High School Chemistry Classes Research Articles

Synthesizing Magnesium Oxide through a 3D Experience

This lesson is from the Types of Reactions unit in a High School Chemistry class and focuses on the synthesis of magnesium oxide. The purpose of this lesson is for students to conduct a lab experiment, and understand, at an atomic level, how the reaction occurs. In collaboration between a Chemistry teacher and Educational Technology faculty member, one three-dimensional (3D) experience was created to support the visualization of the reaction and minimize the students’ misconceptions.

“We need to step it up—We are basically the future”: Latinx young women co‐construct science storylines in high school chemistry

AbstractResearchers and practitioners in the United States increasingly promote phenomena‐based instruction in science that supports the development of a coherent storyline throughout the unit. Questions about who is constructing the science storyline and how still remain. Employing a qualitative ethnographic case study approach, we explore how three Latinx female students authentically contribute in their high school chemistry class and change the science storyline originally developed by the teacher. Data include over 950 min of video recordings, student artifacts, and interviews collected from a unit about reaction rate, which was contextualized by students' experiences with a local wildfire. The analysis points to three instructional moves that appear to play an important role in shifting the collective storyline: connecting to Latinx students' personal concerns, moving across multiple figured worlds, and recognizing students' epistemological contributions. Implications for supporting minoritized students are discussed.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN EVALUATION ASPECTS USED BY TEACHERS IN THEEVALUATION ACTIVITIES IN THE EXPERIMENTATION

This research project aimed to analyze the conceptions and practices evaluations in experimental activities developed in high schools by teachers who teach the discipline of chemistry and its relationship with the learning of concept in the area. The research was qualitative in nature and its field of research was schools in the State Public Network. The research subjects were the professors who teach Chemistry classes in high school at these schools. The instruments used were semi- structured interviews with teachers participating in the research. After our research, we observe that experimentation is part of chemistry, but many teachers do not perform experimental practices in their classes or when they perform, the form of assessment, often, it does not dialogue with the teaching proposal, in addition, the teachers who teach chemistry classes are not trained in the chemistry area. It is noteworthy, in this discussion, that the teachers who teach high school chemistry classes do not perform activities experimental because schools do not get an equipped laboratory, as they do not consider other forms of experimental classes, without the use of laboratories. it is expected that the research can contribute to the discussion about assessment in experimental classes in chemistry teaching. It is hoped that the research can contribute to the discussion about the assessment in the teaching of chemistry and its relationship with concept learning.

Expanding horizons – the use of crystallographic structures in high school chemistry classes

Expanding horizons – the use of crystallographic structures in high school chemistry classes

Simple green organic chemistry experiments with the kitchen microwave for high school chemistry classrooms

Abstract Microwave systems have been used in organic chemistry since the late 1990s for applications including Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS). The main advantages of microwave-assisted procedures compared to traditional synthesis methods are the 100- to 1000-fold increase in reaction speeds, higher yields, purer products, and less energy consumption. So far, only a few examples for integrating microwave-induced chemistry into high school chemistry classes have been proposed. This paper presents a set of experiments intended to provide insights into using microwave technology in the context of green, organic chemistry lessons in high school.

Students’ Engagement in Education as Sustainability: Implementing an Ethical Dilemma-STEAM Teaching Model in Chemistry Learning

This paper reports the results of a study on the implementation of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model in secondary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. This interdisciplinary curriculum approach employed ‘ethical dilemma story pedagogy’ in a STEAM education project designed to engage students in values-based chemistry learning. Drawing on the arts, specially written ethical dilemma stories posing real-world environmental problems engaged students in exploring their value systems. Students reflected on the pros and cons of ethical dilemmas related to the everyday use of artificial fertilizers, disposal of used cooking oil and detergent waste, and environmental pollution caused by plastic waste. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model to empower Indonesian secondary school students with both chemistry knowledge and transdisciplinary capabilities for resolving environmental problems. The researchers conducted an interpretive case study of four high-school chemistry classes to understand students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Data were obtained from students’ reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. The results demonstrate that students engaged in deep chemistry learning while simultaneously developing critical reflective social thinking, collaborative decision-making skills, and increased awareness of the need to protect the environment in order to support sustainable development. The study revealed that chemistry education can play a strategic role through ethical values learning in empowering students to become agents of change for environmental sustainability. Further research is warranted into the efficacy of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model for empowering students in sustainability education across a broad range of science-related topics and sociocultural contexts.

