Aligned with United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG-13: Climate Action), this study examined levels of climate change awareness, beliefs, and pro-environmental behavior among high school students in Israel. The sample consisted of 360 students, including 139 Environmental Science (ES) majors and 221 students from other science disciplines. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, MANOVA, hierarchical regression, mediation analysis, and Pearson correlations. Results indicated moderate awareness of climate change across majors, however no significant differences in knowledge, beliefs, or behavior were found between ES and other majors. Students' beliefs in their ability to mitigate climate change were generally strong and served as the primary predictor of pro-environmental behavior. In contrast, awareness exerted a positive, but weaker, influence. Gender differences were significant, with females scoring higher across all dimensions. Correlation analysis further revealed a strong positive relationship between beliefs and behavior as well as a moderate association between awareness and behavior. These findings suggest that affective and motivational factors, particularly students' sense of efficacy, appear to play a central role in translating knowledge into sustainable action. The study suggests that strengthening the belief-action link in climate education may be a productive focus for future research and curriculum development.

This article reports on a co-teaching model implemented in general chemistry laboratories and in general and organic chemistry discussion sessions. In the laboratory context, undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) were paired with graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Their dialogues during laboratory sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to characterize the nature of their interactions. The results indicate that UTA-GTA exchanges were limited, largely due to the laboratory structure, which prioritized responding to student questions. Nevertheless, the transcripts revealed that both instructors felt comfortable posing questions to one another and suggesting strategies to improve laboratory instruction. In the discussion sessions, UTAs were paired either with other UTAs or with GTAs, and one anonymous written reflection was collected at the end of the semester to evaluate the model's efficacy. Taken together, the findings highlight the strengths and potential of co-teaching partnerships while also identifying challenges that should be considered when adopting similar models.

Understanding the importance and scarcity of critical raw materials (CRMs) is essential for preparing students to engage with sustainability challenges in chemistry. This study examined whether CRM-focused instructional activities could (1) improve students' environmental attitudes and (2) enhance their perceptions of sustainable development. A total of 418 General Chemistry students interacted with a web-based learning environment introducing 54 CRMs from the 2021 U.S. Geological Survey database. The intervention consisted of a one-week sequence of individual exploration and structured group activities connecting CRM properties to technological applications and supply risks. Pre- and post-surveys measured changes in environmental attitudes and sustainable development perceptions using validated Likert-scale instruments. Statistical analyses showed a statistically significant but modest increase in students' environmental attitudes following the intervention, indicating strengthened concern for environmental issues and conservation. In contrast, perceptions of sustainable development did not significantly change, suggesting that broader systems-level thinking may require more extended or explicit instruction. These findings highlight the promise of integrating CRMs into introductory chemistry contexts to promote environmentally conscious mindsets while identifying the need for additional pedagogical strategies to deepen students' understanding of sustainable development. Practical implications for instructors and curriculum designers are provided to support the incorporation of real-world resource challenges into chemistry education.

Every developed or developing economy is dependent on the safe supply of raw materials. However, not every raw material is available in every country; some of them are rare or unevenly distributed across the earth. This makes some raw materials critical because their supply leads to dependencies that could be at risk of disruption. Both the European Union (EU) and the United States (U.S.) regularly analyze the strategic importance and necessity of raw materials and publish lists of those considered critical to the EU or U.S. economy. Since these raw materials are chemical substances, teaching about the criticality of important raw materials is suggested as a socioscientific issue for chemistry education. This article describes two cases of learning about the importance and criticality of certain raw materials based on the official reports from the EU and USA. Teaching took place using digital learning environments for high school education in Germany and undergraduate chemistry in the USA. First findings from both cases are reported.

This study explores how integrating simulations into lessons on electrical conductivity in aqueous solutions and electrolysis affects eighth-grade students' academic achievement, motivation, and their perception of classroom climate. The study included 130 students (64 males, 66 females) from six classes in two Israeli middle schools, divided into an experimental group (68 students, simulation-integrated instruction) and a control group (62 students, traditional instruction). Participants completed pre- and post-achievement tests as well as motivation and classroom climate questionnaires. The results revealed significant improvements in achievement, especially for students with a lower initial performance. Additionally, when simulations were utilized, there was enhanced motivation to study chemistry. Simulations also improved students' perception of classroom climate across all dimensions, with no significant gender differences observed. A strong positive correlation was found between achievements and motivation, as well as between classroom climate and motivation. The findings underscore the value of simulations and digital tools in education, emphasizing their role in creating more engaging learning experiences. These results also highlight the need for decision-makers to integrate such tools into science education to foster better outcomes in student learning experience.

