Student experience with gradual release of responsibility in health sciences chemistry teaching
Keywords:
chemistry; education, higher; gradual release of responsibility; self-regulated learning; teachingAbstract
Introduction: The teaching of chemistry in health sciences programs presents particular challenges in the first year, where the gap between school preparation and university demands affects academic performance and retention.
Objective: To describe the learning experience of first-year Pharmacy and Chemistry students with a gradual release of responsibility methodology implemented in the General Chemistry and Laboratory Techniques course.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study in 55 students from two sections, with a response rate of 79.7 %. An adaptation of the Student Assessment of Learning Gains was applied, with 18 items on a five-point Likert scale, organized into five dimensions. The Mann-Whitney U test and content analysis of the open-ended questions were used.
Results: The assessment was favorable across all dimensions, with means between 3.88 and 4.41 (scale of 1 to 5). The most highly rated was collective review (4.41; SD 0.90), followed by understanding through examples (4.28; SD 0.89), and the lowest, class dynamics and pace (3.88; SD 1.02). There were no significant differences according to previous training in chemistry or first-time enrollment status (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: The experience was rated favorably and homogeneously among students with different prior preparation. The findings are consistent with cognitive load theory and self-regulated learning, and suggest that the methodology is relevant for heterogeneous groups.
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