Using Scientific Literature to Affect Students’ Identification with the Scientific Discourse Community

A series of small literature activities were designed and implemented in a General Chemistry Lab course in an attempt not only to improve students’ ability to navigate and utilize the scientific literature but also to affect their self-perceptions of their identification with the scientific discourse community. Self-perceptions were assessed using a pre- and postactivity survey. 67 students participated in the activities which involved a weekly article related to that week’s lab topic. Students completed short worksheets with questions that guided them to key ideas and concepts in the articles. In addition to information retrieval, a particular emphasis was placed on identifying the authors and considering the contexts in which the research was carried out. The results indicate that students’ self-perceptions regarding their (1) identification with the scientific discourse community and ability to (2) identify the community to which the authors belong, (3) retrieve information, (4) identify the research’s purpose, and (5) distinguish data from authors’ interpretations all significantly improved.