RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Mathematics competency in nursing education and practice may be addressed by an instructional variation of the traditional dimensional analysis technique typically presented in beginning chemistry courses. METHOD: The authors studied 73 beginning chemistry students using the typical dimensional analysis technique and the variation technique. Student quantitative problem-solving performance was evaluated. RESULTS: Students using the variation technique scored significantly better (18.3 of 20 points, p < .0001) on the final examination quantitative titration problem than those who used the typical technique (10.9 of 20 points). American Chemical Society examination scores and in-house assessment indicate that better performing beginning chemistry students were more likely to use the variation technique rather than the typical technique. CONCLUSION: The variation technique may be useful as an alternative instructional approach to enhance beginning chemistry students' mathematics competency and problem-solving ability in both education and practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(1):22-26.].
