An Exploratory Study on Green Chemistry Practices and Experiments in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Abstract

Although green chemistry had been promoted since 1980s, it is still quite unknown in Malaysia even among chemistry teachers and students. Hence, the success of environmental sustainability education would be hard to achieve if chemistry teachers did not have adequate competency and skills to cultivate students' green chemistry awareness and practices. This study investigated Malaysian chemistry teachers’ understanding, awareness and practices on green chemistry; and the impact of student-initiated green chemistry experiments on their practices of environmental sustainability; and on their achievement in the topic of electrochemistry. The survey involved 269 secondary school teachers, and the quasi-experimental study involved 77 secondary school chemistry students (n = 37 in control and n = 40 in treatment groups). A set of questionnaires for the teachers, and a set of tests for the students were employed in the study. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Analysis of the survey found the level of teachers’ understanding of green chemistry was at a moderate level, their awareness on the importance of green chemistry was high while the level of their green chemistry practice was moderate. The quasi-experimental results revealed no significant difference in the achievement between students undergoing traditional chemistry experiments and the green chemistry experiments. Nevertheless, students participated in designing green chemistry experiments were found to have higher level of green chemistry awareness compared to the control group. This study recommends that teachers should empower students with suitable mechanisms to address sustainable environment issues in classroom or laboratory instruction to promote sustainable practices among school community.