Bridging the Divide Between Chemistry Educators and Chemistry Education Researchers

Abstract

Connecting chemistry educators at the high school and secondary education level with chemistry education researchers in academia has never been more vitally needed, and yet these groups are still frustratingly divided. Structural differences in the way in which secondary educators go about their business, both through the business of being a high school educator and in the limits of access to chemical education research (CER), make their ability to connect to the CER world difficult. Also, making the jump from the academic research world into the practitioner side of chemistry can be difficult or confusing for those in the research realm, with challenges as to where to start or with whom to connect. There are a growing number of members of these communities who are identifying this disconnect, however, and a growing amount of opportunities for these connections to be forged, including conferences such as BCCE and ChemEd. Through joint effort and connections, both personal and professional, both sides of the chemistry education realm stand to grow and learn together, to better prepare students for successes in chemistry.