Volume 7, Issue 1

Chemistry Teacher International (CTI) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal supported by the Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE) of IUPAC and the Division of Chemical Education of EuChemS. The journal aims to serve as a platform for teachers at all levels, with a focus on research in chemistry education. The journal’s primary objective is to disseminate reports of good practice, research articles and reviews with a focus on the teaching and learning of chemistry. Since the publication of the inaugural issue in June 2019, the journal has published 20 issues to date. Five of these issues are dedicated, as special issues, to different topics considered important in chemistry education. We are delighted that CTI has been well-received by readers worldwide. Metrics on impact factors have placed CTI in Q2. The journal has a global reach, with authors contributing from 60 different countries, making it an international platform for scholarly dissemination.

This paper presents the German translation and replication of the Students’ Understanding of Models in Science (SUMS) instrument, aiming to assess how first-semester university students comprehend the submicroscopic level in chemistry courses. The assessment of students’ understanding is a prerequisite for improving teaching practices, particularly in addressing the persistently high drop-out rates observed in chemistry and chemistry-related programs. Employing a quantitative methodology, a sample of 181 undergraduate chemistry students was surveyed. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, resulting in two statistical models that demonstrated an excellent fit to the data, although no empirical preference could be established for one model over the other. Based on the investigation, framing models as exact replicas of the natural world cannot be considered an empirically meaningful dimension of understanding models in science. Additionally, the reliabilities of the latent constructs were found to be insufficiently low to establish generalizable measurements. These findings are discussed with a focus on epistemology and advocate for a stronger integration of model theory in chemistry teaching and learning. Finally, the importance of establishing a stronger connection between empirical evidence and the implementation of curricular changes in higher education is emphasized.

Scientific literacy is required to judge and act in an informed and responsible manner. Science education strives to enable learners to become scientific literate. To achieve this, there are science-specific and linguistic challenges to overcome. When teaching and learning chemistry, it is important to be aware that language varies according to the discourse topic, the relationship between the interlocutors, and the medium of communication. In the context of chemistry education, students are meant to learn how to extract information from subject-specific text-types such as lab reports, diagrams, etc., and to produce them autonomously. To do so, understanding and applying the conventions of academic language and the subject-specific scientific registers is necessary. To deal with these challenges, the Erasmus+ project sensiMINT was initiated to support both teachers and learners. In cross-disciplinary communities of practice, linguistically responsive tasks are analysed, developed, and refined. The paper presents the theoretical background and introduces genre charts of different chemistry-specific text-types as constructed by the sensiMINT experts. The application of the genre charts for understanding and producing chemistry-specific text-types is demonstrated with concrete examples.

Chemical innovations enhance our quality of life by responding to challenges in e.g., energy production, medical care, and material development. Studying and understanding chemistry is essential for future solutions. However, chemistry is not accessible to all learners. In South Africa, the challenge is to make chemistry accessible to all participants, especially in the North West province, in poor schools without easy access to resources and with inadequately trained teachers. One way to make chemistry more accessible is through micro-scale chemistry. With this goal in mind, the MYLAB small-scale chemistry kit was designed. The kit was developed around the 5 ml test tube (our size determinant). We wanted all learners and teachers to have hands-on, minds-on chemistry practical experience. Thus, workshops were organised to (i) train the teachers in the use of the kits and (ii) to allow learners to experience practicals hands-on. This article gives an overview of how the use of the MYLAB small-scale chemistry kit was successful in making chemistry accessible to all.

Thermodynamics is a central topic of chemistry as it holds a crucial role in understanding chemical processes. Due to its complexity, level of abstraction and amount of “mathematics”, chemical thermodynamics is one of the most challenging subjects resulting in a huge number of inappropriate conceptions. To determine whether a chemical reaction is spontaneous in a particular direction, students need to apply a huge amount of chemical knowledge when completing a complex, multi-step thinking process. In a Design-Based Research project, we developed “unmathematical” instructional material that aims at supporting students in accomplishing this demanding task. By providing a step-by-step instruction and incorporating scaffolding measures, students are guided through four successive tasks. The material was implemented in more than ten upper secondary chemistry classes and four teacher education courses and was proved to be proper for independent work, supporting students in connecting thermodynamics to basic chemical knowledge. Working on the material enables students to overcome barriers in the field of chemical thermodynamics and to successfully complete tasks in the area of thermodynamics and physical chemistry. Teachers can easily adapt the material to specific contents, levels, and teaching requirements. Further, the supportive material can be applied to offer differentiated and individualised learning paths.

Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) was implemented during COVID-19 crisis lockdowns. New challenges arose and teachers sought support. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where teachers from similar backgrounds meet for learning and discussions, provided one channel of support. The study aimed to better understand PLCs’ role in challenging times. Therefore, we asked: 1. What challenges did teachers face, in addition to pedagogical ones, during ERT? 2. How did the various members of the PLC perceive support as shown by their descriptions of PLC activities? 3. In what ways did the ERT experience shape the teachers’ perceptions of mutual assistance? The research setting was a PLC network for chemistry teachers that met since 2018 face-to-face or via Zoom. PLCs were found important in facing both professional and emotional challenges. Discussions, sharing of teaching materials, and real-time support addressed professional challenges. Having colleagues who faced similar challenges provided support and eased communication. Thus, PLC membership helped teachers face daily challenges and improved their well-being. PLCs are therefore recommended for routine and future hardships. In practice, PLC leaders can use the results to improve teacher relationships. Conclusions add to understanding teacher collaboration in PLCs formed in diverse contexts.

The aim of this work is to use the laboratory platform as a unique tool for engaging and encouraging the students to develop critical thinking and guided self-evaluation abilities. Moreover, the fact that the teaching process in the lab is held in small groups enables the detection of difficulties in an early stage, thus allowing an immediate feedback and relevant assistance. Taking advantage of this unique environment we have developed a rubric score based interface for students and teaching assistants (TAs) aimed to encourage student’s reflection and engagement while enabling a rational and valid grading of students’ performance by the TAs. The rubric consists of eight parameters which are evaluated in each lab session, both by the student and the TA. Following the lab session, a comparison of both evaluations is performed by the lab manager thus enabling real time intervention and formative assessment, along with important insights on the learning process of the student. Our preliminary studies, performed in Chemistry laboratories, indicated that this methodology enabled an efficient formative assessment of the learning process during the course. This tool might help students to rapidly improve their performance in laboratory courses, by stimulation of a continuous reflection process.

The purpose of this paper is to modernize the educational process and the knowledge assessment system for students who study inorganic chemistry. Ways to modernize the current knowledge monitoring system were implemented by creating test tasks with a gradual increase in complexity, the so-called “three-dimensional model” of learning. As subjects for studying the practical application of this approach, 12 students were selected. The experiment took place as part of the study of the course of inorganic chemistry, which comprised 6 topics. At the same time, a holistic concept of knowledge assessment was selected, which maximally excluded any bias on the part of the assessor. Such reforms will help the state to train more specialists who will be able to compete with experts from all over the world, in particular engineers and technologists. All this testifies not only to the expediency of using a combination of these methods for teaching students of the Republic of Kazakhstan, but also to the need for further reform of outdated educational programs not only at the level of one higher educational institution, but also on a global scale.

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.

Under the SciCar project (scicar.eu), job shadowing and site visit activities were organised in science and science education research laboratories in order to support science teacher educators and PhD students in science education, having a background in science or science education research, to become aware about science careers and how they can support pre-service science teachers develop approaches for science career awareness. The following paper puts forward examples aimed at demonstrating how a job shadowing program and 2 site visits were supported for participants to become familiar with scientific research, within in the framework of Scientific Career Awareness (SciCar) European project (scicar.eu). At the end of the activities, the participants claimed that these activities supported their career awareness and they learned how to encourage their students to choose career paths in scientific fields.

This study investigated the challenges first-year bachelor teacher students ( N  = 24 in experimental and 36 in the control group) face in basic chemistry calculations, a critical aspect of chemistry education. This study investigated the effectiveness of a flipped-classroom model in a Chemistry Calculations course for pre-service teachers during the pandemic-induced shift to online education. A control group, which experienced traditional in-person instruction, and an experimental group, which experienced the flipped-classroom model, were compared. The students’ progress was measured through pre- and post-tests covering five types of chemical calculations, and interviews with 12 students provided additional insights. Results indicated that while students generally handle calculations involving composition of solutions well, they struggle with pH calculations, mixing equations, and balancing chemical equations. The study identified lack of attention to these topics in some secondary schools and students’ difficulties with mathematical concepts as key factors in these challenges. This research aims to guide undergraduate instructors in optimising course content to address these issues, thereby improving students’ performance, and reducing dropout rates. It highlights the need for further investigation into the teaching of chemistry calculations at the secondary level.