This research aimed to evaluate the awareness of pre-service science teachers regarding green chemistry, sustainability, and their perspectives on environmental education. A total of 198 pre-service science teachers from primary and secondary school programs at a teacher education college in Israel participated by completing a 34-item questionnaire. Among these, 29 prospective chemistry and biology teachers engaged in an intervention that explored the chemistry and applications of plastics and bioplastics. Following the intervention, participants completed a post-intervention survey to assess the program’s impact. The pre- and post-survey comparison showed a significant increase in sustainability awareness (1.92 to 4.36) and green chemistry awareness (2.17 to 4.20) among pre-service teachers. Paired-sample t-tests confirmed significant improvements in green chemistry awareness, sustainability awareness, and attitudes toward environmental education. While attitude toward environmental education had the highest pre-survey score, it showed the least variation in post-intervention. All questionnaire subcategories reflected positive increases, demonstrating enhanced awareness and attitudes after the intervention. This innovative approach to integrating sustainability into science education underscores the importance of preparing future educators to address environmental challenges in their teaching.

This study examined the relationship between the time students spend on practice problems and their performance on exams in various chemistry topics, considering their demographics. The researchers divided 91 general chemistry students into three groups based on the time allotted for solving intervention questions: Minimum, Average, and Maximum. The results showed that the Minimum and Average time groups benefited almost equally, but the performance of the Maximum time group declined. This suggests that, while additional practice is beneficial, there could be an optimal amount of time that students should spend on each question. Spending too much time on a single question can lead to mental and emotional fatigue, resulting in a decline in performance. Additionally, the researchers noted variations in performance across different chemistry topics and student groups, and they examined the relationship between student demographics and their problem-solving performances. The study provides recommendations for educators, testing services, and online homework systems to improve the effectiveness of chemistry instruction, highlighting the importance of finding the right balance between practice time and student engagement, and suggesting that a uniform approach to practice problems may not be ideal for every student.

The study reports a comparison of two first-semester general chemistry cohorts who were provided with the same instruction and course materials, but the format for their online homework assignments differed. One cohort had homework assignments organized using a block or categorized format, in which the concepts (e.g., limiting reagents) being assessed were identified for each problem. The second cohort had homework assignments organized using an uncategorized or interleaved format in which the assessed concepts were not provided. The two cohorts completed the same tests and a standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) final exam. Students who completed the uncategorized or interleaved homework assignments scored higher than the block or categorized cohort on each of the four tests and the final exam. Statistical differences, using a 95 % confidence level, were observed on the first test and final exam.

Chemistry teachers globally recognize the value of additional practice and offer students worksheets to enhance their skills and comprehension of material introduced in a limited class time. However, these static worksheets have limitations as they expose students to only a limited range of questions. As a result, online homework systems featuring adaptive technology have gained popularity, as they provide a more comprehensive learning experience and valuable feedback. Despite their potential to improve understanding, it has been observed that homework scores do not necessarily correlate with the exam performance. This is attributed to some students being impatient and relying on the provided solutions instead of finding their own. These students believe that memorizing solutions is enough to solve problems included in exams. Therefore, they lose opportunities to develop the necessary mental and emotional endurance required for independent problem-solving. To investigate the impact of time spent on each question before resorting to solutions, 91 general chemistry students were divided into three groups & horbar;minimum, average, and maximum & horbar;based on the time allotted for solving intervention questions. The results revealed that the minimum and average time groups benefited equally but the performance of the maximum time group declined. The data on completion rates of the intervention questions pointed out the increasing potential impact of mental and emotional fatigue caused by the extended time needed for each question. Based on these findings, a few recommendations were made for educators and publishers to improve the effectiveness of chemistry instruction.

This study aims to determine the cognitive structures of students at different educational levels (8th grade and 12th grade) related to acid–base chemistry. The research was designed as a case study and structured in two stages. The first stage analyzed concepts related to acid–base chemistry and their direction and strength in students’ knowledge structures. The second stage determined the descriptive and structural features of students’ knowledge structures related to acid–base chemistry in a more holistic approach. The study was carried out with a total of 160 students, 80 grade 8th and 80 12th grade students. A word association test (WAT) and the free writing technique (FWT) were used together. In the WAT, ten different frequency ranges were determined forming cognitive structure maps of the students. With high-frequency values on the map, it was found that the number of stimulus and response words decreased but the strength of associations increased. In frequency ranges where the frequency values of associations were low, it was found that the number of stimulus and response words increased and the cognitive structure organization was at the most advanced level compared to other frequency ranges, but the strength of associations was weak. In general, it was observed that there were no bidirectional and cross-associations between the concepts in the cognitive structures of the students about chemistry and that there was a static structure that included one-way associations only. Additionally, the concepts in the cognitive structures of students related to acid–base chemistry were analyzed in terms of their structural characteristics. It was found that, in the cognitive structures of the students there were no associations between many concepts that should be related to each other.

