Data set of chirality tasks with notes (SoSe 23, WiSe 23/24, SoSe 24) - task-centred and person centred

<p>The data set was generated to examine to what extent task difficulty and invested mental effort differ for digital and paper-pencil-based tasks on the topic of chirality (RQ1) and to what extent note-taking impacts students’ working memory load when working on paper-pencil-based chirality tasks in organic chemistry (RQ2).</p>
<p>The data set is based on the responses of 80 students who completed 19 chirality tasks tandems (each with one digital and one paper-pencil-based task) and rated their invested mental effort for each task. IRT analyses were used to generate Rasch values describing each task regarding task difficulty (digital and paper-pencil format), invested mental effort (digital and paper-pencil format) and note-taking in the paper-pencil format. Additionally observational averages from a DIF analysis describes the aforementioned variables for the two groups of students (note-takers and students whos test booklets showed no processing traces).</p>
<p>The data were collected in three semesters (summer 2023, winter 2023/24, summer 2024) during in class sessions of an introductory organic chemistry exercise. A within subject design was used (paper-pencil, digital). Data were analysed using Winsteps and SPSS.</p>
<b>Methods</b>
<p>The test instrument consisted of 19 task tandems, each consisting of a paper-pencil-based task and a similar digital task. In both formats, 5 tasks asked the students to indicate for a depicted molecule via 4 multiple-choice single-select answer options whether and if so at which carbon atom the molecule has a chirality centre. 5 further tasks asked the students to use a dual-choice single-select answer format to decide whether the two molecules shown are identical molecules or enantiomers. The following 4 tasks asked students to draw the corresponding molecule based on a given IUPAC name of a molecule with at least one stereocentre (open format). Finally, the students were asked to state the absolute configuration of a given molecule in 5 tasks using a multiple-choice single-select format with four answer options. Students were requested to rate the invested mental effort individually for each task immediately after they completed the task in both formats. A maximum of 30 minutes was available to complete the chirality tasks (The associated data can be found in the person-centred data set).<br>The students' responses were used to generate Rasch parameters describing the tasks (The associated data can be found in the task-centred data set). <br>During the in class, the students worked individually on the digital tasks first and then on the paper-based tasks (or vice versa). The students' private devices were predominantly used to complete the digital tasks. <br>The chirality tasks are from a self-developed test instrument. The invested mental effort was measured with the instrument by Paas (1992). The reliability of the chirality tasks (person reliability: .82, item reliability: .90) and the invested mental effort ratings (person reliability: .93, item reliability: .96) for the overall sample (Nstudents = 80, Nchirality tasks = 38, Ninvested mental effort ratings = 38) were satisfactory. <br>Used software packages: Winsteps (version 5.2.4.0), SPSS (version 29).<br>The student responses in paper format were evaluated by the first author. Correct solutions were coded as 1, incorrect solutions or missing answers were coded as 0. The student answers in digital format were automatically corrected by the e-learning tool on the basis of the given sample solutions. Here too, correct answers were coded with 1, incorrect answers or missing solutions with 0.<br>For the paper-pencil-based task processing, the first author also coded whether markings or notes were used during task processing. All processing traces in the paper-based test booklets that could be clearly assigned to a task were taken into account. If a task had traces of processing, this was coded as 1. Tasks without recognizable traces of processing were coded with 0. The data was first collated in Excel and imported from there into Winsteps. The output Rasch parameters were imported (via Excel) into SPSS and analysed there.</p>