Analysis of Interactive Dialogue Teaching in High School Chemistry Class

Analysis of Interactive Dialogue Teaching in High School Chemistry Class

Infiltration Strategies of Moral Education in Senior High School Chemistry Class

Infiltration Strategies of Moral Education in Senior High School Chemistry Class

A Comparative Analysis of the Method of Evaluation of Character Competence in High School Chemistry Classes Based on Collaborative Problem-Solving for Competency(CoProC) Instruction Model

A Comparative Analysis of the Method of Evaluation of Character Competence in High School Chemistry Classes Based on Collaborative Problem-Solving for Competency(CoProC) Instruction Model

Profil Penguasaan Konsep Ikatan Kimia pada Siswa Kelas X SMA Negeri 4 Palangka Raya Tahun Ajaran 2017/2018

Konsep ikatan kimia merupakan salah satu materi pelajaran kimia SMA kelas X. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan penguasaan konsep ikatan kimia pada siswa kelas X SMA Negeri 4 Palangka Raya Tahun Ajaran 2017/2018. Penelitian ini termasuk jenis penelitian kualitatif yang bersifat deskriptif. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 29 siswa kelas X SMA Negeri 4 Palangka Raya Tahun Ajaran 2017/2018 yang sudah menerima pembelajaran materi ikatan kimia. Data yang digunakan pada penelitian ini berupa dokumen RPP yang didapat dari guru yang bersangkutan. Data penguasaan konsep siswa diperoleh melalui tes uraian ikatan kimia menggunakan 7 butir soal esai yang mencakup 5 indikator. Data pendukung menggunakan hasil wawancara terhadap siswa. Penguasaan konsep siswa dalam menuliskan konfigurasi elektron dan menentukan elektron valensi unsur 94% dengan kategori sangat tinggi. Penguasaan konsep menggambarkan struktur Lewis 62% kategori sedang. Penguasaan konsep menggambarkan cara suatu unsur untuk mencapai kestabilan 74 % kategori tinggi. Penguasaan konsep mengelompokan unsur gas mulia dan bukan gas 22% kategori rendah. Penguasaan konsep menjelaskan aturan duplet dan aturan oktet 20% kategori rendah. Penguasaan konsep menjelaskan proses terbentuknya ikatan ion 49% berada pada kategori sedang. Penguasaan konsep menggambarkan struktur Lewis dan menentukan rumus kimia senyawa ikatan kovalen tunggal 51% kategori sedang. Penguasaan konsep menggambarkan struktur Lewis dan menentukan rumus kimia senyawa ikatan kovalen rangkap dua 65% berada pada kategori sedang. Penguasaan konsep menggambarkan struktur Lewis dan menentukan rumus kimia senyawa ikatan kovalen rangkap tiga 40% kategori rendah. Penguasaan konsep menjelaskan proses terbentuknya ikatan kovalen koordinasi 29% kategori rendah. Penguasaan konsep menjelaskan proses pembentukan ikatan logam dan menjelaskan sifat senyawa yang berikatan logam masing-masing 31% dan 45% kategori rendah.

Universal Design for Learning Chemistry Instruction for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities

Students with and without learning disabilities in high school chemistry classes, either co-taught or self-contained, received instruction on calculating molar conversions using universal design for learning (UDL) or business-as-usual techniques. For Study 1, posttest scores of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) in co-taught classes who received the UDL treatment are compared with peers’ scores in the comparison group. For Study 2, posttest scores from students with LD who received UDL treatment in a self-contained special education class are reported. Students in the UDL treatment scored significantly higher on posttests than comparison group peers in Study 1. Mean scores for students with LD in Study 2 were similar to UDL students in Study 1. Social validity feedback on the UDL instruction was positive. Implications for UDL chemistry instruction and future research are described.

Examining the effect of lab instructions on students' critical thinking during a chemical inquiry practical

Developing students’ critical thinking skills is often seen as an important educational goal for inquiry assignments. In this study, we investigated to what extent pre-laboratory activities of a chemical inquiry assignment influence students' independent critical thinking. We compared two forms of pre-laboratory activities that are frequently used in educational practice to prepare students for their inquiry assignments: on the one hand paved road pre-laboratory activities that lead students with sensemaking preparatory questions and on the other, critical-thinking pre-laboratory activities in which students start with the development of an experiment plan using provided information and criteria for a good experimental design. We conducted this study two years in succession in senior year Dutch high school chemistry classes during an inquiry assignment that involved the study of the relation between reaction kinetics and molecular reaction mechanisms of organic nucleophilic substitution reactions (SN1/SN2). We focused on aspects associated with critical thinking, such as the desire to understand what is observed and to be able to adjust an existing method or model on the basis of experimental data. The results show that the design of pre-laboratory activities strongly influence the critical thinking exhibited by students during their inquiry activities, whereby students who perform critical thinking pre-laboratory activities are more motivated to think more deeply about the meaning of their measurements than students that perform paved road pre-laboratory activities.

