Chemistry Curriculum Research Articles

Bridging gender disparities in senior secondary chemistry: What magic can Entrepreneurial-Motivated-Approach perform?

This study investigated the impact of Entrepreneurial-Motivated-Approach in bridging gender disparities in achievement among senior secondary chemistry students. The study adopted pre-test, post-test nonequivalent quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 118 senior secondary 2 chemistry students with 58 students in the experimental group (30 male; 28 female) and 60 students in the control group (27 male; 33 female) in two intact classes from two senior secondary schools in Education District V, Lagos State, Nigeria. The experimental group was taught using Entrepreneurial-Motivated-Approach while the control group was taught the same concepts for a period of six weeks using the conventional lecture method. Chemistry Cognitive Achievement Test and Chemistry Practical Achievement Test were used for data collection after validated by experts in test and measurement, and chemistry entrepreneurship. The reliability coefficients of the CCAT and CPAT were established using K-21 which yielded 0.87 and 0.76 respectively. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that gender had no significant effect on the students’ cognitive achievement [F(1,56)=.02; p>0.05] and practical achievement [F(1,56)=.48; p>0.05] in chemistry when taught using Entrepreneurial-Motivated-Approach. The study therefore recommended among others that Chemistry teachers should make effective use of Entrepreneurial-Motivated-Approach in chemistry instructions and the Curriculum planners should ensure the incorporation of entrepreneurial modules in the learning experience of senior secondary chemistry curriculum and textbooks to ensure skills acquisition among chemistry students.

Adaptation of Basic Chemistry Learning with Green Chemistry Oriented

The principles of green chemistry can be implemented in chemistry learning. Basic Chemistry learning with Green Chemistry insight can also be adapted to high school chemistry learning. This study aims to describe basic chemistry learning, adaptations of chemistry learning and design of chemistry learning with green chemistry insight at high school based on the results of previous research. The method used in this study was a systematic review, namely a systematic narrative review conducted by mapping or systematic mapping study. Sources of data from electronic documents were traced through Google searching, ERIC document data, and research gates with the keywords green chemistry and green education. The results show that basic chemistry learning can apply several principles of green chemistry. The principles (preventing/reducing waste, saving energy, and using renewable feedstock) can be implemented in several chemistry topics. The topics cover separating mixtures, chemical reactions, fundamental laws of chemistry, acids and bases, and reaction rates. Also, green chemistry can be adapted to high school chemistry even though it has not been stated in the chemistry curriculum. The design of chemistry learning with green chemistry insight can apply several learning models, such as Problem Based Learning (PBL), Project Based Learning (PjBL), and Inquiry or Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL).

Integrating Multiple Library Instructions into Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum: A Practical Model for Information Literacy Training

ABSTRACT Chemistry is a unique science discipline, which requires special search techniques to locate its enormous information collection. Systematic information literacy training for chemistry students has long been recognized important. Built into chemistry curriculum, a series of library instructions with follow-up assignments have been integrated into the designated core course in a large public university for about a decade. The science librarian implemented this practical model to provide chemistry information training to undergraduates majoring in chemistry or related disciplines, which has been demonstrated effective by the assessment of pre-lecture and post-lecture student opinion surveys conducted over a ten-year period.

The Main Trend of the Reform and Development of the Current Middle School Chemistry Curriculum

The Main Trend of the Reform and Development of the Current Middle School Chemistry Curriculum

Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Views on the Use of Indigenous Chemistry Knowledge in Chemistry Metacognition

This study focused on the views of pre-service science teachers on the use of indigenous chemistry knowledge in chemistry metacognition. A descriptive qualitative case study design using the interpretive paradigm was employed. The social constructivist theory guided the study as cognitive functions are dependent on social interactions with other individuals and the environment. Purposively sampled 29 pre-service science teachers were the respondents who had no previous tertiary chemistry education experience. Data was collected using focus group interviews, observation and document analysis. Constant comparison analysis was used for data analysis. The study shows that; (a) pre-service science teachers know and practice indigenous chemistry knowledge in agriculture, food preservation, food processing, health-care and environmental conservation. (b) Indigenous chemistry knowledge can be effectively used in chemistry metacognition when there is an awareness of chemistry concepts/ideas in indigenous chemistry knowledge. (c) There is a positive attitude towards the use of indigenous chemistry knowledge in chemistry metacognition. The recommendation is that chemistry curriculum developers at teachers’ colleges must harness the multicultural indigenous chemistry knowledge from pre-service science teachers for establishment of a course in indigenous chemistry knowledge at the tertiary institutions.

LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONCEPTS AND ISSUES AMONG PRE-SERVICE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS AT MUFULIRA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of awareness of climate change concepts and issues among the pre-service chemistry teachers at Mufulira College of Education in Zambia. The study was motivated by the need to enable teachers and learners address climate change challenges which are among the issues facing the world today. The study used a qualitative survey targeted at all the 334 pre-service chemistry teachers from Mufulira College of Education as at 2021 when the research was carried out. However, data was only collected from 303 participants who completed questionnaires, representing a response rate of over 90%. The survey explored the students’ awareness levels on the different causes of climate change, the impact of climate change on the environment and the students’ ability to recognize the different mitigation measures of climate change. The study established that on average 60% of the students could only go as far as recalling concepts and issues of climate change but could not critically explain how climate change was caused and why it was a threat to the environment. At the same time climate change issues and concepts did not form part of the priorities for assessment in the pre-service chemistry curriculum at the selected college. It is recommended that a policy is created that ensures that climate change issues and concepts are given the attention they deserve. There is need to urgently develop teaching and learning materials on climate change education for the pre-service chemistry education curriculum.

Development and evaluation of an online course on nanotechnology for the professional development of chemistry teachers

ABSTRACT Professional development courses help teachers integrate new content knowledge into the high-school curriculum. Designing practical online courses for this purpose is challenging, particularly in emerging fields such as nanotechnology. In this study, we evaluated such a course in three complementary dimensions: (1) knowledge, (2) the complexity of learners’ understanding, and (3) learners’ difficulties during the course. We evaluated the first aspect using a pre–post-knowledge test, the second using the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy applied to the course's assignments, and the third by analyzing online activity reports and semi-structured interviews. Three cohorts comprising 95 teachers participated in this course from 2016 to 2019. Our multi-dimensional analysis revealed that teachers’ knowledge of nanotechnology concepts improved. They were able to connect the advanced content they learned to the high-school chemistry curriculum at different levels of complexity. The evaluation process also enabled us to identify difficult sections of the course. These findings can contribute to designing the curriculum of future professional development online science courses in terms of the intended learning outcomes.

A Pedagogical Introduction to Biomarker Detection in Surface-Based Biosensors

The field of biosensors is a burgeoning area of research and employs a large number of chemistry graduates. The impact of strip tests in detecting coronavirus was palpable during the recent COVID-19 pandemic and will further drive the biosensor industry. Despite their common usage, a coherent introduction to the basics of sensing remains missing from the chemistry curriculum. Through this work, key concepts of transport and noise interference in molecular sensing aimed at upper-level coursework are introduced. Exercises including teamwork activities are proposed for teaching and inquiry-based learning. The presented approach was effective in solidifying the concepts of molecular transport and competing binding kinetics. Furthermore, students are introduced to an online database on biomarkers and open-source binding affinity resources. The material can be seamlessly integrated into the existing coursework by expanding discussions on binding kinetics and equilibrium.

Yükseköğretim Kurumları Sınavında Yer Alan Kimya Sorularının 2018 Yılı Kimya Dersi Öğretim Programı Kazanımlarına Göre Analizi

Bu çalışmada, 2019-2021 yıllarında TYT (Temel Yeterlilik Testi) ve AYT (Alan Yeterlilik Testi) sınavlarında yer alan kimya testi soruları 2018 yılı Ortaöğretim Kimya Dersi Öğretim Programı’nın kazanımları açısından analiz edilmiş ve sınavların kapsam geçerliliğinin konu boyutu açısından değerlendirmesi yapılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında 21 tanesi TYT ve 39 tanesi AYT olmak üzere toplam 60 soru analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma sonunda TYT kimya testi sorularının büyük oranda 9 ve 10. sınıf kazanımlarından hazırlandığı görülürken, AYT kimya testi sorularının ağırlıklı olarak 11 ve 12. sınıf kazanımlarından hazırlandığı belirlenmiştir. TYT-2019 kimya testi sorularının 2018 yılı Kimya Dersi Öğretim Programı toplam kazanımlarının %11,8’ini, TYT-2020 ve TYT-2021 kimya testi sorularının sırasıyla programın tüm kazanımlarının %13,4’ünü ve %8,7’sini kapsadığı tespit edilmiştir. AYT-2019, AYT-2020 ve AYT-2021 kimya testi sorularının sırasıyla 2018 yılı Kimya Dersi Öğretim Programı toplam kazanımlarının %22,0; %18,1 ve %17,3’ünden hazırlandığı belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca “Doğa ve Kimya”, “Enerji Kaynakları ve Bilimsel Gelişmeler” ünitelerinin kazanımlarından 2019-2021 yılları arasındaki YKS sınavlarının tamamında kimya testlerinde hiçbir soruya yer verilmediği gözlemlenmiştir. AYT-2019 ve AYT-2020 sınavlarının kimya testlerinde en fazla sayıda kazanıma yönelik soru hazırlanan ünitenin “Kimyasal Tepkimelerde Denge” olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Incorporating Guided-Inquiry Experimental Design into a Traditional Buffer Titration Experiment

