Attitudes Towards Subject of Chemistry during Hybridized and Traditional Chemistry Lab Courses

During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, the majority of education throughout the world became digital. This study aims to understand student attitudes towards chemistry during fall 2020 versus a traditional learning environment in fall 2017. In 2017, students in general chemistry and organic chemistry lab courses completed the Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory at the beginning and end of their courses. Quantitative questions were analyzed by statistical tests and qualitative questions were analyzed using open-coding in NVivo software. The pre-semester inventory showed that students in 2020 started the semester with more anxiety towards chemistry but less fear towards chemistry than the 2017 students, possibly due to no safety concerns in an online lab environment. Student intellectual accessibility of chemistry was lower in the 2020 pre-semester survey than 2017. Both sets of students decreased in emotional satisfaction towards chemistry throughout the semester; however, the 2017 students decreased significantly more. Interest and utility towards chemistry was much higher for the 2020 students, possibly due to them having to work more independently and gain greater self-esteem from succeeding on their own. Analysis of the qualitative data to interpret these quantitative findings further is underway.