High School Chemistry Research Articles

Student Learning Satisfaction and Academic Performance in Philippine Science High School Chemistry: A Prediction Model Building Study for Online Learning

Learning satisfaction is a key indicator of enriching student learning whether it is face-to-face or online mode of delivery. Learning has shifted more to remote online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the determinants of Student Learning Satisfaction (SLS) in online learning and develop a model that represented the relationship of the determinants to SLS. The study explored both internal and external determinants hypothesised to influence SLS among 169 students in grades 9-12 taking Chemistry at the Philippine Science High School Cordillera Administrative Region Campus (PSHS CARC). The internal factors included gender, academic self-concept (ASC), academic motivation (AM), interest to learn (IL), and mental well-being (MW), while the external factors comprised teacher-related indicators (Teacher), assessment-related indicators (Assessment), learning guide-related indicators (LG) and Knowledge Hub-related indicators (KHub). The study utilised Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with SmartPLS software to develop the SLS model and Academic Performance (AP) model. Both online learning platforms used by PSHS CARC, the LG, and KHub, were found to influence SLS. The external determinants (LG, KHub, Teacher, Assessment) dominated the SLS models while internal determinants (ASC, AM, IL, MW) dominated the AP model for the PSHS CARC Chemistry students. The external determinants influenced the student's learning satisfaction while the internal determinants influenced the AP of the Chemistry students. Assessment indirectly affected SLS. Another finding was that gender, LG, and ASC directly influenced AP. The results validate that online learning tools (LG and KHub) were crucial determinants in ensuring learning satisfaction and academic success in the online learning of PSHS CARC Chemistry students. The models (SLS and AP) can be utilised to evaluate and enhance the quality of online learning and the development of effective online learning strategies and policies especially regarding the use of online tools like LG and KHub.

A Powtoon Animation Video Development Utilizing a Scientific Approach for Teaching Electrolyte and Non-electrolyte Solutions

Students often experience difficulty learning chemistry because the concepts are abstract and complex and require deep understanding. Therefore, innovation in learning is needed. Educational media is crucial for fostering this innovation. This research aims to develop educational materials on Powtoon animation that utilize a scientific approach to instruct on electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions and evaluate their efficacy. The method applied was ADDIE model covering five steps, i.e. Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The study involved three peer reviewers, experts in media and materials, five high school chemistry teachers, and thirteen students. Data were collected through questionnaires that were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively with validated instruments. The result is an interactive learning video in HD mp4 format covering electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions. The product obtained a score of 82.5% and 95% by material and media experts, respectively, and was categorized as valid. Assessments by teachers and students show scores of 82,5% and 94.4% in a very good category. This Powtoon animation video serves as an alternative and potential medium for teaching chemistry on this topic in the classroom.

Unlocking the potential of melting calorimetry: a field protocol for liquid water content measurement in snow

Abstract. Melting calorimetry, a classic experiment often conducted in high-school chemistry laboratories, holds significant untapped potential for scientific applications beyond its educational context. Traditionally, this technique has been applied to measure the liquid water content in snow using two different formulations: melting calorimetry and freezing calorimetry. In contrast to freezing calorimetry, which is considered the reference method for measuring liquid water content, melting calorimetry has been perceived as prone to generating significant inaccuracies. This research revisits the formulations for both melting and freezing calorimeters to assess volumetric liquid water content in snow. By incorporating the calorimetric constant, we account for heat exchange with the calorimeter, a critical factor often neglected in melting-calorimetry experiments. This paper identifies the most effective and least uncertain method for determining this constant. A central contribution of this work is the introduction of a framework for estimating uncertainty in volumetric liquid water content measurements, adhering to established guidelines for uncertainty expression. This novel framework allows us to revisit past mathematical analyses and demonstrate that melting calorimetry delivers reliable measurements with an uncertainty 0.25 % greater than freezing calorimetry. Notably, despite this slightly higher uncertainty, melting calorimetry offers significant practical advantages for field applications. Moreover, we show how the proposed uncertainty framework can be expanded beyond instrumental uncertainty and also take into account the variability from environmental factors and operators, providing a more comprehensive characterization of the uncertainty. By exploiting the proposed uncertainty framework, we finally conduct an in-depth analysis for the optimal tuning of the experiment parameters. This analysis culminates in a robust field protocol for melting calorimetry that transcends commonsense procedural guidelines. Strict adherence to this protocol will maximize measurement accuracy. Applied in field tests in Italy and Switzerland, the melting calorimetry was demonstrated to accurately track the wet front penetration in the snowpacks, producing results comparable to independent dielectric measurements. These findings highlight the accuracy and the practical advantages of melting calorimetry as a reliable field tool for quantifying snowpack liquid water content. Melting calorimetry can potentially serve as a valuable tool for the independent calibration and validation of proximal and remote sensing techniques used for liquid water content retrieval.