Making science relevant to students' lives, future careers, or societies by introducing controversial socio-scientific issues in classrooms motivates students to take more active roles in learning science. This study explored the influence of integrating two sustainability-oriented socio-scientific issues (SOS(2)Is) - alternative energies and nanotechnology-into the General Chemistry curriculum on 743 students' career aspirations and perceptions of science relevancy. For the presentation of topics, two learning environments on Prezi were prepared. The participants were guided to explore these learning environments that focused on pros and cons of each topic, including environmental and health hazards of technological developments. In addition, students were encouraged to link these discussions to sustainability issues in the context of the UN SDGs. The analysis of Changes in Attitude Towards the Relevancy of Science and Career Aspirations surveys indicated that the interventions improved students' perception of science relevancy and altered their career aspirations in many areas, regardless of their socioeconomic status and ethnic background. This study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of discussions around socio-scientific issues in changing students' perceptions of science and career aspirations and recommends practical methods to encourage students to become global and scientifically literate citizens.

Concept maps are powerful tools used to reveal challenges in students’ learning. However, their use introduces complexities when a large group of students’ conceptualizations need to be examined. In this study, concept maps of 344 general chemistry students were analyzed after grouping them based on achievement in chemistry, math proficiency, and gender. The analysis was also expanded with the consideration of eccentricity values and the extended chemistry triplet. Although some similarities exist between the map of high-achieving students in chemistry and that of high-performing students in the Mathematics Placement Test (MPT), the calculated eccentricity values show interesting variations. On the other hand, the analysis of the map of the low-performing students in MPT and that of low-achieving students in chemistry revealed no clear patterns of symbolic, macroscopic, and submicroscopic terms. Practical suggestions were included to increase the use of representative maps in different assessment and teaching scenarios.

This study aimed to examine the impact of years of experience and field of expertise on the development of chemistry knowledge structures from STEM experts comprising 103 professors, 10 postdocs, and 146 doctoral students. Of these participants, 127 were specialized in chemistry and the rest were from various science and engineering disciplines. Although most participants were part of a research university located in Northern California, the pool included a small group of experts from different universities and countries. The main source of the data was a Word Association Test generated with 17 keywords that refer to major topics or concepts commonly introduced in the general chemistry curricula. The knowledge structures were examined to determine if the contents and the orientations of the clusters varied between the expert groups. In addition, their analysis was enriched with the consideration of chemistry triplet designations and central terms identified by eccentricity values on each structure. The overall expert knowledge structure generated in this study was also compared to undergraduate structures determined by using the same instrument and methodology. The investigation of the structures revealed several differences between expert groups and provided insight into the transformation of novices into experts. The paper also presents practical suggestions for educators on how to utilize structures while teaching, informing their instructional practices, and reforming teaching materials.

In this study, 271 pre- and in-service science teachers in Israel were surveyed on their level of awareness about green chemistry and sustainability, as well as attitudes toward environmental education. Of the total participants, 123 were in-service science teachers with different seniority levels teaching in elementary, middle, and high schools. The remaining participants were teacher candidates studying at different institutions. The main source of the data was derived from a 34-item questionnaire that assessed teachers' awareness of green chemistry and sustainability and attitudes toward environmental education. The findings illustrated that the teachers' sustainability and green chemistry awareness was low in general, although their views on environmental education were mostly positive. In-service science teachers were found to have more knowledge about green chemistry and sustainability than pre-service science teachers. Notably, in-service science teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience were found to have more knowledge than those who have less experience. Teaching implications and possible future studies were presented as well.

Although there are numerous studies that aim to reveal the source of student failure in problem solving in STEM fields, there is a lack of attention on testing different methods to identify what works best in improving students’ problem-solving performance. In this study, the authors examined the influence of the type of problem construction intervention and compared it to the effect of traditional practice on 38 general chemistry students’ comprehension of problem-solving process as well as overall success with given stoichiometric problems. To determine students’ success with each subtopic involved in stoichiometric problems and to better understand the source of difficulty at a finer level rather than focusing on the end product as practiced in most studies, students’ solutions were examined using the COSINE (Coding System for Investigating Sub-problems and Network) method. The findings revealed that students who practiced the problem-construction method outperformed their counterparts in the control group who followed a traditional approach during their study session. An in-depth analysis also showed that the experimental group improved their success with seven out of nine subtopics while three topics observed an increase in the control group. The practical implication of the problem-construction method was discussed for a wider adoption by textbook publishers and educators across different disciplines.

