Challenging Myths About Teaching and Learning Chemistry

A new perspective is required in approaching the chemistry teaching and learning instead of rote memorization that has been followed for ages. Employing blended learning strategy can enhance the teaching and learning of Chemistry. Blended learning strategy is an instructional methodology involving the integration of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools for teaching learning process. The present study was aimed at finding the influence of blended learning strategy on secondary level students' achievement in chemistry by comparing it with existing method. The blended learning model employed was a blend of technology enabled synchronous meetings and asynchronous activities. The study employed experimental method with pretest-posttest nonequivalent-groups design. The sample was selected from one of the semi urban CBSE schools in Kerala. A blended learning package comprising of both face-to face teaching and online media was developed for teaching the chapters 'Atoms and Molecules' and 'Structure of the Atom' from NCERT standard IX science textbook. The statistical techniques used for analysis of data are t-test and ANCOVA. It was found that the Blended learning strategy was effective in influencing the achievement in chemistry among secondary school students. The finding of the study has several educational implications for the policy makers, curriculum planners and teachers. If policy makers can integrate blended learning in the subject of chemistry teaching learning it can improve the achievement in chemistry among secondary school students.

The study determined the effect of interaction pattern approach on secondary students’ achievement in Chemistry. The study was carried out in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. Specifically, the pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group design was used. A sample size of 112 (45 male & 67 female) out of the 1,522 senior secondary two (SS2) Chemistry students was selected using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. A 50 multiple-choice objective items Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) developed by the researchers was the instrument used for data collection. The reliability index of 0.92 was obtained for CAT using Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance (w). Data were analysed mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that interaction pattern approach (IPA) significantly improves students’ achievement in Chemistry than the conventional lecture approach (CLA). Gender has no significant influence on students’ achievement in chemistry when taught using IPA. Also, there is no significant interaction effect of instructional approaches and gender on students’ achievement in chemistry. Based on the findings, it was recommended that chemistry teachers should make use of IPA to improve students’ achievement in the subject and promote gender friendly chemistry teaching and learning.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based approach and the Laboratory Training Model of Teaching (LTM) chemistry. It strived to determine whether the ICT or the LTM would be more effective with respect to the male and female students’ overall as well as component-based achievement in chemistry and their retention of learning. The sample of the study consisted of 120 seventh standard students from two English-medium elementary schools in Mysore city, India. Four homogenous groups were formed randomly for the study and the effects of independent variables were tested under experimental conditions. The Test of Higher Mental Ability in Science (THMAS) was used to determine the homogeneity of the participants. After one month, the delayed posttest for achievement in chemistry was administered to determine the retention level of the students. The statistical techniques used to analyze the data were the independent sample t-test and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicated that as far as the overall achievement in chemistry, component-based achievement, and retention of knowledge, comprehension, application, and skills are concerned, the ICT-based method of teaching chemistry was more effective than the LTM of teaching. The effects of gender varied according to comparisons.

This study investigated the effects of guided inquiry-based learning on student interest and achievement in chemistry in secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to sample of 240 SSII students from six public secondary schools, 40 students from one secondary school from each of the six education zones in Enugu State, were selected for the study. The students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught using guided inquiry-based learning strategy, while the control group was taught using conventional lecture method. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. Data was collected using Chemistry Interest Inventory (CII) and Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT). The instruments were validated and reliability tested. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that students taught using guided inquiry-based learning strategy had significantly higher mean achievement scores than those taught using conventional lecture method. Similarly, the experimental group had higher interest scores than the control group. The study also revealed that there was no significant interaction effect between teaching methods and gender on students' achievement and interest in chemistry. The findings suggest that guided inquiry-based learning strategy is effective in enhancing students' interest and achievement in chemistry. Therefore, chemistry teachers should adopt guided inquiry-based learning strategy in teaching chemistry concepts to enhance students' interest and achievement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for educational stakeholders as well as guided inquiry-based learning strategy is recommended for use in chemistry classrooms to improve student outcomes.

