Malinda Wilson Swoope
General Chemistry is an essential subject area pertinent and prudent to numerous disciplines, careers and significant areas of life. However, many students are fearful and not knowledgeable about what truly impacts student outcomes in General Chemistry. At any level, chemistry courses can provide access to many different research opportunities and career options. Though students may enter their chemistry courses with the aforementioned in mind, many become disillusioned and hopeless after having participated in a few class sessions. Despite their best intentions, students often feel lost and ultimately discouraged. There is a myriad of reasons as to why students begin to feel this way though some of the more prominent factors include self-confidence; previous educational opportunities and experiences; instructional methods; learning styles; and environmental influences. Nevertheless, it is critical to student achievement that those factors that impact student outcomes be examined and addressed.