Development of the instrument of question-answer process (IQAP) and its application in examining salient characteristics between pre- and in-service teachers in senior high school chemistry class

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to examine the salient characteristics of the ‘Question-Answer Process’ (QAP) in senior high school chemistry class between pre- and in-service teachers. We first developed the ‘Instrument of Question-Answer Process’ (IQAP), and then, applied it to compare salient characteristics of QAP between pre- and in-service teachers. Data collection consists of classroom observation and structured-interview. Participants are seven pre-service and seven in-service chemistry teachers. The results are: (a) Both pre-and in-service teachers ask most of the questions and students ask few questions; (b) Pre-service teachers ask more lower cognitive level questions, while in-service teachers ask more higher cognitive level questions; (c) Pre-service teachers tend to ask non-volunteer students while in-service teachers tend to ask volunteer students to respond; (d) Pre-service teachers tend to be ‘no feedback or ignore’ after students provide answers and both pre- and in-service teachers seldom guide students to reflect on answers; and (e) The frequency of authority of ‘student’ in pre-service teachers’ class is much higher than those in in-service teachers’ class, while the frequency of authority of ‘teacher and student’ is much lower than those of in-service teachers’ class.

EFFECT OF THE NATURE OF THE ELECTROLYTE AND THE NATURE OF THE INTERFACE ON THE HYDROGEN EVOLUTION POTENTIAL: EXPERIMENTS FOR CHEMISTRY STUDENTS

This work presents an experiment done for chemistry students about the effect of the nature of the electrolyte and the nature of the interface on the hydrogen evolution reaction by electrolysis. Two techniques are suggested: method A - two identical copper electrodes in a direct current circuit and method B - three different electrodes in a dc potentiostatic circuit, with copper electrode (working), platinum electrode (counter) and silver-silver chloride-KCl sat electrode (reference). The hydrogen evolution was observed using the A technique by increasing potentials between the two electrodes and the visual observation of the gas production at the cathode. The results showed “semi-quantitative” effect of the pH on the hydrogen evolution. It was observed a larger potential difference in alkaline medium than in acid medium. The results obtained with the B technique from polarization curves showed quantitatively the thermodynamic effect of the pH in addition to the least catalytic effect of copper presented in alkaline medium when compared to copper in acid medium for hydrogen evolution. The technique A can be used in technical courses, high school and general chemistry class for under graduate students. The technique B is appropriate for under graduate electrochemistry class and graduate students.

Constructing a Periodic Table: A Proposed Practice Activity for High School Chemistry Classes

This experience report aimed to describe a playful classroom activity wherein high school students from a public school participated in the construction of a periodic table. This descriptive study applied a qualitative approach to a case study. To achieve this, a practical activity to construct a periodic table with accessible materials was proposed with the aim of promoting students’ understanding of the periodic table and relating it to their daily lives. The methodology used enabled the students to review the chemical elements of the periodic table and their distribution and classification into different families, thus highlighting the interaction among the student group members. The activity’s content contextualization provided a better understanding of the subject and made it more realistic. Thus, schools must consider the importance of playful activities in student development and propose learning situations that will enable teachers to diversify their teaching methods and make classes more dynamic and differentiated.

Análise do Entendimento Conceitual em uma Sequência Didática sobre o Uso de Pesticidas Fundamentada na Modelagem Analógica

In this paper, we investigate how the experience of a didactic sequence centered on a socio-scientific issue about the use of pesticides and based on analogical modelling process influenced the students’ understanding about the concept of dispersion. The research was conducted in a third-year, high school Chemistry class of a public school of Itabirito, Minas Gerais. The classes in which the didactic sequence was developed were recorded on audio and video and data from a group of four students were examined in a case study. In our analysis, we identified some factors that were essential to the students’ understanding about the concept of dispersion: the collaborative nature of the activities and of the group; the questions of the teacher/researchers; and the use of models and analogies as tools of thought. These factors justify the importance of Analogical Modelling in science education to develop understandings in the conceptual, procedural and attitudinal dimensions, although our focus in this work was on the first one.

