Abstract
Chemistry is an experimental discipline that uses experimentation as one of its most important research methods. Laboratory work and other practical work are therefore also essential in chemistry lessons. Chemistry demonstrations are used by teachers as an educational approach that can increase students’ interest in chemistry and motivate them to learn chemical concepts with understanding. However, if the students are actively involved in the chemistry demonstration, it can be just as effective as or even more effective than students’ learning through experiments. The purpose of this research is to examine teachers’ opinions about the impact of chemistry demonstrations on students’ interest and chemistry knowledge. Based on a quantitative research approach, 81 primary and secondary school teachers from different regions of Slovenia participated in this study. Participating teachers completed an online questionnaire on their perceptions of the impact of chemistry demonstrations on students’ interest and performance in chemistry classes and on the quality of students’ knowledge of chemistry. The results show that regardless of the years of teaching experience and the frequency of performing chemistry demonstrations, the participating teachers consider such demonstrations to have a positive effect on the motivation and performance of the students in chemistry and on the quality of the students’ knowledge of chemistry.
Highlights
The experiment is one of the most important research methods in chemistry
This paper aims to determine the opinions of Slovenian chemistry teachers on how the use of chemistry demonstrations in chemistry lessons influences the students’ interest in chemistry and their performance
The first research question was: ‘How do teachers involve their students in conducting chemistry demonstrations?’; for that, the aim was to determine what the students do while the teachers are conducting chemistry demonstrations and what the teachers expect their students to do during a demonstration; 73 teachers gave one or more answers
Summary
The experiment is one of the most important research methods in chemistry. Laboratory work and other practical work are, essential in chemistry lessons (Tsaparlis, 2009), which can be observed in primary and secondary school curricula, which are mainly based on activities at the macroscopic level, indicating that students need to understand chemistry as an experimental discipline (Wissiak Grm & Glažar, 2002). The macroscopic level of chemistry is an essential component for students to understand the submicroscopic (particulate) and symbolic levels of chemical concepts (Pavlin, Glažar, Slapničar, & Devetak, 2019). Practical work includes activities in which students handle substances and materials in order to carry out a certain chemical reaction or observe chemistry demonstrations (Hodson, 1990). Chemistry demonstrations are usually conducted by teachers or experts who can provide the best quality demonstration for students. The latter should participate as active learners and acquire knowledge experientially. The advantage of chemistry demonstrations is that teachers have greater control over the overall work arrangement of the experiment and can focus students’ attention on the most important parts of the experiment (Johnston & Al-Shuaili, 2001)
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