Exploring Challenges Influencing the Discontinued Utilisation of the Flipped Classroom Pedagogy: A Case of South Africa Underprivileged High School and Organic Chemistry

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated technological advancements in education. However, when the threat of COVID-19 subsided some schools discontinued the use of technology-enhanced flipped classroom. This study reports on challenges that could have influenced the discontinued utilisation of technology-mediated flipped classroom model that supported some of the underprivileged high schools of South Africa during the COVID-19 era. While acknowledging that the final decision on whether to discontinue rests with the teachers, learner challenges are equally important as they can contribute to the teachers’ decisions. Hence, this study, anchored by the TPACK framework and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, explored both learner and teacher challenges that influence discontinuation of the use of the flipped learning model. This entailed using semi-structured interviews of purposively selected teachers and learners (N=8) to close this gap in the literature on the use of flipped classroom in the post-COVID-19 era focusing on organic chemistry. Using deductive thematic analysis, the key challenges that could have contributed to the discontinuation of the use of this teaching model were identified as lack of access to Internet services, stable Wi-Fi and ability to navigate the online learning system, competence, motivation, effect of lack of support from the educational institutions and teacher overloading. These findings contribute to the literature on the continued use of this teaching model beyond emergencies such as COVID-19 by highlighting challenges that educational practitioners should be wary of. Additionally, the study has implications for the need to fast-track infrastructure and teacher professional development in underprivileged high schools.

Development of e-modules on global warming: concepts and solutions in senior high school chemistry education

This research aims to produce a learning product in the form of a flipbook-based e-module that is valid, practical, and effective for X students in the odd semester. Chemistry lesson This development research is based on the unavailability of innovative teaching materials that meet the demands of the merdeka curriculum. Development procedures using the ADDIE model which consists of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. E-modules are introduced to be developed into a new medium that is expected to support the diversity of learning resources and maximize learning outcomes. Validation testing was conducted by 3 validators. The validation results obtained were with average percentages of 80%, 85%, and 85%, so it can be said that the e-module is in the valid category and suitable for use. Based on the student response questionnaire, the e-module is also practical for use in X grade chemistry learning, with a practicality percentage of 80.6% and very effective in improving students' thinking skills with an N-gain score of 0.59.

THE ROLE OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN “GLOBAL WARMING” AND ITS APPROACH IN CHEMISTRY TEXTBOOKS

This study aimed to investigate the approaches taken to hypotheses describing climate drivers, especially the warming theory , in Brazilian high school chemistry textbooks from the early 21st century. We assume that the concept of the leading role of CO2 in global climate change is based mainly on theoretical data and fragments of information derived from computational climate models. In parallel, several empirical studies have pointed to the natural and cyclical nature of climate phenomena that have occurred throughout history. Therefore, we proposed to compare these studies with the content available in some of the main high school textbooks used in Brazil in the early 2000s, using Discursive Textual Analysis . According to the results, all the collections analyzed opted for unilateral warming approaches, derived from the IPCC ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ) reports, that is, without a comprehensive description of antagonistic and natural hypotheses about current climate change.

Peer instruction in chemistry classes: systematic review on contributions and possibilities

This work provides a mapping of studies concerning Peer Instruction (PI) in the teaching of chemistry. To this end, a systematic review was undertaken of how PI has been implemented and investigated in chemistry classes, as well as the impact of PI on the learning outcomes of students. The review covers the period from 1991 to 2022. The reported studies were mainly conducted at higher education institutions, at public universities in England, Turkey, the USA, and Brazil. In chemistry courses, the PI method was implemented in subareas such as general chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry. Some studies adapted PI to online courses, while others compared different types of peer groups and investigated the influence of different factors on PI, such as pre-class reading and showing live voting results. The effectiveness of PI varied depending on the way it was implemented, such as in peer grouping, online activities, or presential classes. The outcomes of PI in chemistry classes have mainly been monitored by means of the perceptions of the students, with performance in answering conceptual questions frequently being used as an assessment tool. This review found only a few studies concerning PI in chemistry, particularly in high school chemistry classes. Additionally, pre-class activities were not widely employed. Most of the articles utilized quantitative analysis and indicated positive outcomes for the learning process.

