Amidst calls to incorporate inquiry meaningfully into the practice of laboratory work in secondary school chemistry and calls to investigate how teachers negotiate their professional identities under widespread reforms in education, this study sought to explore the interface of teacher professional identity and how teachers facilitate inquiry for learners during practical activities. Utilising a social constructivist lens and a qualitative case study approach, the study focused on three inquiry actions; namely, question posing, experiment procedure design and articulation of solutions through a teacher identity lens. Data capture comprised a mix of semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, observations, field notes and a research journal. Data was analysed utilising the content analysis method. Findings were fourfold. First, teachers displayed four identity positions in Inquiry-based Laboratory work, which was interwoven with their professional training, personal school experiences, beliefs and attitudes and sense of agency. Second, teachers’ professional identity influenced how they engaged learners in question posing, experiment design procedure and giving solutions as inquiry actions. Third, teachers held strong beliefs in chemistry as a two-pronged subject and utilised laboratory work to consolidate and develop learner understanding of scientific concepts and theories. And fourth the manner in which teachers facilitated inquiry in the chemistry laboratory manifested as an interface between teacher professional identity and the principles of IBLW. / Thesis (PhD--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / Unrestricted

<p> Certain concepts in the final year of Ontario's high school chemistry course, SCHOA, are often difficult for students to understand. This project presents the results of a study of selected computer programs that could be used to enhance the teaching of selected difficult concepts in an attempt to make them easier to understand. </p> <p> The identification of the difficult concepts was an important component of this project. They were identified by means of a student survey, teacher interviews, literature review and personal experience. The difficult concepts were identified, in order of decreasing difficulty, as: 1. Buffers, 2. Solubility, 3. Redox, 4. Independent Investigation, 5. Acid/Base Equilibrium, 6. Reaction Mechanisms, 7. Free Energy. </p> <p> Two programs were selected for evaluation - The Electric Chemistry Building and Chem1 Problem Proctor and a checklist was established to examine these computer programs. The two programs address the identified difficult concepts and use a variety of teaching techniques (tutorial, drill and simulation). </p> <p> Chem1 Problem Proctor consists of tutorial and drill lessons, suitable for use by students of SCHOA. The key objectives of this program are to encourage problem-solving and to promote an understanding of the principles underlying the chemistry concepts. The program accomplishes this to various degrees of success by requiring the student to make decisions, to make qualitative estimates before some of the calculations and by asking questions related to the concept but not necessarily part of the solution to the problem. </p> <p> The Electric Chemistry Building is a simulation of a building made up of three laboratories, two of which were evaluated in this project. The key objective of this program is to develop problem-solving skills by providing students with the opportunity to design and perform experiments, make observations and draw conclusions. </p> <p> Based on the evaluations of Chem1 Problem Proctor and The Electric Chemistry Building in this project, both programs appear to be worthwhile for use in SCHOA. The Electric Chemistry Building is a very good simulation program which would enhance the teaching of the difficult concepts of SCHOA. Chem1 Problem Proctor is a good tutorial/drill program which should be improved with respect to its presentation of chemical notation and mathematical formulae, and the feedback to its drill questions. Once these aspects of the program are corrected, it will also be effective in enhancing the teaching of difficult concepts of SCHOA. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

