Guided Inquiry Outperforms the Traditional Expository Approach in Developing Key Soft Skills in Organic Chemistry Laboratory Courses
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Undergraduate students at a midsized comprehensive university took Organic Chemistry I laboratory delivered in an expository style followed by Organic Chemistry II laboratory the next semester delivered using a guided-inquiry approach. To compare student perceptions of the impacts of the two approaches on their own soft skills development, we conducted a mixed-method research study utilizing quantitative and qualitative data. Student survey data and interviews indicate that the guided-inquiry methodology had a greater impact than the expository approach on student perceptions of their persistence, motivation, confidence, and other soft skills.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Innovative Teaching Methods
Various Chemistry Research Topics
Student Assessment and Feedback
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Chemical Education
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 103
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2525–2533
- Publication date
- 21 April 2026
- Language
- EN