First Advisor

Brown, Corina E.

First Committee Member

Apawu, Aaron K.

Second Committee Member

Buss, Bonnie

Third Committee Member

Paek, Sue Hyeon

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2025

Department

College of Natural and Health Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Work

Abstract

Bridging foundational knowledge learned in prerequisite courses like organic chemistry to higher-level courses like biochemistry represents a significant challenge in science education, often hindering deeper student understanding and future knowledge application. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate students’ ability to transfer and apply their understanding of organic chemistry when reasoning through metabolic reaction problems often seen in biochemistry courses. The research questions guiding the project were two-fold:

Q1 What are the organic chemistry reaction concepts deemed foundational to understanding metabolism by experts in the field?

Q2 What is the student’s ability to transfer knowledge of organic chemistry reactions deemed foundational by experts to understanding metabolic reactions?

Phase one of this research (research question 1) focuses on identifying the organic chemistry concepts deemed essential for understanding metabolism. Initial work involved reviewing textbooks to determine common organic chemistry concepts used to explain metabolism based on the literature, followed by semi-structured interviews with experts which generated a preliminary concept list (N=15). This comprehensive list was then refined through a nationwide survey of experts, whose results were analyzed to focus specifically on organic chemistry reaction concepts (N=100). A 90% consensus threshold resulted in a final list including concepts such as hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, hydration, isomerization, esterification/phosphorylation, and carboxylation/decarboxylation reactions.

Phase two (research question 2) involved the development and validation of an assessment tool designed to evaluate students’ ability to transfer their organic chemistry reaction knowledge to metabolic reactions. The assessment's design was grounded in theoretical frameworks defining knowledge transfer, grading schemes, and assessment structure. Validity and reliability were established through construct validity measures, including response process interviews with novices (N=66) and content validation with experts (N=83). The finalized assessment was then administered to organic chemistry II students towards the end of the semester to evaluate their ability to transfer their organic chemistry knowledge to metabolic reactions (N=76). Analysis of student performance on this assessment provides insights into how students perceive information in new contexts paired with how they apply previously learned problem solving strategies to solve new problems. Students largely demonstrated context dependent thought—out of the six reactions evaluated, students failed to transfer their knowledge from organic chemistry in five of them. Problem solving strategies also differed between the two contexts. In the organic chemistry context, students utilized arrow-pushing mechanisms to explain their reasoning while reasoning strategies were largely abandoned in the metabolism context. This research contributes to the growing literature on organic chemistry and biochemistry pedagogy and strategies which may better facilitate student understanding and knowledge application.

Abstract Format

html

Places

Greeley, Colorado

Extent

263 pages

Local Identifiers

Jones2_unco_0161D_11360.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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