COVID-19 and the Incoming Chemistry Student: The Effect of the Pandemic on Student Self-Efficacy and Identity

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that students and educators are able to interact in higher education settings, and timely investigations into its impact on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students are of critical importance. In a continued effort to provide student data to chemistry educators, we offer a comparison of 3 years of incoming undergraduate cohorts. Herein we compare data from incoming general chemistry students for Fall 2019 through Fall 2021 to offer a picture of student intention to pursue a career in STEM over time during the pandemic. The results demonstrate that our most recent cohort (Fall 2021) has an increased intention to pursue a STEM degree coupled with a weak decrease in scientific self-efficacy. We discuss potential causes of these observations and offer strategies for fostering a welcoming environment in the chemistry laboratory. © 2022 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.