Mary Barber ( 2000 ) compared students’ learning in a traditional syllabus (i.e., with a
strong emphasis on chemical facts, theory and concepts) with the Salters context-based
course. She found that the Salters course was perceived as more interesting and varied
(Barber 2000 ) , however, the less able students in the Salters course found it difficult
coping with the lack of routine and the applied nature of the questions (Barber 2000 ) .