Mereology-Based Instruction: Effects on Chemical Identity Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Chemistry-Based Health Literacy

Abstract

This study is an attempt to utilize mereology-based instruction, an innovative approach in teaching biochemistry to health science students by linking biochemistry principles to health concepts. Specifically, it investigated the effects of mereology-based instruction (MBI) and conventional instruction (CI) to the chemical identity thinking (CIT), critical thinking in chemistry (CTC), and chemistry-based health literacy (CHL) of medical laboratory science students. A total of 13 intact classes of second year Medical Laboratory Science were randomly assigned into two groups, mereologybased instruction and conventional instruction. Seven intact classes (N = 290) were assigned to the mereology-based instruction group and six intact classes (N = 287) were assigned to the conventional instruction group. The students participated in the study for 12 weeks in a tertiary private academic institution in Baguio City. Data were obtained using Rasch analysis, an approach of mathematical modelling anchored on a latent trait to measure person ability and item difficulty related to the latent trait in a single logit scale. Mereology-based instruction was found to be more effective than conventional instruction in increasing chemical identity thinking, critical thinking in chemistry, and chemistry-based health literacy of health science students, but these students exposed to MBI experienced higher cognitive load. The effects of MBI in chemical identity thinking (CIT), critical thinking in chemistry (CTC) and chemistrybased health literacy (CbHL) is topic-specific, and has an "enhancement" effect in CIT, "corrective" effect in CTC, and either "corrective" or "enhancing" effect in CbHL. Conventional instruction has a "corrective" effect in chemical identity thinking, critical thinking in chemistry, and chemistry-based health literacy. Based on multiple linear regression analysis, an increase in posttest ability of students in chemical identity thinking is predicted by prior knowledge of chemistry concepts, pretest ability in chemical identity thinking, and male gender in the MBI group. In the Cl group, student posttest ability in chemical identity thinking is predicted by prior knowledge of chemistry concepts and pretest ability in chemical identity thinking. An increase in posttest student ability in critical thinking in chemistry in the MBI group is predicted by prior knowledge of chemistry concepts, prior knowledge of visual representations and pretest ability in critical thinking in chemistry. In the C group, an increased posttest student ability in critical thinking in chemistry is predicted by prior knowledge of chemistry concepts, prior knowledge of visual representations, pretest ability in critical thinking in chemistry and male gender. An increase in posttest student ability in chemistry-based health literacy is predicted by prior knowledge of visual representations, pretest ability in chemistry-based health literacy, male gender, and cognitive load in the MBI group. In the Cl group, student posttest ability in chemistrybased health literacy is predicted by prior knowledge of chemistry concepts and pretest ability in chemistry-based health literacy. Results indicate that mereology- based instruction in biochemistry has a potential to address the expected learning outcomes in health science programs in the Philippines as it promotes a thinking process which targets misconceptions and enhances prior level of conceptual understanding related to chemical identity thinking, critical thinking in chemistry and chemistry-based health literacy. Achieving these learning outcomes is deemed to be effective in building the capacity of future health science graduates in making appropriate and rot ust healthrelated decisions.