Impact of Clicker Usage in General Chemistry

This dissertation investigates the voluntary usage of clickers to answer in class multiple-choice questions in general chemistry courses and its effect on student performance. The first study explored the demographic composition of two sequential introductory level chemistry courses over six terms. No difference in voluntary usage of the clicker device was observed for students of different gender, major, or domestic status. This is an indication that any potential benefit of the active engagement provided by clickers under the experimental conditions of this study would be even across the different groups analyzed. Instructors who use clickers are likely not introducing any bias in the classroom for different student groups. All demographic groups had lower participation in clicker questions in General Chemistry II when compared to General Chemistry I. Probable reasons for this lower usage in the second course of the sequence is primarily due to lower attendance rate, but it also could be indicative of students' perceptions of benefits decreasing over time or the fading of the novelty effect associated with adoption of the technology. The second study investigated the correlation between clicker participation and General Chemistry I course performance over three years. Clicker activity was shown to explain additional variance in performance in a hierarchical regression analysis in relation to placement exam scores at a moderate level. Placement exam scores were not correlated with clicker activity, which supports the idea that performance is affected via distinct mechanisms, likely cognitive ability for placement exam and motivation for clicker activity. Students who achieved proficiency in the course (letter grade C- or higher) answered on average more clicker questions than students who obtained a D or an F letter grade, and this difference persisted when controlling for previous knowledge (placement exam scores). Over the three years of the study, students who answered more clicker questions were more likely to obtain an A, B or C letter grade than their peers who answered fewer clicker questions. Since students who engaged in clicker questions were more likely to perform well in general chemistry courses, regardless of previous knowledge, it is recommended that students answer more clicker questions in class to improve the odds of performing better in the course. Instructors should encourage students to use clickers to a greater extent so that they can engage with the material and obtain better grades. In the third study, General Chemistry I exam questions were classified as similar if there was a clicker question covering the same content topic in class or not similar. Students who were more active in their clicker usage (answered more than half of all clicker questions) outperformed less-active students on all exams. Average similar exam question performance tended to be higher for clicker-user students that answered the clicker question correctly, followed by students who answered incorrectly, while the non-user group had a lower performance. A statistically significant difference was found for clicker correct students over clicker non-users. Even though the clicker incorrect group had lower placement exam scores, their exam performance was not statistically different from the students who opted out of answering clicker questions or students who answered the clicker question correctly. This is consistent with students with weaker background that engage in class through clicker questions caught up with their peers with stronger background. Based on the results observed in these studies, it is recommended that faculty interested in adopting clickers in their classrooms should not focus on the content of the questions, but instead pay attention to spacing questions throughout the lecture to maintain active engagement, prevent cognitive overload, and take advantage of immediate feedback to improve learning.