CHEMISTRY EDUCATION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN EUROPE 2002, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 19-32	RESEARCH REPORT Attitudes

Richard K. COLL, ¹ Jacinta DALGETY, ¹ and David SALTER ^2
1 University of Waikato, Department of Chemistry
² University of Auckland, Department of Chemistry

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHEMISTRY ATTITUDES AND EXPERIENCES QUESTIONNAIRE (CAEQ)

ABSTRACT: In this paper we describe the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ) developed to measure first year university chemistry student attitude-toward-chemistry, chemistry self-efficacy, and learning experiences. The instrument was developed to maximise construct validity, by reference to a sound theoretical framework and evaluation of both predictive and concurrent validity. To examine the usefulness of the CAEQ, the instrument was administered at two institutions at the beginning of the academic year (n=332) and at the end of the first semester (n=337). Data from the learning experiences component suggests that first year chemistry students prefer a more structured class style. The findings suggest that the CAEQ will prove a useful tool for tertiary level educators who wish to gain an understanding of factors that influence student choice of chemistry enrolment. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. Eur.: 2002, 3, 19-32]

KEY WORDS: self-efficacy; attitude-toward-chemistry; learning experiences; questionnaire; tertiary chemistry

CORRESPONDENCE: Richard K. Coll, Department of Chemistry, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand; fax: (64) 7 8383 4218; e-mail: r.coll@waikato.ac.nz

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