Chemical literacy: Performance of first year chemistry students on chemical kinetics

Abstract

This study aimed to (1) develop and validate a multiple-choice chemical literacy test instrument (MC-CLTI) on chemical kinetics especially on knowledge and competency aspects and (2) conduct a small survey on chemical literacy of first year chemistry students. The development of the instrument involved expert consultation and judgment, validation, and twice trials. The first trial involved 119 first-year chemistry students of regular classes to capture the feasibility of MC-CLTI development. The second trial involved 197 first-year chemistry students, both regular and bilingual classes, to analyze the validity and reliability of the developed instruments. The final form of MC-CLTI consists of 30 valid and reliable items (Cronbach's Alpha coefficient = 0.744). The survey was conducted to 71 first-year chemistry students of bilingual classes after they received chemical kinetics lessons conducted using the expository instruction approach. The result showed that the respondents' average chemical literacy score was 63.24 (satisfactory). The implication from this study was discussed.