Chemistry is known to be difficult to teach and learn because it comprises abstract theoretical concepts that require the learner to understand and make connections on both the macroscopic and microscopic levels, while using symbols. Numerous studies have shown that quite a few students hold misconceptions
learned chemistry concepts and content. These misconceptions hinder their understanding of the meaning and significance of processes learned in the classroom and affect their chemistry performances. In the past few years, chemistry classrooms have become increasingly heterogeneous, with various types of students with different needs and psycho-learning characteristics. These circumstances require a tailored approach and personal responses to realize the teaching and learning goals in the classrooms. Furthermore, the number of university chemistry students has been declining recently, leading to a shortage of chemists in the industry and a pressing need for chemistry teachers. To encourage entering this important scientific profession, it is necessary to improve chemistry teaching in the upper high school classes and make chemistry more accessible to all the students. Various sources have recommended applying multi-tiered teaching approaches to achieve this goal. These approaches suggest implementing personalized content- and time-layered teaching programs with continuous evaluation, at varying paces and intensities tailored to individual students and addressing the broad diversity in the classroom.
In the present study, we focused on two teaching approaches: the Response to Intervention approach (RTI) and the Differentiated Instruction approach (DI). Based on the characteristics of these approaches, we have developed customized pedagogical kits (CPKs) to detect and address students' misconceptions in chemistry. The CPKs contain the following components: diagnosis and detection of misconceptions in chemistry through diagnostic tasks; building and developing validated customized teaching kits to address students' misconceptions; and finally, gathering evidence on the effect of the CPKs on teachers and students through an assessment task and interviews with teachers and students.
The overarching goal of the study was to understand the influence of CPKs on chemistry learning in upper high school classes and on teachers who operated the CPKs. To date, the RTI approach has been applied only in special education and lower elementary school classes and mostly in humanities and language teaching. Extending its application to include chemistry is one of the present study's main contributions.
The present study examined the impact of the personalized teaching kits on the students and teachers who implemented them in their classrooms. The two interventions of the present study implemented the developed customized teaching kits (CPKs) in two stages. In the central intervention, we examined the impact of the CPKs' implementation on student achievements and on the attitudes and self-efficacy of teachers who applied the CPKs against those who did not. In a second “mini” intervention, we examined the impact of CPKs on the self-efficacy, attitudes, and achievements of students who received explanations about the pedagogy of DI against those who were not aware of the pedagogy beyond the CPKs. Based on the relevant literature, I designed a structural model that correlated the students' variables and examined was the correspondence between the present study's sample data and the proposed model.
This is a mixed-method study that combines quantitative and qualitative methodology but leans heavily on quantitative data. Thus, I used several research tools that are mainly based on quantitative data analysis, including students' attitudes and pre-and-post self-efficacy questionnaires, teachers' attitudes and pre-and-post self-efficacy questionnaires, and student diagnostic and assessment tasks. The additional qualitative tools used included students' and teachers' pre-and-post interviews. The studied sample includes 96 chemistry teachers and 665 high school chemistry students across Israel.
The main research findings indicate a significant positive effect of the CPKs on student assignment achievements, self-efficacy beliefs in chemistry learning, and their attitudes toward chemistry and towards innovative personalized teaching against conventional traditional teaching. Furthermore, the CPKs have had a significant positive effect on teachers' attitudes toward DI and their sense of self-efficacy in using the DI pedagogy in chemistry teaching. In contrast to previous research literature reports, involving students in DI pedagogy in the classroom did not produce a statistically significant difference in their sense of self-efficacy in chemistry learning. The reason for this was that the students attributed their success in completing the CPK tasks and activities to the CPKs and the DI approach that provided them with appropriate responses rather than to their ability or efforts in the classroom. Path analysis showed that the structural model of the student’s variables fits well the theoretical model described in the literature. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses showed that the model predicts 51% of the variance in student achievements.
These findings, supported by findings that emerged in the interviews, led to recommending the implementation of additional CPKs in other classes, and implementing a professional development program that aspires to promote and integrate CPKs and DI pedagogy. By letting the students' voices be heard, such programs would increase students' involvement in pedagogical decision-making in class.
The present study significantly contributes to the existing literature since the DI approach is among the most advanced modern teaching strategies. Researchers worldwide have begun implementing it to meet the individual needs of students and their different levels of understanding. The present study is one of the few studies investigating the implementation of the RTI approach, developed originally for special education, in high school chemistry classes. It is one of the few studies that have examined empirically the impact of a teaching intervention that combines the DI and RTI approaches in science teaching. Finally, it is one of the few studies to offer a complete pedagogical solution in the form of a customized pedagogical kit, to address and resolve high school chemistry students' misconceptions, measure, and evaluate those solutions.
