RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORKING MEMORY AND CHEMISTRY LEARNING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: TEACHING IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Chemistry requires students to engage with abstract concepts at the microscopic level, that cannot be directly observed. Understanding these concepts relies on mental representations that, while essential, tend to oversimplify reality (Johnstone, 2010). Effective teaching strategies depend on knowledge of cognitive processes, yet research remains limited. Working memory (WM) plays a key role (Rhodes et al., 2016), acting as a mental board where verbal (words, symbols) and visuospatial (graphs, images) information are processed during a task (Uttal & Cohen, 2012). Further research is needed to clarify the role of verbal and visuospatial WM in chemistry learning, particularly at the microscopic level, and to understand its impact on students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs). To address these gaps, we developed a chemistry learning task for undergraduate Italian students, assessing their chemistry learning (CL) abilities and WM skills. We examined the relationship between CL and WM in TD students (Study 1) and those with SLDs (Study 2). We also tested whether dynamic visualization of molecular structures could enhance understanding (Study 3). Results show that CL is significantly related to visuospatial WM, with an even stronger association in students with SLDs. Preliminary findings suggest that dynamic visualization tools are particularly beneficial for stu- dents with lower visuospatial WM skills. These results emphasize the crucial role of WM, particularly its visuospatial com- ponent, and highlight the need for targeted teaching strategies to support students with weaker visuospatial WM skills.