Research on the Application of Information Technology in Chemistry Teaching in Senior High School

With the rapid progress of network technology, information-based teaching methods have brought unprecedented vitality to senior high school chemistry education. Through the combination of information technology, a new science and technology, with chemistry courses, chemistry knowledge can be more vivid, teaching content can be enriched, students can be provided with a high-quality learning atmosphere, their emotional experience can be enhanced, and they can understand and absorb chemistry knowledge more deeply. Therefore, under the background of the new era, senior high school chemistry teachers should deeply realize that information technology has brought great opportunities to chemistry teaching, which can not only improve their information literacy, but also closely integrate information technology with senior high school chemistry, thus comprehensively improving the educational effect.

What Do Chemistry Teachers Say About Scientific Creativity and the Development of Rosella Flower Extract Indicators as a Learning Medium for Acid-Base Titration?

The rapid development of industry 4.0 makes scientific creativity an important skill for every individual to be able to adapt and develop. Therefore, in the learning process, it is necessary to provide for the development of students' scientific creativity both as a professional skill and as a general life competency. This research aims to describe teachers' perceptions of learning acid-base titration using natural indicators from Rosella Flower extract to increase students' scientific creativity. The research method used was a survey method by distributing questionnaires to 21 high school chemistry teachers throughout Bandar Lampung City. The results of the research show that 100% of teachers have never developed an acid-base titration indicator from Rosella flower extract, and trained students' scientific creativity by providing a real problem. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that it is necessary to develop natural indicators from Rosella Flower extract as a learning medium for acid-base titration to increase students' scientific creativity.

“I Did the Best I Possibly Could”: Factors Influencing Teachers’ Incorporation of Climate Science in High School Chemistry

“I Did the Best I Possibly Could”: Factors Influencing Teachers’ Incorporation of Climate Science in High School Chemistry

Technology Focus: Artificial Lift (October 2024)

Summer blockbuster season has passed, but it’s always nice to grab a bucket of popcorn and escape reality with a movie. Some movies even teach lessons—as in, sometimes it takes hard work and incremental improvements to advance. Chugging raw eggs, sprinting steps, and boxing meat slabs in epic training montages can be effective (Rocky), but so can optimization with computational flow dynamics. Paper IPTC 24243 shows that redesign of a jet pump sliding-sleeve coupling can considerably reduce pressure losses and increase throughput. The scientific method can even be exciting. Who doesn’t enjoy hypothesizing, experimenting, measuring, cleaning records, analyzing, and scaling up—especially if it pays off with a huge computer-generated explosion in the desert (Oppenheimer)? Paper SPE 218124 demonstrates the benefits of digitizing and analyzing operational data from electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) to improve run life and profitability. Paper OTC 34898 describes a comprehensive testing program to qualify load-bearing ESP deployment cable for corrosive conditions. Sometimes an overly precise plan draws us to the edge of our seats. The protagonist has recruited a crew of experts, rehearsed obsessively, ensured that every loose end has been tied, and yet some unknown still (temporarily) derails the vault raid (Ocean’s Eleven). Paper SPE 218028 attempts to bypass chance and minimize production interference by orchestrating a network of intermittently gas lifted wells. Is physics limiting what you can do? Then change the rules. You could move existence into a computer simulation (The Matrix) or perhaps start over with a novel material. Paper IPTC 23949 introduces fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sucker rods to accomplish more with less. Who doesn’t enjoy a quality sequel? There must be an infinite number of things that can be jumped with a car (The Fast and the Furious). Paper SPE 215010 analyzes failures of gas lift valves retrieved from subsea wells and could be considered a follow-up to paper OTC 30943, an artificial lift paper featured in 2021. Closure also can satisfy, even if it’s just the final act for a high school chemistry teacher with a side gig (Breaking Bad). With that in mind, it’s been an honor and a pleasure to pen the Artificial Lift Technology Focus page these past few years. I look forward to seeing who the directors cast next for this character. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 218124 Digitalizing the Management of Electric Submersible Pump Failures Through Failure Prevention and Post-Mortem Analysis Tools by Michael Ellsworth, Suncor Energy, et al. SPE 218028 Optimization of Gas-Injection Network Using Genetic Algorithm: A Solution for Intermittent Gas Lift Wells by Ankit Garg, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, et al. IPTC 24243 Increasing Oil Production With Jet Pumps by Reducing Pressure Losses in the Jet Pump/Sliding Sleeve Coupling by J. Soria, Sertecpet, et al.