In der heutigen Zeit wie auch in der Zukunft steht die Menschheit vor dem Hintergrund einer rapide steigenden Weltbevölkerung und dem Klimawandel vor vielfältigen gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen. Die Nanowissenschaften bzw. –technologie stellen hierbei ein aktuelles und bedeutendes Forschungsfeld dar, dem ein signifikanter Beitrag zur Bewältigung dieser Problemstellungen zugeschrieben wird. Ungeachtet ihrer großen Bedeutung in Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft werden Inhalte aus diesem Themenfeld bislang jedoch nur zögerlich in formale und non-formale Bildungszusammenhänge implementiert. Dies eröffnet eine Reihe von Fragestellungen, allen voran ob dieses Thema für eine Vermittlung außerhalb der Universität geeignet ist und auf welche Weise es didaktisch aufgearbeitet werden kann. Anknüpfend hieran soll in der vorliegenden Arbeit zunächst aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln untersucht werden, welches Potenzial die Nanotechnologie für eine Vermittlung in Schule, Schülerlabor und Hochschule bietet. Hierbei wird herausgestellt, dass die Nanowissenschaften vielfältige Chancen für den Chemieunterricht bieten.  Aufbauend auf diese Grundlage werden anschließend Beiträge zur fachdidaktischen Konzeptualisierung dieses Themenfeldes vorgestellt. Im Rahmen einer didaktischen Rekonstruktion, welche den methodischen Rahmen der Konzeptualisierung bereitstellt, wird hierbei eine Klärung der Sachstruktur vorgenommen, um die elementaren Konzepte für eine Vermittlung herauszustellen. Von ebenso großer Bedeutung sind darüber hinaus die Perspektiven und Präkonzepte von Lernenden und Lehrenden, welche ebenso wie intrinsische und extrinsische Barrieren für eine unterrichtliche Behandlung empirisch erhoben bzw. identifiziert werden sollen.  Die ermittelten fachlichen Konzepte sowie die Perspektiven der Lernenden und Lehrenden werden schließlich miteinander verknüpft, sodass hieraus Leitlinien für die didaktische Strukturierung abgeleitet werden. Auf dieser Basis werden in dem Hauptteil der vorliegenden Arbeit nun in einem zyklischen Design Konzepte, Unterrichtseinheiten, –materialien sowie Lehrangebote für Schulen, Schülerlabore und Lehrer(fort)bildungen entwickelt, praktisch durchgeführt, evaluiert und weiter optimiert. Die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsarbeit wird dabei systematisch und in Anlehnung an die Basiskonzepte der Chemie erfolgen, um einen optimalen Anschluss an die Bildungsstandards bundesdeutscher Kerncurricula zu gewährleisten.

This thesis reports a series of studies into textbook authors', teachers' and students' use of analogies to improve students' understanding of abstract chemistry concepts. The five research problems considered: (a) the nature and extent of analogy use in textbooks; (b) the views of textbook authors and editors concerning analogies; (c) how, when, and why analogies were used by experienced chemistry teachers; (d) the development of an instrument to determine chemistry students' understanding of analogies; and (e) how chemistry students use the analogies presented as part of their chemistry instruction.Study One reports the findings of an investigation of ten chemistry textbooks used by Australian students for the nature and extent of analogy inclusion. The study found that, while used sparingly, analogies were employed more frequently in the beginning of textbooks and that the analogies used concrete analog domains to describe abstract target concepts. There was considerable use of pictorial-verbal analogies although simple analogies comprised a substantial proportion and stated limitations or warnings were infrequently employed.Study Two involved interviews with the authors of eight of the above mentioned textbooks to determine authors' views on analogies and their use in textbooks and teaching. The study identified a relationship between how frequently analogies were used by the author and what he or she considered to be the characteristics of a good chemistry teacher. Each author had a good understanding of the nature of analogy and each sought a flexible environment for its use - most arguing that analogies are better used by teachers than printed in textbooks. They appeared to favour analogies embedded in text or placed in margins rather than as post-synthesisers or advance organisers.Study Three reports an investigation into six chemistry teachers' use of ++ / analogies in Western Australia and England. This study found that the teachers drew upon their experiences and professional reading as sources of the analogies that tended to be spontaneously used when they felt their students had not understood an explanation. The analogies tended to map functional attributes of abstract target concepts with some teachers using the blackboard to illustrate pictorial analogies and some including statements of limitations.Study Four describes the development of analogy maps - instruments used to determine the effectiveness with which students map given analogies. The iterative development process engaged classroom-based research methods to develop an instrument of value both for teaching and for school-related research. A rating system enables researchers to compare students' effectiveness at mapping analogies with variables such as analogy type.Studies Five and Six describe how a combination of interviews and analogy map surveys were used to investigate how students used analogies in chemistry. The study found that students felt more confident with pictorial-verbal analogies although they were not necessarily able to map these analogies better than verbal (only) analogies. Also, student mapping confidence appeared not to depend upon the level of enrichment supplied and added enrichment did not necessarily aid mapping performance. Further, the analogy maps were useful as a means to identify alternative conceptions and there was little evidence that the analogy maps contributed to the formation of alternative conceptions in the learners.The final chapter draws together and discusses the assertions made in all of the previous studies before considering the contribution of the thesis to theory building. The implications of the research are discussed and suggestions made for future research on analogies in chemistry education. The chapter ++ / concludes by outlining examples of how and where the findings of this research have begun to be disseminated.

