Teaching Chemical Technique. A Review of the Literature

The purpose of this study was to determine through a historical review of the literature some of the most effective ways to teach manipulative skills in chemistry. I reviewed chemical education journals, laboratory manuals, early American chemistry textbooks, analytical chemistry texts, and science education textbooks and journals that have to do with instructional methods of teaching laboratory technique in the chemistry laboratory from the mid-1800s to the present. Both anecdotal and research-based findings suggest that while it may be difficult to choose the "best" method to improve students' manipulative skills, it is clear that videos can be useful media to promote skill acquisition. Using videotapes, videodiscs, CD-ROMs, and the Internet can have several advantages, such as the ability to be edited, copied, and viewed multiple times. The review of the literature also strongly suggests that some sort of mental preparation combined with physical practice can beneficially affect students' laboratory skills. Mental preparation in the form of questions, summaries, or imaginary practice is cost effective and places minimal demands on the instructor. Using verbal behavior that encourages and is responsive to the student during these prelab sessions could be very effective in promoting psychomotor skills. Lastly, feedback seems to be a key component in mastering a skill. Although not widely validated by empirical studies in the chemical education literature, feedback has been shown to improve the learning of procedural knowledge.