The study investigated the relationship between teachers’ content knowledge, qualifications, experience and students’ achievement in Chemistry in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. A sample of 25 Chemistry teachers and 187 Chemistry students out of a population of 98 Chemistry teachers and 2,897 SSII students respectively from Otukpo LGA of Benue State, Nigeria was used for the study. A validated 50 item Chemistry Teachers’ Content Knowledge Achievement Test (CTCKAT) and 25 item Chemistry Students’ Achievement Test (CSAT) was the instruments used to collect data. Reliability coefficient of 0.78 was established using Pearson Product Correlation. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design. Frequencies, and Percentages were used to answer the research questions and Pearson Correlation Moment Coefficient was used to test the hypotheses. The result indicated among others that there is a strong positive correlation between teachers’ content knowledge scores in Chemistry with students’ achievement scores in Chemistry (r= 0.89), the result also revealed that, there is a strong positive correlation between teachers’ qualifications and students’ achievement scores (r= 0.72), and also there is a positive correlation between teachers’ years of teaching experience and students’ achievement (r= 0.51). The study recommended among others that students’ achievement in Chemistry is likely to improve in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, if teachers engaged to teach chemistry have good content knowledge of Chemistry and good teaching qualifications.

STEM education is an area of great interest in Malaysia. However, learning STEM subject, focusing on chemistry at a younger age is a challenge among most of secondary school students. Thus, this study aims to investigate gifted and talented students’ knowledge and motivation toward learning chemistry, besides their preferred choice of learning. A total of 71 gifted and talented students taking chemistry at the age of 12 to 13 years old at a high school, were involved in this study. In this study, a survey questionnaire was used, as well as the Attitude toward Chemistry Lesson Scale and Glynn's Motivation Model. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyze the collected data, which included descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that students perceived chemistry to be important in many aspects of daily life. There was no substantial difference in the mean of male and female students' knowledge and motivation toward chemistry learning scores. The study's findings also show a moderately positive correlation between students' knowledge and career motivation, with the highest correlation value. This paper can help educators improve their students' knowledge and motivation for chemistry learning. As a result, educators' roles in bringing about changes in knowledge and motivation toward chemistry teaching and learning processes are critical.

Education is always evolving, and most recently has shifted to increased online or remote learning. Digital Learning and Teaching in Chemistry compiles the established and emerging trends in this field, specifically within the context of learning and teaching in chemistry. This book shares insights about five major themes: best practices for teaching and learning digitally, digital learning platforms, virtual visualisation and laboratory to promote learning in science, digital assessment, and building communities of learners and educators. The authors are chemistry instructors and researchers from nine countries, contributing an international perspective on digital learning and teaching in chemistry. While the chapters in this book span a wide variety of topics, as a whole, they focus on using technology and digital platforms as a method for supporting inclusive and meaningful learning. The best practices and recommendations shared by the authors are highly relevant for modern chemistry education, as teaching and learning through digital methods is likely to persist. Furthermore, teaching chemistry digitally has the potential to bring greater equity to the field of chemistry education in terms of who has access to quality learning, and this book will contribute to that goal. This book will be essential reading for those working in chemical education and teaching. Yehudit Judy Dori is internationally recognised, formerly Dean of the Faculty of Education of Science and Technology at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and won the 2020 NARST Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award–DCRA for her exceptional research contributions. Courtney Ngai and Gabriela Szteinberg are passionate researchers and practitioners in the education field. Courtney Ngai is the Associate Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Artistry at Colorado State University. Gabriela Szteinberg serves as Assistant Dean and Academic Coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Laboratory experimentation in the context of school science is a widely advocated teaching strategy for the simplification of several abstract scientific concepts. Laboratory-based learning activities have proven to enhance learners’ conceptual and procedural understandings of micro chemical phenomena, thus boosting achievement in chemistry content tests. In the South African education landscape where there is inequitable distribution of resources for laboratory-based science learning, this study exploited how available virtual learning resources could also be used for learning chemistry concepts, and further compared student achievement in chemistry content test post intervention with both traditional and virtual laboratory learning resources. In this quasi- experimental study, we provided a group of third-year pre-service science teachers (n=50) with four chemistry concepts to learn using a hands-on traditional (control group) and a virtual laboratory (experimental group) intervention. The same pre and post chemistry content test was administered to control and experimental groups of pre-service teachers (herein also referred to as students), before and after learning interventions, with the aim of assessing students’ achievements post- learning in the two different laboratory environments. Tests scores were analysed and the results of a paired-sample t-test showed a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-test results for all groups of students. Using independent sample t-tests, we further compared post-test scores for the control and experimental groups which revealed the mean post-test score of the experimental group (M = 79.36, SD = 8.306), being significantly higher than that of the control group (M = 68.72, SD = 9.076) at t (48) = 4.32, p < .01. The findings from these tests indicated that, students obtained significantly higher achievement scores post- laboratory learning interventions and that virtual laboratory interventions yielded significantly higher achievement scores than traditional laboratory interventions. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that, laboratory learning has a positive impact on achievement in chemistry and that virtual laboratories provide a worthy complement for traditional laboratories when learning abstract and difficult chemistry concepts. Implications of these findings and some recommendations for practice and research are also discussed herein.

