Using interactive pre-laboratory activities to increase first-year chemistry students’ self-efficacy and to reduce their anxiety

Laboratory sessions are an important part of university-level chemistry education. However, many students are anxious about doing laboratory work. This research project investigated which aspects of laboratory work students had the most anxiety about and the lowest confidence in their ability to do well at. These aspects of laboratory work were found to be completing the laboratory tasks in time, answering assessed questions, and interpreting data. The expectation that high anxiety was correlated with low self-efficacy was also confirmed. This improved understanding of students' chemistry laboratory anxiety and self- efficacy was used to design interactive pre-laboratory activities which were evaluated and refined as an intervention to reduce anxiety and promote self-efficacy.