Acid–base titration concepts and experiments are ubiquitous, yet challenging, aspects of the general chemistry curriculum. Most general chemistry courses include at least one acid–base titration laboratory experiment, though the focus is often on determining the concentration, pKa, or molar mass of an analyte rather than on the details of interpreting a titration curve more broadly. This article describes the transformation of a single-period, traditional confirmation laboratory experiment into a multiweek, guided-inquiry capstone experience investigating a phosphate buffer system. The revision was designed to improve student understanding of the composition of a buffer system, the chemical reactions occurring as the buffer is titrated with a strong acid, and the rationale behind a method for determining the concentration of the buffer components. An experimental design component was incorporated in which groups of students formulated their own procedure to determine the concentration of the buffer components in an unknown sample. Preliminary evidence regarding the success of the implementation of this guided-inquiry experience was obtained through student work submitted for the titration and experimental design activities, student comments from the course evaluation and a self-reflection exercise, and midterm and final exam assessment questions.

Research and Development of the Application-Oriented Major Basic Chemistry Curriculum in the Context of New Engineering

Training of applied talents under the background of new engineering adapts to the requirements of scientific and technological revolution and industrial revolution under the new situation. The application-oriented major should start with the concept of OBE education and based on the results-oriented teaching mode to cultivate a group of technical innovation, technological innovation and thinking innovation of the new era of applied talents. The education and teaching reform of basic chemistry course under the background of new engineering will promote the development of the training and construction of applied talents. This paper reviews the research and development of foreign universities under the background of new engineering, and prospects the construction of basic chemistry courses for applied undergraduate majors under the background of new engineering.

An Interactive Planetary Boundaries Systems Thinking Learning Tool to Integrate Sustainability into the Chemistry Curriculum

An Interactive Planetary Boundaries Systems Thinking Learning Tool to Integrate Sustainability into the Chemistry Curriculum

An Action Research Teacher’s Journey while Integrating Green Chemistry into the High School Chemistry Curriculum

In recent years, a growing number of publications have emerged discussing how to integrate education for sustainable development (ESD) and systems thinking into science education in general, and chemistry education in particular. However, when it comes to more specific fields of chemistry education, most studies focus almost exclusively on higher education. Examples of ESD units in secondary chemistry teaching are mostly limited to single topics. They often do not explicitly deal with the theoretical concepts behind green or sustainable chemistry. This paper reports on a long-term initiative to develop secondary chemistry education. This effort attempts to thoroughly integrate ESD based on the concept of green chemistry into high school programs. The project is based on teacher-centered action research, a cyclical development and research approach within authentic classroom practice. The process was supported by an academic chemistry education research group and a network of experienced action research teachers. The current paper describes the development of a teaching sequence for first-year upper secondary chemistry education. Elements of the development and selected findings from the accompanying feedback processes are reported.

Application of the Constructivist Approach for the Development of Key Competences in Teaching Chemistry and Environmental Protection (IX Grade)

This article presents an attempt to organize an education based on the constructivist approach in the study of specific contents of the curriculum in Chemistry and Environmental protection in the 9th grade in order to develop key competences. Examples from the educational practice for the formation of some key competences are presented – learning skills, digital competence, skills to support sustainable development and a healthy lifestyle, basic competences in the field of natural sciences and technologies, which are important for the Chemistry and Environmental protection education. The results of our work in this direction show that the active involvement of students in the learning process is one of the effective ways to form the desired competences in students.

Instrumentation Use in Postsecondary Instructional Chemistry Laboratory Courses: Results from a National Survey

Instrumentation plays a critical, ubiquitous role in modern chemistry. The undergraduate chemistry curriculum must therefore cultivate students’ ability to investigate chemical phenomena via relevant instruments. The instructional laboratory serves as the primary context in which undergraduates learn about instrumentation, where use of instruments in these settings is requisite to meaningful learning. However, little is known about what instruments are incorporated and students’ level of hands-on experience. Also, prior research points toward differences in instrumentation access, and in turn use in the instructional laboratory, across institutional contexts. This study investigates instrumentation use in postsecondary instructional chemistry laboratory courses via a national survey of chemistry faculty members (n = 574). Results suggest that courses incorporate a distinct set of instruments aligned with their respective curricula. These data provide an empirical foundation for relevant stakeholders (i.e., instructors, departments, curators of degree programs, and professional organizations authoring postsecondary chemistry education policy) to engage in evaluative discussions and possible curricular reform. Further, there was no evidence that incorporating instruments into the lab or students’ hands-on experience is associated with institutions’ terminal chemistry degree, receipt of NSF funding for improving undergraduate courses, or ACS approval of undergraduate degree programs. Findings collectively suggest similar instrumentation use across institutional contexts and possibly the elimination of previously reported disparities in access. However, students still obtain little hands-on experience with several instruments despite their incorporation into courses. Furthermore, instructors across institutional contexts report barriers to incorporating instrumentation beyond access. This work provides stakeholders with implications for improving undergraduate laboratory instruction.

