The Influence of Problem Construction on Undergraduates' Success with Stoichiometry Problems

Although there are numerous studies that aim to reveal the source of student failure in problem solving in STEM fields, there is a lack of attention on testing different methods to identify what works best in improving students' problem-solving performance. In this study, the authors examined the influence of the type of problem construction intervention and compared it to the effect of traditional practice on 38 general chemistry students' comprehension of problem-solving process as well as overall success with given stoichiometric problems. To determine students' success with each subtopic involved in stoichiometric problems and to better understand the source of difficulty at a finer level rather than focusing on the end product as practiced in most studies, students' solutions were examined using the COSINE (Coding System for Investigating Sub-problems and Network) method. The findings revealed that students who practiced the problem-construction method outperformed their counterparts in the control group who followed a traditional approach during their study session. An in-depth analysis also showed that the experimental group improved their success with seven out of nine subtopics while three topics observed an increase in the control group. The practical implication of the problem-construction method was discussed for a wider adoption by textbook publishers and educators across different disciplines.