A student-centered approach to teach Chemistry: stimulating active and autonomous student participation

Abstract:

For the present article we have investigated a student-centered Chemistry course. In this context, classes are organized through periods of study (PS) and discussion groups (DG), in addition to the use of concept maps and Comics as teaching resources. The objective of this study was to assess the students’ (n = 26) perception about the learning environment provided in this course. A questionnaire, with six open questions and a numerical scale of 1-10 (1- little; 10- a lot), was used as the instrument to collect data. Data analysis employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Overall, the students provided positive evaluations for the Chemistry course. This result is of great relevance, since it ratifies the importance of developing learning environments that stimulate active and autonomous student participation, thus promoting quality learning in Higher Education.

Keywords:
Teacher education; Chemistry teaching; Active learning; Student-centered teaching