Predicting which undergrads will succeed in chemistry

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have examined cognitive differences in university students that may contribute to their high dropout rate from introductory undergraduate chemistry courses. They found that those who can make accurate extrapolation predictions based on concepts presented in class – what they dub ‘abstraction learners’ – consistently outperformed so-called ‘exemplar learners’ who have trouble doing so and instead depend on rote memorisation. These performance differences were even more pronounced for those enrolled in higher level organic chemistry courses.