Guided Inquiry Outperforms the Traditional Expository Approach in Developing Key Soft Skills in Organic Chemistry Laboratory Courses

Undergraduate students at a midsized comprehensive university took Organic Chemistry I laboratory delivered in an expository style followed by Organic Chemistry II laboratory the next semester delivered using a guided-inquiry approach. To compare student perceptions of the impacts of the two approaches on their own soft skills development, we conducted a mixed-method research study utilizing quantitative and qualitative data. Student survey data and interviews indicate that the guided-inquiry methodology had a greater impact than the expository approach on student perceptions of their persistence, motivation, confidence, and other soft skills.