The Automated Synthesis of Aspirin: An Undergraduate Practical Activity

Recent advances in laboratory automation and digitization require a teaching strategy for undergraduate students that is inclusive of skills in these areas so that students can be prepared to work within the modern laboratory. Future scientists will need training in coding, microcontrollers, on-demand manufacturing, and robotics. With this in mind, we aim to present a simple automated setup for use in undergraduate teaching, exposing and introducing these additional and integrative skillsets that the new generation of students, researchers, and teaching staff will need within the chemistry field. This automated setup performed the well-known synthesis of aspirin, which is often part of the traditional organic chemistry curriculum. Exposing students to simple laboratory automation is an important first step in preparing them to engage with the technology used in modern laboratories. This activity encourages students to think critically about applying automation within the laboratory and showed them the possibilities that a robotic-orientated workflow combined with programming, coding, and synthesis holds─a new world of exploration, collaboration, and expansion.

New Directions in Teaching Introductory and Organic Chemistry

<p>To resolve several problems that arise in the teaching of hybrid atomic orbitals (HAO) and the valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) model, we propose an original way to present molecular structures, beginning with an analysis of the teaching of lone pairs without HAO and VSEPR. Our purpose in eliminating completely the HAO and VSEPR models from introductory and organic chemistry is to avoid erroneous concepts about the distributions of electronic charge within molecules. We provide a general design to teach the basic curriculum of chemistry in the future without HAO and VSEPR.</p><div> </div>

FACTORS INFLUENCING HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ TEACHING AND LEARNING OF ORGANIC QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

<p>Identification and characterisation of the structures of unknown substances are important parts of learning organic chemistry. This paper reports on a study that investigated factors that influence the teaching and learning of organic qualitative analysis in organic chemistry. In all, three teachers and nine students from three different categories of schools participated in the study. Interview guides and an observation checklist were developed and used to obtain qualitative data. The qualitative data gathered from the interview were transcribed by reducing them to patterns and themes and analysed thematically. The study revealed, among others, that teaching and learning resources, practical-based instruction and the nature of the chemistry curriculum were the factors that impede chemistry teachers’ and students’ teaching and learning of organic qualitative analysis in organic chemistry.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0945/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The Confusion Between Intravenous Sodium Chloride and Potassium Chloride: A Potential Application for a Problem Based Learning (PBL) in Nursing Education to Minimize Medication Errors

Sodium chloride and potassium chloride are two metal halides easily distinguishable by chemistry students. Nevertheless, it has been shown that the confusion between sodium chloride and potassium chloride is the underlaying cause of serious medical mistakes that may potentially culminate with the death of the patient. In the present literature review, a qualitative approach is used to examine relevant teaching practices, such as a problem base learning (PBL) approach that could be integrated in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum for nursing students to minimize the confusion between the two chemicals.

Comparison of Turkey and Kosovo Secondary School Science Curriculum in the Context of Chemistry Learning Area

In this study, Turkey and Kosovo secondary school science curricula were compared in the context of chemistry learning area and it was aimed to analyze the similarities and differences in terms of sub-learning areas, distribution of units according to grade levels, course hours, number of achievements, content and teaching techniques. In this study, in which document analysis, one of the qualitative rese-arch methods, was used, written and printed science programs of both countries were considered. As a result of the study, it is seen that the lower secondary education (secondary school) chemistry curricu-lum in Kosovo is numerically higher than the Turkish secondary school chemistry curriculum in terms of the distribution of units and units, course hours and achievements. In Turkey, at the secondary school level, chemistry is included in the natural science group, and the subjects include spiral learning, a low number of achievements, process-oriented constructivist and competency skills are tried to be gained. In terms of teaching techniques, partially similar techniques and methods are applied in both countries. Rapid advances in science and technology, occurring innovations and developments in the world are directly proportional to the higher quality of science education programs. In addition to this, it is thought that the participation of the Ministry of National Education's educational investments and projects in Kosovo within the scope of agreements between the two countries, which have historical and kinship ties with Turkey, and comparing the curriculum of Kosovo with the curriculum of develo-ping countries such as Turkey, will contribute to the curriculum of Kosovo by comparing the curriculum of Kosovo with the curriculum of developing countries such as Turkey.