Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Engineering and Science Education
Committee Chair/Advisor
Matthew Voigt
Committee Member
Shanita Anderson
Committee Member
Kelly Lazar
Committee Member
Cindy Lee
Abstract
General chemistry is a foundational course for advancement in most undergraduate STEM programs, but unfortunately, many students do not continue in STEM after their experiences in their general chemistry course. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has the potential to increase students’ positive experiences in general chemistry by centering their needs, identities, and backgrounds. However, this pedagogical approach has not been widely studied in the college general chemistry context. As such, my four-paper dissertation broadly aimed to explore both the implementation and outcomes of CRP in undergraduate general chemistry.
The first paper reviewed the literature on culture-based pedagogies across the full undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Research on culture-based pedagogies has grown considerably over the last decade, but a primary finding was that principles of CRP are rarely integrated in the introductory-level general chemistry course due to the course’s breadth, fast pace, large class sizes, and standardized assessments. The second paper explored six college chemistry instructors’ culturally relevant teaching experiences through semi-structured interviews. The instructors represented diverse teaching institutions across the United States. Although most of the instructors were familiar with CRP, few were implementing the full scope of the pedagogical framework (student learning, cultural competence, and critical consciousness) in their teaching practice.
These findings informed a larger concurrent mixed methods study, which proposed the integration of CRP with the three-dimensional learning framework to support a more robust implementation of CRP in college general chemistry. The third paper (qualitative self-study) examined my own experiences navigating the opportunities and challenges of implementing CRP in a large, coordinated general chemistry lecture course. Analysis of my reflective journal, instructional artifacts, and student feedback highlighted the importance of student voice, active learning strategies, and ongoing reflection in the effective adoption of CRP.
The fourth paper (quantitative survey) explored the relationship between CRP and students’ maintained situational interest in chemistry. First-semester general chemistry students (n=844) completed the Measure of Chemistry Interest survey as well as an adapted version of the Student Measures of Culturally Responsive Teaching Survey (SMCRT). Findings established the modified SMCRT as a valid and reliable tool for measuring student outcomes associated with CRP in the college chemistry context and suggest that CRP may support students’ maintained interest in chemistry.
Together, these four papers highlight both the challenges of integrating CRP in large general chemistry courses and its potential for fostering more positive, engaging, and relevant student learning experiences. Despite the complexities of implementing CRP in undergraduate general chemistry, it is imperative that instructors continue to adopt the pedagogical approach in support of increasing students' positive experiences and interest in the gateway STEM course.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Destinee J., "Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Undergraduate General Chemistry" (2025). All Dissertations. 4034.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4034
Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0002-4001-3263