From varied school science backgrounds to university: student expectations and perceptions of a UDL-aligned chemistry practical course

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dc.contributor.authorHeaney, Frances
dc.contributor.authorBreslin, Carmel
dc.contributor.authorThomas, Steffi
dc.contributor.authorDrumm, Bernard T.
dc.contributor.authorBree, Ronan
dc.contributor.authorMurphy, Brian
dc.contributor.authorMorrin, Aoife
dc.contributor.authorWhite, Blánaid
dc.contributor.authorMoore, Eric
dc.contributor.authorBurke, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorRooney, Denise
dc.contributor.funderHigher Education Authority, HEA
dc.contributor.funderHuman Capital Initiative
dc.contributor.funderUniversity's Centre for Teaching and Learning
dc.contributor.funderNational Training Foundation, NTF, 16698436
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-27T16:00:05Z
dc.date.available2026-05-27T16:00:05Z
dc.date.issued2026-04-30
dc.description© 2026, the author(s), published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
dc.description.abstractWithin an overall context of supporting inclusivity and the school to university transition, this study aims to understand the second-level patterns of participation and perception of practical chemistry of first-year general chemistry students, and subsequently to gain their perception of a university practical chemistry course purposefully redesigned through the lens of UDL principles. Across two academic years all relevant students were invited to participate in two survey tools. The prior experience of first-year general chemistry students varied widely; >50 % did not participate in school senior cycle chemistry. Of those who did, methods of working and perceived value of practical work differed significantly. At the end of first year university, most students (62 %) perceived hands-on work as most beneficial to their learning of practical chemistry; of the remainder, approximately equal sized minorities perceived the pre-lab, post-lab and report writing phases as most beneficial. The finding that a substantial proportion of students feel their learning is best supported by activities outside the laboratory environment serves as a valuable reminder to educators, especially those working with large and diverse cohorts, of the importance of including well-designed pre-lab, post-lab and reporting activities in practical courses to help all students succeed. en
dc.description.sponsorshipResearch funding: Support from a Higher Education Authority (HEA) Human Capital Initiative (HCI), Pillar 3, supported by the National Training Fund (NTF) initiative, Project reference number [16698436] is acknowledged. Input from technical and demonstrating colleagues in Maynooth University chemistry department and from the University's Centre for Teaching and Learning is gratefully acknowledged. Finally, a LearnSci Innovation Award is acknowledged.
dc.format.extent15
dc.format.extent3022603
dc.identifier.authororcidHeaney, Frances
dc.identifier.authororcidBreslin, Carmel
dc.identifier.authororcidThomas, Steffi
dc.identifier.authororcidDrumm, Bernard T.
dc.identifier.authororcidBree, Ronan
dc.identifier.authororcidMurphy, Brian
dc.identifier.authororcidMorrin, Aoife
dc.identifier.authororcidWhite, Blánaid
dc.identifier.authororcidMoore, Eric
dc.identifier.authororcidBurke, Christopher§0000-0002-8867-2543
dc.identifier.authororcidRooney, Denise
dc.identifier.citationHeaney, F, Breslin, C, Thomas, S, Drumm, B T, Bree, R, Murphy, B, Morrin, A, White, B, Moore, E, Burke, C & Rooney, D 2026, 'From varied school science backgrounds to university: student expectations and perceptions of a UDL-aligned chemistry practical course', Chemistry Teacher International, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2026-0007
dc.identifier.doi10.1515/cti-2026-0007
dc.identifier.endpage15
dc.identifier.issn2569-3263
dc.identifier.issued2
dc.identifier.journaltitleChemistry Teacher International
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:CD068ADE52F223BBB800C7CC7F2B5BB4
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-8867-2543/work/215975124
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18919
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038300557
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038300557?origin=resultslist
dc.identifier.volume8
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightscc_by_nc_nd
dc.subjectSDG 4 - Quality Education
dc.subjectEducation in practical chemistry
dc.subjectEuroVariety 2025
dc.subjectFirst-year students
dc.subjectPrior learning
dc.subjectUniversal design for learning
dc.subject[Chemistry]
dc.titleFrom varied school science backgrounds to university: student expectations and perceptions of a UDL-aligned chemistry practical courseen
dc.typeArticle (Peer reviewed)
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