“They Are Students Just Like Me” - Analyzing General Chemistry Student Perspectives on Senior Undergraduate Student Learning Assistants as Laboratory Instructors

Abstract

Senior undergraduate student learning assistants (LAs) have been utilized as instructors in the General (Introductory) Chemistry laboratories at a primarily undergraduate institution. We investigated what the students liked and disliked about senior undergraduate student LAs as laboratory instructors. Student (n = 102) responses to open-ended survey questions were thematically coded. The most important conclusion was that the General Chemistry students expressed an overwhelming preference for senior undergraduate LAs as laboratory instructors rather than for a staff member. Student responses were primarily positive toward LAs rather than negative toward staff. The most common themes that drove this preference for LAs as laboratory instructors were (1) a feeling of connection with the LAs, (2) liking that LAs are student peers, (3) feeling less (perceived) stress/intimidation with the LAs, and (4) appreciating that LAs have completed the same lab experiments themselves and thus have similar lab experiences. We also tested for significant differences in the frequency of responses between traditionally marginalized student groups vs their nonmarginalized counterparts. Tests for differences between students grouped according to gender (female vs male), race (nonwhite vs white), and access to learning accommodations revealed only a single difference: white students were more likely to identify imperfections in the LAs than their nonwhite counterparts. This suggests that implementation of LAs as general chemistry laboratory instructors is viewed as an equitable practice by students.