A Case Study on the Factors Influencing UAE High School Chemistry Students' Learning of Organic Qualitative Analysis: The Story of Rawaa
A Case Study on the Factors Influencing UAE High School Chemistry Students' Learning of Organic Qualitative Analysis: The Story of Rawaa

Summary/Abstract: Background/purpose. Chemistry is one of the five science subfields typically covered in secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates. Chemistry is a branch of science that studies the properties, composition, and structure of substances. Numerous subfields fall under the umbrella of chemistry, including inorganic, organic, analytical, and physical chemistry. One topic covered in chemistry classes is the analysis of chemical compounds, which is divided into two types: quantitative and qualitative analysis. While qualitative analysis determines the kind of element or group present in each solution sample, quantitative analysis determines the quantity of each component or group present. Students' low achievement and poor chemistry performance are significant issues plaguing education in the UAE. For example, in the 2018 PISA international exam, the average science performance of 15-year-old UAE students was 434 points, which is lower than the OECD average of 489 points. This qualitative case study aims to identify the factors influencing Rawaa's (pseudonym) and grade 12 students' learning of an essential Chemistry concept (OQA) topic in Chemistry. Materials/methods. A qualitative research approach was employed in the Rawaa case study to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to the difficulties that UAE students in grade 12 experienced while studying OQA topics in Chemistry, as revealed through interviews, class observation, and document analysis of Rawaa's study materials, including her journals, notebooks, and worksheets. The thematic analysis was utilized to examine the raw conceptual understanding of the topic using the qualitative data gathered. Results. The results highlighted challenges within teaching OQA in chemistry, including resource constraints that impact practical instruction, curriculum-content misalignments, instructional method deficiencies, and issues with teacher motivation. Conclusion. Recommendations include overcoming these challenges through the incorporation of practical-based approaches, enhancing resource availability, aligning the chemistry curriculum with instructional practices, and improving professional development (PD) for chemistry teachers to offer support to both instructors and 12th-grade students, thereby driving more effective learning environments in chemistry education.

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