The intent of this study is to identify correlations that might exist between Web-based instruction and higher assessment scores in secondary education. The study framework was held within the confines of a public high school chemistry classroom. Within this population there were students identified as gifted and talented (GT) as well as those without this designation. These two classifications were examined for statistically higher assessment scores using a two-tailed t-test. Results indicated that females outperformed males on pre- and post- instructional unit tests. All subgroups improved their logical-thinking skills and exhibited positive attitudes towards Web-based instruction. In general, Web-based instruction proved beneficial to improving classroom performance of all GT and non-GT groups as compared to traditional classroom instruction.

The purpose of the study was to conduct documented research on two of the recently designed teaching methods of high school chemistry, the Chemical Education Material Study (CHEM Study) and the Chemical Bond Approach (CBA). An attempt was made to answer certain questions concerning differences in the two methods.

Yes / The abstract nature of physical chemistry and spectroscopy makes the subject difficult to comprehend for many students. However, bridging arts and science has the potential to provide innovative learning methods and to facilitate the understanding of abstract concepts. Herein, we present a high-school project based on the conversion of selected infrared absorbances of well-known molecules into audible frequencies. This process offered students a unique insight into the way molecules and chemical bonds vibrate, as well as an opportunity to develop their creativity by producing musical pieces related to the molecules they synthesized. We believe that experiencing chemistry from an alternative viewpoint opens up new perspectives not only for student learning but also for the decompartmentalization of scientific and artistic disciplines. / This project was supported by the Royal Society (Partnership Grant no. PG\170122 to NPEB and NG and University Research Fellowship no. UF150295 to NPEB) and the Academy of Medical Sciences/the Wellcome Trust/the Government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy/the British Heart Foundation springboard Award [SBF003\1170 to NPEB].

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This thesis is focused on analysing chemical experiments and their potential to help increase science literacy among vocational school students. Currently, greater emphasis is placed on the development of scientific and critical thinking at higher cognitive levels and science literacy. These skills and abilities can be achieved through tuition based on experimental scientific activities. For this reason, the main goal of this thesis was to review the quantity and method of processing of individual experiments in terms of quality and compliance with the given requirements. Experiments in the field of organic chemistry were taken from available vocational school literature and were analysed and evaluated. These sources were the following textbooks: Chemie pro střední školy, Chemie pro studijní obory SOŠ a SOU nechemického zaměření and the web page Studium chemie and the video database of chemistry experiments. Each experiment was evaluated whether it met the analysed criteria of transparency, connection with practical life, problem solving and material, technical, time and economic simplicity. Furthermore, the experiments were evaluated in terms of usability during various stages of tuition with regard to the development of students through different levels of inquiry. The last and main evaluation...

Title Textbooks in Chemistry - development and the current state Abstract The dissertation is devoted to the evaluation of selected chemistry textbooks from the period 1850-1980. At the beginning of the work is a comparison of the textbooks research in our country and abroad, the development of chemistry at primary and secondary school and historical development of chemistry textbooks in our country. Subsequently, there are criteria mentioned for evaluating textbooks, possible methods of research and finally evaluation of eight selected textbooks is carried out. The intetion is to make certain retrospective kind of writing history textbooks, which can be an inspiration to the authors of textbooks of chemistry. Presented perspectives, evaluation of textbooks and summary closure of analyzed textbooks can also help teachers to choose textbooks from a wide range of offers on the market.