Chemistry learning, industrial needs and the existing problems in society can be discussed and integrated into the classroom by implementing the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) approach. The focus of the STEM research conducted previously was on improving the skills possessed by students. Only few paid attentions to the perceptions of teachers in the chemistry class. The purpose of this research was to determine the chemistry teacher's perception of the implementation of the STEM approach in chemistry learning. The purposed-design survey method was used in this research. A total of 37 chemistry teachers were involved as respondents. The sampling technique used was random sampling by giving questionnaires to chemistry teachers from various level of education in around central java, Indonesia. The questionnaire instrument was used to determine teachers' perceptions of STEM learning in chemistry learning. The result of the survey conducted was chemistry teachers had a positive perception of the implementation of chemistry learning using the STEM approach. The main obstacle faced by the teachers to implement the STEM approach is that they are not accustomed to applying the STEM approach and there is limited time available for the learning process with STEM. Meanwhile, according to the teachers, by applying the STEM approach in the chemistry class, it can improve the students' skills needed in the 21st century.

This review systematically examines the impact of using improvised chemicals on students' motivation and performance in chemistry education. It employed a systematic literature review to gather relevant studies from scientific publications. The review utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and included 23 research articles published in reputable journals between 2006 and 2023. These articles were sourced from various electronic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus Index Journal, Google Scholar and ERIC, using keywords and topics taught with improvised materials and chemicals such as improvised chemicals, student motivation, performance, acids, bases, saponification reaction, and thermochemistry. The review highlights the potential of improvised chemicals to enhance hands-on learning, engagement, and academic achievement in chemistry. The collected data were analyzed using document analysis. The results revealed that the use of improvised chemicals enhanced students’ motivation and performance in chemistry. The findings suggested that improvised chemicals offer a cost-effective alternative to standard laboratory materials, reduce costs and promote deeper learning particularly in resource-constrained settings. The review identifies key gaps in the literature, such as the need for further research into long-term effects and teacher preparedness, and recommends support from educational stakeholders for integrating improvised chemicals into curricula to improve learning outcomes in developing countries.

This study examined the perceptions of Chemistry teachers towards the use of instructional media for teaching and learning across public secondary schools in Jalingo metropolis of Taraba State. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, two (2) research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. It was a descriptive survey research design with target population of one hundred and eight (108) science teachers out of which twenty (20) Chemistry teachers were selected using purposive sampling technique from ten public secondary schools in the study area. A researcher-developed questionnaire titled Instructional Media in relation to Teaching and Learning of Chemistry Questionnaire- IMTLCQ with reliability coefficient of (r=0.81) value after using Pearson Product Moment Correlation- PPMC analysis. Mean and standard deviations were used for answering research questions while independent T-test was used for testing the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed no significant difference in the mean response of male and female chemistry teachers on the use of instructional media; and a positive perception towards the use of instructional media for teaching and learning of Chemistry in the study area. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that teachers’ perception towards the use of instructional media for teaching and learning of Chemistry is positive, thereby suggesting widely acceptance of technology in teaching Chemistry. However, certain factors affecting the use of instructional media for teaching and learning were identified and appropriate recommendations were made, including involvement of all stakeholders in education for provision of relevant technological gadgets to facilitate effective teaching and learning of Chemistry across public secondary schools in the study area.

