being utilised at other UK HEIs. This corpus-based approach to academic writing in chemistry offers a unique perspective on the interplay between language and scientific literacy.

Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Anxieties in Practical Science

Students can find the thought of entering a university laboratory intimidating. Here, we explore the use of digital technology to lessen such fears and offer three case studies to illustrate their impact: (a) a virtual laboratory, (b) augmented reality and (c) a virtual field trip. Referring to Laurillard’s conversational framework, we describe how each can enhance student engagement and learning.

Language Issues Facing Non-Traditional Students: Some Problems and Solutions

English, as it is used for academic purposes, can present problems for students whose educational background is not of a conventional nature. This chapter explores some common issues faced by students during their foundation year. It highlights some innovative, blended learning approaches used to support the often thorny development of a student’s personal academic voice.