Changes from general chemistry to organic chemistry: a longitudinal investigation of chemistry students' studying decisions

Study strategy research has found that students’ studying habits change over time, yet few reasons have been provided for why they change, especially from students themselves. This study harnessed qualitative methods to longitudinally examine how and why chemistry students change their study strategy usage from General Chemistry I to Organic Chemistry I, courses that previous research has identified as the first in which students reevaluate their study strategies. In a previously reported study, 16 General Chemistry I students were interviewed to capture the reasons behind their studying decisions; the present study focuses on those students who were re-interviewed in General Chemistry II ( n = 6) and Organic Chemistry I ( n = 5). Self-Regulated Learning, Cognitive Load Theory, and Desirable Difficulties were used as lenses to frame our understanding of why students changed their usage of studying strategies. Results indicate that students’ perceptions of a strategy's ability to help them understand/learn and prepare for an assessment continue to play important roles in their decisi