Cooperative Learning With and About Internet Forums: A Case Study on a Unit on the Consumption and Chemistry of Mineral Water vs. Tap Water

In today’s society, digital media play an increasing role in gathering and exchanging information. A growing part of communication takes place in the Internet and many people are increasingly influenced by information provided via digital and social media. Development of critical media literacy is needed, if the general public is expected to effectively deal with this flood of information and to become able to distinguish between correct and false information sources. Thus, critical media education becomes an important aim of education in general, and of chemistry education in particular when considering questions directly related to chemistry and its associated consumer products or technologies. The article describes a curriculum development case study investigating the integration of media education with chemistry learning along the case of learning with and about Internet forums on the topic of water chemistry. A unit integrating theoretical and practical chemistry learning based on student communication is described, which is built around a digital forum operated by Moodle. The unit design and findings from the implementation are presented.

Exploratory Considerations in Chemistry Education—Didactic Modelling for Complexity in Students’ Discussions

Research has shown the importance of dealing with real-life issues and of enabling student encounters with complexity in chemistry education in order to increase student participation. Therefore, this study aims to analyse how complexity evolves in students’ discussions and how this complexity relates to aspects of tentativeness in chemistry. In the study, we analyse how a previously developed didactic model can be refined from the students’ considerations evolving from the present context. The study was conducted as an in situ study in one upper-secondary school. Students’ discussions were recorded on video. The recordings were transcribed and analysed using deliberative educational questions. Two different kinds of considerations emerged in the students’ discussions: factual and exploratory considerations. While factual considerations are an important element of chemistry education, students also need to encounter exploratory considerations. The study proposes a didactic model useful for teachers in didactic analysis and design of activities aiming to support students to unfold complexity through exploratory considerations. One implication is to base activities on real-life issues in order to invite the unpredictability needed for experiencing complexity and the exploratory nature of chemistry. These issues enable students to experience aspects of tentativeness in chemistry and thereby increase their understanding of NOS and chemistry as a knowledge building practice. Furthermore, this might also increase student participation in chemistry education.

Pengembangan Novel Grafik Elektronik pada Materi Reaksi Radikal Bebas sebagai Media Suplemen Pembelajaran

This research was aimed to produce a valid electronic graphic novel on free radical reaction subject and to find out the student’s response to the developed product. This research employed Research & Development (R&D) method by using Thiagarajan’s 4D model with modification, in which applied only three of four steps in 4D model. The developed product was validated by experts. The responses toward developed product were collected from the students of Chemistry Education FKIP Untan who have taken organic chemistry course. Data collection tools used were validation sheets and student’s response questionnaires on the developed product. The validation’s result from the experts showed that the developed product was very proper in terms of content, presentation, linguistic, and graphic aspects with consecutive total scores of 94.0%, 95.0%, 89.0%, and 100,00% respectively. The results of the student’s responses in small group trials and in large group trials were of 82.5% with high category and of 83.2% with very high category, respectively. Thus, this electronic graphic novel on radical reaction has very good potential as a learning media to attract students to learn free radical reaction and its application in daily life.

Engaging Students Through Integrated Pedagogy

This case study presents a model of integrated pedagogy in a two-semester college-level General Chemistry course. The model was designed to engage students safely during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors use the term “Integrated Pedagogy” to emphasize that several modes of active learning pedagogy. The technology incorporated into the course was not as an add-on enhancement but as an essential and central element. The laboratory component was integrated into the course as an independent, self-directed experience. Informal student surveys suggest that the model may transform the traditional approaches to chemistry education to meet the changing needs of diverse student populations.

Exploring Scientific Literacy of Chemistry Education Pre-Service Teachers Through Socio-Scientific Issues Approach

Scientific literacy is an ability that must be had by pre-service teachers. This research aimed to find out the scientific literacy's ability of pre-service teachers in chemistry education. This research was descriptive with quantitative approach. Participants were taken by simple random sampling techniques, the participants are chemistry education students. The data source comes from scientific literacy tests with socio-scientific issues and open-ended question description tests. The validity of the data was tested using a data triangulation technique, in which researchers compare data obtained through test instruments and interview results. The results of the data analysis showed the scientific literacy of chemistry education students was dominant in the nominal and functional categories with a percentage of 33.2% and 24.2%, conceptual and multidimensional categories 13.7%; 4.4%; and 24.5% of students did not give answers the tests.

Preparing Modified Bonding Representations Inventory: Challenges and Solution

Collecting data on learners' performance in different chemistry contents and analysing them to identify their knowledge and understanding in related content areas is a major task of Chemistry Education Research. The data collection process on the learners' content knowledge and understanding of content knowledge requires a standard measuring tool. The preparation of standardized tools for measuring academic achievement requires computer software. All software used in the standardization of a tool comes at a cost and requires training for the researcher involved in handling the situation, which can impede the smooth running of a project. The same was the situation when the author was working on modifying the bonding representations inventory (BRI) for its local use in South Africa. The data analysis laboratory was situated in a different city, 500 km away from the researcher's field of work. Owing to the long distance and communication delay, the author was concerned with delays in the project. It is known that necessity, which can create an opportunity. The Microsoft Excel (MS-Excel) platform was used for standardizing the modified BRI because MS-Excel is available as a standard in MS-Office on the Windows platform. This paper presents a fact. That, a tool can be standardized by using MS-Excel without any complexity.