Effect of the 5E instructional model on student understanding and engagement in high school chemistry

Abstract

Twenty-nine students in two sections of high school chemistry were the focus of a study on the effect of the 5E instructional model on student understanding and long-term memory of chemistry concepts, and student and teacher attitude and engagement. In the 5E model, students cycle through Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate phases of learning through the course of an entire curriculum unit. Each new phase builds upon and refers back to the previous phases. A nonintervention unit on chemical reactions was compared with two intervention units, stoichiometry and states of matter, which were taught according to the 5E model. While the data collected had mixed results as to the effect of the 5E model on student understanding of chemistry concepts, the data indicated that the 5E model may have a positive impact on student long-term memory of chemistry concepts. Students also became more engaged in the learning process during the intervention units, although they found the second intervention unit to be more challenging and frustrating. I was excited by the changes in my classroom, and frustrated when things did not go as planned. However, I look forward to trying to continue incorporating the 5E model into my teaching in the future.