1 ABSTRACT The current chemistry education solves problems related primarily to the setting of the curriculum contents, which would be professionally correct, appropriately extensive, and at the same time connected with current aspects of life in modern society, and to problems of teaching strategies that would stimulate the students into an interest in science and commitment to it. The main goal of this dissertation is to create an educational website with an interactive chemistry course for lower secondary schools (ISCED 2) and verify its effectiveness in school practice. The first part of the dissertation describes methods of interactive chemistry teaching supporting the increase of the students' cognitive activity and the effectiveness of the learning process using ICT. The second part characterizes the chemistry course thus created and lists various ways to apply interactive teaching in it. Our interactive course contains a total of 14 thematic units, each with 2-6 subthemes. All themes are processed with respect to the practical application of the subject matter using the listed interactive education methods. This course was tested in 2018-2020 during chemistry lessons in Kazakhstan and Czech Republic, and the students' opinions toward interactive teaching in this study were tested using a simple...

<p dir="ltr">Undergraduate general chemistry courses are often perceived in a negative light by students. Student attitudes towards chemistry play a significant role in their success in chemistry and retention in STEM altogether. Research has shown in K-12 classrooms that care-based instruction strategies can help to improve student attitudes towards chemistry, thus increasing student retention in STEM. Demonstration of an ethic of care in the classroom requires constant feedback and acknowledgment from the students to ensure their needs are being met. However, few studies show this ethic of care from the student perspective, and even fewer explore it in higher education. This study attempts to implement an ethic of care within two sections of a large-enrollment, second-semester undergraduate general chemistry course, assess the impact on student attitudes towards chemistry, and the satisfaction of the students’ basic psychological needs.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Student attitudes towards chemistry are a contributing factor to their success in chemistry courses and retention in STEMM in higher education. In the last decade, STEMM attrition rates have been an area of concern in the United States. Research in K12 classrooms has demonstrated that culturally relevant pedagogies (CRP) can improve student learning and attitudes toward STEMM. CRP consists of instructional practices and lessons that connect with students’ cultural backgrounds, experiences, and interests. However, few studies on these practices address long term improvements or treatments in a higher education setting. Integration of ethnoscience in course material is a CRP strategy that utilizes cultural systems of knowledge in relation to coursework. This strategy is now an area of interest in the field of chemistry education. This study uses an action research methodology to integrate ethnochemistry into a large, multicultural, first-year general chemistry course and evaluate the impact on student attitudes towards chemistry.</p>