Evaluating the impact of supplemental instruction on student performance and motivation in organic chemistry

Michael Guyot, Samantha Hsu, Javlon Nizomov, Pavlo Antonenko, Stefanie Habenicht

University of Florida (MG, JN, PA, and SH)
University of Central Florida (SH)

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a peer-facilitated group study program that has been widely implemented in colleges and universities across the globe. It is associated with improved academic performance, including higher assignment completion rates, increased retention, and better grades. Notably, SI programs in General and Organic Chemistry courses have demonstrated a significant positive impact on pass rates and grades, particularly for students in General Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of SI participation on students’ learning outcomes and motivation in an introductory Organic Chemistry course. We assessed several parameters, including student attendance and engagement during SI sessions, exam scores, final course grades, and self-reported motivation levels at the semester’s start and end.

Our analysis revealed a positive correlation between SI participation and improved performance on specific exams. However, we also identified a potential selection bias, suggesting that the observed improvements might be driven by the students’ inherent motivation, leading them to seek additional learning opportunities like SI programs.

Future research should focus on quantifying the effect of students’ pre-existing motivation on their learning outcomes and exploring strategies to stimulate and sustain student motivation and engagement, enabling each student to reach their full potential.

Disclaimer: The original version of this abstract was revised by Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat). The revised version was used with minimal modifications.

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