How Can Crosscutting Concepts Organize Formative Assessments across Science Classrooms? Results of a Video Study

Ambitious approaches to science teaching feature collaborative learning environments and engage students in rich discourse to make sense of their own and their peers’ ideas. Classroom assessment must cohere with and mutually reinforce these kinds of learning experiences. This paper explores how teachers’ enactment of formative assessment tasks can support such an ambitious vision of learning. We draw on video data collected through a year-long investigation to explore the ways that co-designing formative assessments linked to a learning progression for modeling energy in systems could help teachers coordinate classroom practices across high school physics, chemistry, and biology. Our analyses show that while there was some alignment of routines within content areas, students had differential opportunities to share and work on their ideas. Though the tasks were constructed for surfacing students’ ideas, they were not always facilitated to create space for teachers to take up and work with those ideas. This paper suggests the importance of designing and enacting formative assessment tasks to support ambitious reform efforts, as well as ongoing professional learning to support teachers in using those tasks in ways that will center discourse around students’ developing ideas.

How does using an AR learning environment affect student learning of a radical substitution mechanism?

Abstract As the use of augmented reality (AR) in educational settings grows, it becomes increasingly important to understand how to use AR in classrooms. Here, we present an AR learning environment that we designed for teaching an organic chemistry reaction mechanism in high school chemistry classes. This new environment was tested in six tenth-grade chemistry classes (upper secondary) taught by five different teachers in three different schools over the course of five months and evaluated for effectiveness. Students completed knowledge tests before and after they used the AR learning environment to test their learning gain, and surveys to measure their acceptance of the technology, the cognitive load they experienced, and their attitude toward the use of AR to learn the mechanism for radical substitution. Analysis shows that the knowledge posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = 0.8). Student responses showed acceptance of the technology, experience of low extraneous cognitive load, and a positive attitude toward the use of AR to learn this reaction mechanism. These findings indicate that this AR learning environment can be used to teach the mechanism of radical substitution to tenth-grade students in introductory high school chemistry courses.

Intrinsic relations among chemistry, physics and mathematics in the brazilian high school: a theoretical-methodological approach

This paper reports an investigation into the dialogical relation among significant learning experiences of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics contents in an interdisciplinary context. It aimed at answering the following questions that are relevant to the field of Exact Sciences: why do students show little interest in these courses?; where is the problem?; did Chemistry and Physics abandon Mathematics when they started to focus more on qualitative and theoretical concepts than on quantitative ones?; and how can the three courses work together to make both teaching and learning processes easier?. This study presented an actual overview of the Brazilian High School by highlighting strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics teaching. The Brazilian educational scenario showed again that the three courses are the ones that students enjoy the least. The research methodology had a qualitative focus since it had an interpretative and descriptive nature. Answers given to the questions may be found in the text intertwined with some worrisome reflections, which also include the triad teacher-student-educational system. Results showed that further studies are needed to find out the reasons for multiple difficulties found in the intrinsic relations among Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. It is disappointing to know that no satisfactory practical solution has been proposed so far. Everything has been kept in the educational ideal described by research articles, chapters and motivational quotes.

Design transparency of high-school chemistry teachers’ guides: a comparative study

ABSTRACT The influence of teachers' guides (TGs) as an essential curriculum resource supporting instruction, professional development, and reflection among teachers has been well studied. However, there is scarce research on the design transparency of TGs whereby the intentions of curriculum designers are made explicit and accessible. To fill this gap, we conducted a comparative study of high-school chemistry TGs across four common topics in China and Korea to analyse the categories, frequencies and depth of supports found within them, specifically in terms of their (i) design rationales, (ii) storyline and (iii) other transparency supports. The results showed that their TGs exhibited more similarities than differences and placed the highest emphasis on explaining teaching methods which accounted for around half of their content. Another emphasis was on communicating rationales with the highest proportion of support devoted to explaining course objectives and the purpose of an activity. Nonetheless, storyline design transparency supports (especially concerning interdisciplinary connections) were severely lacking. These results hold implications for the development of more effective TGs for chemistry instruction in terms of explicitly stating rationales behind pedagogy and activities (i.e. “the why”), pointing out learning difficulties and use of representations by students, interdisciplinary teaching and implementing differentiated instruction among other supports.