Análise das interações verbais professor-aluno: implicações para a construção de um discurso reflexivo

O presente artigo busca analisar a forma como o professor interage com os alunos e as implicações destas interações para a construção de um discurso reflexivo, por meio da análise das interações descritas por Flanders e o tipos de perguntas definidos por Carvalho (2012). Os dados apresentados e analisados são provenientes das interações verbais entre o professor e seus alunos ocorridas em uma aula de Química do Ensino Médio, registradas por um estudante na disciplina de Estágio Supervisionado. A elaboração do sistema de análise permitiu identificar a influência das participações do professor e dos alunos durante a aula na construção do discurso reflexivo. Assim, constatamos que o fato do professor não fornecer o tempo necessário para os alunos intervirem durante a aula, caracteriza o seu discurso como sendo um discurso de autoridade constituído na maioria das vezes por perguntas retóricas, inibindo a participação dos alunos e a troca de significações em um processo de negociação. Em sentido contrário, defendemos que quanto mais o professor adotar perguntas de maior exigência cognitiva possibilitando tempo para as respostas e com as intervenções pedagógicas do professor por meio de outras perguntas ou explicações promove-se o contato interativo para a construção de um discurso mais reflexivo

Aprendizagem significativa sobre polímeros a partir de experimentação e problematização

Neste estudo investigamos sobre a aprendizagem de alunos da terceira série do ensino médio em aulas de química por meio atividades relacionadas ao conteúdo Polímeros em uma Sequência Didática (SD). A metodologia utilizada empregou abordagem do tipo qualitativa, utilizando alguns elementos de análise textual discursiva, fundamentada em atividades experimentais. Os alunos participantes da pesquisa formaram dois grupos, sendo um composto por alunos de uma escola da rede privada e outros de uma escola da rede pública de ensino. Inicialmente foram investigados os conhecimentos prévios dos alunos sobre o conteúdo em questão, com base na Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa. Em seguida, as atividades da sequência didática foram desenvolvidas e se procedeu à análise dos discursos dos alunos por meio das respostas a questionamentos. As estratégias utilizadas se mostraram motivadoras e serviram como organizadores prévios para os subsunçores. À medida que os subsunçores tornaram-se mais elaborados foi possível aos alunos compreender informações novas e aprender significativamente. Nesse contexto, podemos considerar que as atividades da SD se relacionaram com os conceitos sobre polímeros já existentes na estrutura cognitiva de cada aluno.

Profile of Dana Carroll

University of Utah biochemist Dana Carroll was among the first scientists to develop reagents for genome editing. These tools can make site-specific double-strand DNA breaks to stimulate desired recombination and repair. The technology that Carroll spearheaded, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), laid the groundwork for other genome-editing platforms, such as transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9). In his Inaugural Article (1), Carroll, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2017, explores a limitation of CRISPR-Cas9. The results could inform DNA target selection for genome editing in agricultural, medical, and other research applications. Dana Carroll. Image courtesy of University of Utah Health. Carroll was born into a family of scientists. His grandfather, William Ernest Carroll, was a student of animal nutrition at the University of Illinois and contributed to the then-emerging field of animal science. A member of the Utah Agricultural College, W. E. Carroll conducted research on animal husbandry. Several of his influential papers and books on the subject, such as Swine Production (2), remain in circulation. Carroll’s father, William Robert Carroll, conducted research on protein chemistry at the National Institutes of Health for more than two decades. “Many of our family friends were other NIH scientists and their families, but there was little discussion in our house or in social gatherings about science per se,” Carroll says. “I only really learned about my father’s research interests and those of his colleagues when I was in graduate school. If my upbringing had an influence on my career choices, it was indirect.” As a youth, Carroll was interested in mathematics and science. Undaunted by what he describes as a “crushingly boring” high school chemistry class, Carroll chose to major in chemistry at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in …

MODELAGEM ANALÓGICA NO ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS

Neste artigo, nos propusemos a investigar: (i) as etapas que podem ser usadas para guiar a proposição e o desenvolvimento de atividades de modelagem analógica no ensino de ciências; e (ii) como atividades de modelagem analógica propostas com base naquelas etapas podem ter contribuído para que os estudantes de ciências vivenciassem os subprocessos do raciocínio analógico. Para atender ao primeiro propósito, adaptamos as etapas apresentadas na literatura para o processo de modelagem de forma que possibilitassem a elaboração, crítica e revisão de modelos e analogias. Para atender ao segundo propósito, realizamos um estudo empírico no qual desenvolvemos uma sequência ensino sobre o tema dissolução, fundamentada na modelagem analógica. A sequência foi desenvolvida em uma turma de Química do primeiro ano do ensino médio e deu origem ao estudo de caso analisado neste artigo. Nossos resultados evidenciaram elementos específicos das atividades de modelagem analógica que favoreceram a ocorrência dos subprocessos de raciocínio analógico, inclusive daqueles identificados como não espontâneos em estudos anteriores. Destacamos como uma das implicações deste estudo, que a descrição proposta para as etapas da modelagem analógica pode orientar professores e pesquisadores na proposição e condução de atividades voltadas para o ensino de ciências, nas quais modelos e analogias são criados, criticados e revisados pelos estudantes, num processo em que os significados vão sendo gradualmente negociados na tentativa de se compreender a entidade modelada.