Current studies on group work illustrate the importance of student collaboration for enhancing conceptual understanding and participation in science. Research also documents the roles students adopt within group work, with some studies illustrating the underlying power relations. This study sought to expand on prior research literature to understand power relations in group and technology settings in a chemistry context. Using a power relations framework, this observation study investigates the discourse between high school students learning about gas laws in an instructional sequence starting with unstructured group work, group work with assigned roles, and technology-supported group work with assigned roles. Three observations were completed for each approach across three groups of four students (n = 12; 9 observations total). Audio transcripts were analyzed by two coders, and interrater agreement was determined. The findings show that students discuss science concepts more when in unstructured groups and ask more questions when in groups with assigned roles, with or without supporting technology. Most of the questions asked in the groups with assigned roles are about the logistics of the assignments or group roles, as students require scaffolding from the teacher before engaging in science concepts compared to being in unstructured groups. These findings illustrate the potential setbacks to conceptual discussions for classroom activities when shifting student power relations with new roles and/or technology and point to important implications for science education.

One of the major challenges of teaching science has been engaging students in discussions of concepts due to lack of perceived relevancy of topics to students’ individual goals and societal issues. Science has been viewed as a set of abstract topics disconnected from the real world. To increase student motivation, self-efficacy, and interest in pursuing a degree in STEM fields, educators highlight the role of science in explaining environmental issues and generating potential solutions. One of our previous studies investigated the effect of learning about phosphate sustainability on general chemistry students’ perceptions of science relevancy. The positive outcomes encouraged our group to develop several comprehensive Prezi modules to introduce the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in science classes and reveal their connections to the topics taught in schools. The overall objectives of this project are to suggest an effective and meaningful method to make science relevant to students, enhance their sustainability awareness, and encourage them to take actions to help the global community achieve the SDGs. In this article, we explain the contents and structures of the presentations and discuss their potential uses in science classrooms to improve students’ curiosity and engagement. Additional informationNotes on contributorsEmma TribbleEmma Tribble earned a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry and currently teaches science at an international school.Rohan SkariahRohan Skariah is a third-year computer science major with a minor in technology management at the University of California, Davis, and currently works as a data engineer at Amazon.Emily TranEmily Tran is a fourth-year biological sciences major with a minor in education at the University of California, Davis.Ozcan GulacarOzcan Gulacar (ogulacar@ucdavis.edu) is an associate professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis.

The questions in the practice assignments given to students in the form of worksheets or other formats are often grouped by chapter, topic, or concepts. There is a great emphasis on categorization. Most of the end-of-chapter problems in chemistry textbooks are organized by sections. Although this was done with the intention of helping students navigate the assignments more easily and practice in order, it is not what they are expected to do during the tests. There is a mismatch between what they practice on and how they are tested. The goal of this study is to examine the influence of the structure of the assignments on students’ problem-solving performances. Two groups of students from chemistry classes were recruited to participate in this study. Each group had the same length of practice and identical questions with only one difference. The experimental group had assignments with mixed organization of questions, while the control group had traditional assignments with the questions organized around chapters and topics. Students completed three two-hour long problem-solving sessions during the weekends. Evaluation of their progress consisted of their solutions obtained from one pre-test and three post-tests, with one given after each problem-solving session. The study revealed that students in the experimental group increased their problem-solving success more than those in the control group starting from the first intervention. The achievement gap widened as the study progressed. It is recommended that educators and textbook publishers create and utilize assignments that contain more mixed questions on different topics and chapters.

This study focused on inquiring into undergraduate chemistry professors’ efforts in North America to increase student motivation and interest in the subject and the feasibility of methods that connect students to real world applications and societal issues related to chemistry. A survey was distributed to chemistry instructors at post-secondary institutions across the United States and Canada asking about the usage of methods and tools to deliver content aiming at raising students’ perception of the relevance of learning chemistry (N = 124). The instrument also asked about instructors’ perceptions related to assessment, as well as their perception of how their students value the integration of socio-scientific issues into the curriculum. A chi-squared analysis was performed to identify groups of individuals whose responses were disproportionate, compared to the distribution of responses from the sample, in order to identify any unique occurrences. In general, the usage of real-world applications and socio-scientific issues in post-secondary chemistry courses tends to be related to instructors’ value of the role of these topics in their courses, comfort level with the topics, and preferred approaches to developing and implementing the course materials.

A new teaching assistant model was adopted and qualitatively assessed for the general chemistry laboratory, in which both an undergraduate and a graduate teaching assistant provided instruction to students during the lab. Verbal interactions between graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants were recorded, transcribed, and coded using the modified Laboratory Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (LOPUS). The codes were applied to capture how discussions, questioning, and explanations were conducted. In addition, the content discussed was coded to identify specific areas that pose challenges for students. Sizable differences were not observed between the number of interactions of the initiation, explanation, and questioning codes between graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants. Of the interactions, 77% focused on questions and discussions regarding the experimental setup. Discussions on the implications with regards to the effective use of undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants in chemistry laboratories are included.