Innovative Practice of High School Chemistry Teaching and Class Management Guided by Moral Education

Innovative Practice of High School Chemistry Teaching and Class Management Guided by Moral Education

International teacher survey on green and sustainable chemistry (GSC) practical activities: design and implementation

Abstract High school chemistry teachers typically share a passion to engage students with hands-on practical experiences. However, teachers worldwide face similar challenges of lack of time and resources for laboratory activities. National standards and traditions can also constrain and dictate the level and content of school chemistry practical experiences. In recent years, some national curricula have included a growing focus on the relevance of chemistry to sustainability and environmental issues. Until now, little has been known about what practical activities teachers actually do with their students, and whether practical activities concerning green and sustainable chemistry are being implemented in schools. In this project, we aimed to determine a baseline of teacher perspectives – how often they run practical activities with their students, what factors are important when choosing a practical activity, what barriers they face in running practical activities, and whether their activities relate to sustainability. This was approached through a major international survey of in-service high school chemistry teachers conducted in over 35 local languages in over 60 countries. Here, we present the initial stages of the project: design of the survey, recruitment of country coordinators, translation, and the implementation process.

Critical climate awareness as a science education outcome

AbstractThis paper presents the argument that climate change should be taught in schools as a sociopolitical and scientific process, and that students should be able to use their science knowledge to think critically about climate change as a social justice issue. A necessary and achievable outcome of science education is critical climate awareness—an understanding of the systems and structures that create and sustain climate change inequities. Through a participatory design research partnership, a high school chemistry course was designed and studied that focused on this outcome. Data from a single group, mixed method pre/postdesign show how a group of Black and Latinx urban youth appropriated critical climate awareness from the curriculum they experienced and how they used this awareness to explain climate change as a scientific and sociopolitical process. The findings show that students became concerned about climate change, if they were not already, and that they improved their knowledge of scientific concepts specific to climate change. In their explanations of climate change, students foregrounded sociopolitical processes that result in changes to physical systems, assigned agency for carbon emissions to diverse social actors in ways attentive to power dynamics, and articulated differences in consequences and solutions based on the racial and socioeconomic demographics of communities. This work has implications for transforming science classrooms into incubators for climate justice.

Developing scientific literacy-based concept mastery instruments for high school chemistry subjects

Research on the development of science literacy-based concept mastery instruments in eleventh-grade chemistry subjects in an even semester was conducted to (1) develop a science literacy-based concept mastery instrument, (2) determine student learning outcomes, and (3) determine teacher responses to the developed science literacy-based concept mastery instrument. The research method used is Research and Development (R&D) with a 4D development design consisting of Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate. The research subjects consisted of four chemistry teachers: one teacher of MAN Model Banda Aceh, one teacher of MAN 2 Banda Aceh, one teacher of SMA Inshafuddin, and one teacher of SMAN 5 Banda Aceh. Limited trials on cognitive instruments developed were applied to one class XI from each school. The instruments used were interview guideline sheets, teacher needs analysis questionnaires, and multiple choice test questions based on science literacy. The results showed that the science literacy-based concept mastery instrument was declared valid and feasible to use in a limited trial with an average validation result by validators of 98.70%. The acquisition of limited trial results on students from four SMA/MAN Banda Aceh City was 84.25%, so the instrument of mastery of science literacy-based concepts developed was able to improve student learning outcomes. Teachers responded positively to the science literacy-based concept mastery instrument developed with a very good category.

PH Measurement and Modelling as a Link between High School Chemistry and Mathematics

Investigating the acidity and alkalinity of solutions is linked to understanding the pH of solutions. At the secondary school level, this also means understanding the concept of the logarithmic function, which is a suitable topic for developing mathematical literacy. The objective was to design a laboratory activity in which students would not only measure solutions with the expected pH, but also construct a graph from the measured values without being aware of the dependence of pH on H3O+ concentration. This would enable them to identify the function that best fits the obtained curve. The problem presented discusses the limitations of the design and provides teachers with a basis for preparing the laboratory exercise, including a worksheet for students. The validation of the laboratory activity demonstrates that during the implementation of the exercise, students are able to construct a graph from the measured values and solve application problems related to understanding the concept of a logarithmic function.