Transforming Chemical Education: A Community College's Lab-Based Pedagogy Reform

Thesis Abstract

This study investigates the transformation of chemical education through a lab-based pedagogy reform implemented at a mid-sized community college, addressing persistent gaps in student engagement, practical reasoning, and success rates in introductory and general chemistry courses. The problem centers on traditional lecture-centric delivery that inadequately integrates hands-on inquiry, laboratory skills, and conceptual understanding, resulting in high failure rates and limited transfer to STEM pathways. The aim is to evaluate how a structured lab-based pedagogy reform—grounded in constructivist and social-constructivist principles—affects student learning outcomes, laboratory competencies, and attitudes toward chemistry. Specific objectives are to (i) measure changes in conceptual understanding using the Chemistry Concept Inventory, (ii) assess gains in laboratory skills and scientific reasoning via rubric-based practical assessments, (iii) examine shifts in student motivation and self-efficacy with validated scales, (iv) identify barriers and enablers to implementation from faculty and peer mentors, and (v) determine the sustainability and scalability of the reform across course sequences. A mixed-methods, multi-site case study design was employed over two academic years in three first-year chemistry sections (n = 180 enrolled students) and two subsequent organic chemistry laboratory sequences (n = 60 students). The population comprises faculty, lab instructors, tutors, and students within the college's chemistry program. Data collection instruments include (i) pre- and post-tests using the Chemistry Concept Inventory, (ii) rubric-based assessments of laboratory reports and practical skills aligned with a newly developed Lab Skills Framework, (iii) the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Science Self-Efficacy Scale, (iv) semi-structured interviews with 12 faculty and 15 peer mentors, and (v) focus groups with 24 students. Instrument validity and reliability were established through expert review, pilot testing (n = 30), and Cronbach’s alpha analyses (? > 0.78 for all scales). Ethical approval was secured from the college’s Institutional Review Board, with informed consent obtained from all participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA to detect changes in conceptual understanding and laboratory skills across time, with post hoc comparisons to identify differential effects by course level and cohort. Regression analyses examined predictors of student outcomes, including prior achievement, attendance, and engagement with lab activities. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke, with coding triangulated across interviews and focus groups to ensure robustness. A convergent mixed-methods approach facilitated integration of quantitative trends with qualitative insights to explain mechanisms and context-specific factors influencing reform effectiveness. The study also models implementation fidelity through a Lab-Based Pedagogy Fidelity Index and explores its correlation with student outcomes. Key anticipated findings include significant improvements in conceptual understanding (p < 0.01), higher-order thinking demonstrated in laboratory reports, and enhanced confidence in performing essential chem lab techniques. The qualitative component is expected to reveal that structured inquiry prompts, authentic data analysis, and collaborative experimentation serve as primary drivers of motivation and persistence, while time constraints, resource limitations, and varying instructor readiness emerge as critical barriers. The integration of theory-based practices—rooted in Vygotsky’s social constructivism and Ausubel’s meaningful learning, supplemented by Kolb’s experiential learning cycle—provides a coherent explanation for observed gains and differential effects across cohorts. The study contributes to knowledge by providing a rigorous, scalable model of lab-based pedagogy reform applicable to community colleges and similar under-resourced institutions, detailing implementation processes, assessment instruments, and fidelity metrics that link pedagogical change to measurable learning gains. It offers a nuanced understanding of how integrated laboratory experiences can bridge theory and practice, improve retention in STEM pathways, and foster sustainable teaching practices through professional development and peer mentorship. Based on the findings, the study recommends a phased implementation blueprint, targeted faculty development programs emphasizing inquiry-driven assessment, investment in flexible laboratory scheduling and equipment, and ongoing monitoring using the Lab-Based Pedagogy Fidelity Index. The conclusion emphasizes that transforming laboratory pedagogy is feasible within community college contexts and yields meaningful improvements in student mastery, engagement, and persistence, with implications for policy and curriculum design at similar institutions.