This study focused on investigating the usage of popular innovative technology tools (augmented reality-AR, virtual reality-VR, artificial intelligence-AI, and 3D printing) in organic chemistry education. Although there is bibliometric analysis for the exploration of using innovative technology in educational context, there is further need for research focused on their usage in organic chemistry. Vosviewer and Biblioshiny software were used for bibliometric procedures. The Scopus database was selected to trace the articles published in journals. Following the eligibility process, the study was conducted with 30 articles for the time frame between January 2014 and June 2024. Performance analysis was utilized to reveal publications and citation trends with the top contributors. Bibliographic mapping was used to comprehend the conceptual, intellectual, and social structures of the retrieved data. The results revealed that articles on innovative technology tools have enormously increased in organic chemistry education recently. We found that the first innovative tool among the selected ones that is utilized in organic chemistry education is 3D printing while AI is the latest tool to start to be used in this scope. Although artificial intelligence seems to be the least studied tool among them, its popularity has recently seen an acceleration. VR and AR had the highest average citations per publication.

Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly finding its way in chemistry education, and it is becoming an important teaching tool to help students understand complex chemical phenomena. Forty-six papers from two databases published between 2018 and 2023 on the implementation of AR in chemistry education with empirical quantitative research design, were analysed. The results show that learning effectiveness is the main objective of AR studies. Technology acceptance questionnaires and achievement tests were the most popular data collection instruments. AR was recognised as a useful and easy to use tool that helps students to improve their learning. However, no study has yet been conducted on effectiveness of AR on students’ understanding of the chemical triplet. Also, some challenges were identified related to technical issues with the AR app and teachers’ resistance to using this technology. Further research is needed to test this technology in different learning settings and with different types of learners.

Two laboratory experiments have been developed to engage students in scientific practices and to central ideas of chemical practices. The experiments are based on the model of pH color scale from plant extracts and its application on acid–base reactions. Three color pH models from red cabbage, radish, and flowers have been developed by students during the first experiment. After evaluating the merits and limitations of each model, the most appropriate pH indicator has been chosen to be used during the second experiment dealing with carbon dioxide production and properties. The activities have been designed in a way that fosters collaboration, decision-making, and the connection of chemistry to the natural world and everyday life. The majority of the materials are household, inexpensive and suitable for both face-to-face performance of the experiments at a school laboratory or for hands on activities on distance learning. The experiments have been implemented in (a) a training course to a group of 23 secondary chemistry teachers and (b) two laboratory lessons to a group of 25 upper secondary students. The activities of the laboratory experiments and the feedback from both teachers’ and students’ implementation are further described.

Many pupils who study chemistry in Scotland and intend to progress to university undertake a final capstone practical research project as part of their Advanced Higher chemistry qualification. This project work was suspended for several years due to COVID-19, then reintroduced in 2023/24. We surveyed 47 Scottish teachers during this first project year using a mixed-methods survey, and found that resource availability had the biggest impact on projects, with over half of respondents reporting that they asked pupils to buy materials and a third committing their own money. Technician support was seen as critical to success, but project selection was heavily curtailed by the availability of existing equipment or chemicals, even as teachers made good use of available professional development and other forms of support. We finally make recommendations around the resourcing of project work and teacher/technician CPD provision.

Gender imbalance in science has been well documented. Possible explanations include a lack of systematic strategies or policies to support women in science in general and chemistry in particular. This article aims to analyze selected programs that advocate gender equity and inclusion in chemistry. Forty-eight initiatives were selected via several steps of screening. Following a pilot study using systematic review as a research method, the named initiatives were analyzed considering their strategies, goals, and impact. The findings reveal that acknowledging women scientists and providing funding to enable and sustain networking (such as through conferences) are crucial for women scientists to become visible and recognized in academia. In this paper, we offer recommendations for other entities who would like to develop initiatives to encourage suitable environments for gender equity.