Evaluation of the Open-Ended Green Chemistry Generic Comparison (GC)2 Prompt for Probing Student Conceptions about the Greenness of a Chemical Reaction

One key limitation for assessing student knowledge of green chemistry is the lack of readily available assessments capable of eliciting reliable and valid data. Therefore, in this study we sought to evaluate the ability of a previously reported open-ended prompt [ J. Chem. Educ. 2019, 96 (11), 2410−2419. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00277 ] to probe student conceptions about the greenness of chemical reactions. Responses to this prompt, which we titled the Green Chemistry Generic Comparison (GC)2 prompt, were collected from students enrolled in organic chemistry I and II lecture and laboratory courses (N = 642) and from students enrolled in general chemistry II lecture courses (N = 272). This prompt was found to be sensitive for detecting gains in green chemistry knowledge in pre- and post- conditions. Furthermore, psychometric analysis revealed that, while addressing certain green chemistry principles was well within the students’ ability range, other principles exceeded that range. These findings indicate that this prompt provides a rapid and effective method for both measuring student knowledge and eliciting student conceptions of the green chemistry principles.