South East Asia is undergoing massive development in many sectors, so do the education. Good education needs a high quality teacher. SEA Teacher Project is a project held by SEAMEO to revitalize teacher education. Practicum for pre-service teachers plays a big role in the development of teacher in the future. Departing from SEA Teacher Project’s goals, this case study research aimed to explore how the teachers in the practice schools provided analogies and used visual aids in chemistry learning and how were student teachers’ perspectives in chemistry learning. The participants were 4 chemistry pre-service student teachers who experienced this program between 2016 and 2019. This research also explored the issues and challenges in the field to improve chemistry pre-service student teachers’ preparation, the fruitfulness of the program based on pre-service student teachers’ perspective. The results showed that analogies and visual aids are strengthen each other in chemistry learning. The SEA Teacher Project held by 2016 to 2019 has given significant experience of teaching for the participants.

This study was to find out the influence of individualized instruction on the learners' academic achievements in Chemistry in Public Day secondary schools in Kicukiro district, Rwanda. Specifically, this study determined the influence of pacing on students’ academic achievements in Chemistry in public day lower secondary schools in Kicukiro district, It also assessed the influence of student’ tutors on students’ academic achievements in Chemistry in public day lower secondary schools in Kicukiro district, Kigali city, and thirdly it examined the influence of frequent evaluations on students’ academic achievements in Chemistry in public day lower secondary schools in Kicukiro district, Kigali city. This research targeted students from lower secondary public schools, Chemistry teachers, and directors of studies. The sample size of 388 respondents was calculated using the Yamane formula and was composed of 23 DOS, 44 teachers, and 321 students. The data was collected using questionnaires administered to students and teachers, while interviews were administered to the director of studies. Descriptive statistics like mean, percentages, and frequency were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that a significant majority of teachers and students recognize the motivational benefits of hands-on laboratory experiments and group discussions in Chemistry. Notably, 61.4% of teachers and 68.2% of students agreed that independent learning and peer tutoring enhance understanding and performance in Chemistry. Furthermore, 61.4% of teachers emphasized the role of frequent evaluations in maintaining student attentiveness and improving academic performance. A strong positive correlation was identified between effective teaching practices, such as pacing and frequent assessments, and enhanced student outcomes, with a p-value of less than 0.05. In light of these findings, in order to improve Chemistry students' academic achievements, teachers should receive professional development training, parents should be involved, regular feedback mechanisms, and continuous monitoring and evaluation are suggested for individualized instruction strategies.

This article meticulously discuss on the theme of flipped classroom in learning chemistry at the secondary level by adopting an experimental design with a sample of 40 students. Exclusively this study has used pre test-post test control group design. The main objective of this study is to test the flipped classroom method, specialized for learning chemistry at the secondary level .Also this study has proved that there is a significant relationship exists among those hypotheses tested. Hence this piece of research throws light on the impact of flipped classroom in learning chemistry at the secondary level. KEY WORDS: Flipped Classroom Method, Secondary School, Achievement in Chemistry.

Scientific Creativity is fundamental skill that must be possessed by students in chemistry learning. In Indonesia, curriculum has emphasized to learner-center which has been one of supporting scientific creativity. However, the main controller in class is still teacher. Unfortunately, there were still any of them implements teacher-center. This study aims to study what extent of implementation of scientific creativity in chemistry learning among chemistry teachers. This study was qualitative research with case study approach. There were 5 chemistry teachers in Riau Indonesia selected through purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through interview and further was analyzed using thematic analysis. The chemistry teachers in this study have not yet implemented maximally, in which there were still teachers use of questions that did not lead to open-ended questions, teachers tended to focus on technical products, and less effort in providing opportunities for students to express their ideas. The lack of implementation of scientific creativity in this study showed that even though curriculum has supported it, but it still needs observation what extend teachers’ performance in the classroom. Therefore, enhancement of scientific creativity could be done appropriately.