Abstract:

Analytical Chemistry I is a theory subject taught in the first semester of the second year of the Degree in Chemistry. It is a subject that presents a program especially homed in the fundamentals and application of Chemical equilibrium. The difficulty that this entails, together with insufficient training in Chemistry and Mathematics, often results in a high rate of students who get an “unsatisfactory” mark. This results in a large frustration of students that is increasing year after year. Early detection of the reasons for this failure can help to provide students with adequate and effective guidance to help improve their results.

The main goal of the present study was to obtain information about the attitude of the students, as well as to identify factors that could contribute to improving their academic performance. A survey was carried out as two questionnaires to a group of students enrolled in the Analytical Chemistry course. Participation was voluntary and data was collected at the beginning and end of the semester. Time spent revising the subject, motivation, anxiety, academic competence, preparation, and organization of study material for exams, as well as interest in the subject, were some of the factors examined. A descriptive statistical data set, provided by the university itself, was also used to complete the information derived from the survey.

The results obtained stressed the importance of evaluating external factors to academic programs to help students pass the subject. On the other hand, some guidelines are proposed and discussed aimed at improving academic performance in the discipline considered. The final objective is to apply these conclusions to the new degrees in Science, adapted to the European Credit Transfer System, to improve the low performance observed in Analytical Chemistry.

Keywords:

Academic performance, Chemistry, Students, Theory, University.