Conducting Content Analysis for Chemistry Safety Education Terms and Topics in Chinese Secondary School Curriculum Standards, Textbooks, and Lesson Plans Shows Increased Safety Awareness

Abstract

The topic of chemistry safety was included at the margins of traditional chemistry education in China. In order to understand the concerns of the safety issues based on the new chemistry curriculum in the mainland China secondary school, this study analyzed old and new secondary chemistry curriculum standards via the Natural Language Processing & Information Platform (NLPIR). Results show that the frequency of chemistry-safety-related words increased in the new curriculum standards. Evidence that the safety content is enriched and enhanced can also be found in the new textbook. In addition, content analysis of lesson plans from Jiangsu teaching contests reveals that the chemistry teachers (CTs) pay more attention to the safety risk of experiments, but they generally ignore the consideration of risks from the perspective of the uncertainty of chemical reactions.

Evaluating and Promoting Chemical Safety Awareness in the Chemical Sciences

“…These answers demonstrate a good knowledge of chemistry, but poor knowledge of emergency response because students likely consider that bases can react with the acid and neutralize it rather than being aware that when an acid spills on the body, neutralizing with a base is the wrong emergency response, even dangerous, in this situation. , This can be addressed through embedding case studies into safety training videos to provide a discussion of such misconceptions and emphasizing how to properly respond in situations of chemical spillage on the body (Tables d and e in SI). Further, training in drills and practical exercises on how to use the emergency lab safety shower or how to act if it is missing is also required (Table e in SI).…”

Teaching Performance of Chemistry Teachers in Chinese Mainland during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Content Analysis Study

“…On the contrary, there is the least amount of literature on the study of JHS, − which can be explained by Chinese chemistry education system, where integrated science-based teaching is implemented at the JHS level in the Zhejiang Province of Chinese Mainland . That is to say, chemistry teaching only starts in the ninth grade and lasts for one year in the remaining areas of Chinese Mainland . Such a curriculum arrangement is a challenge for teachers, which means that they have to teach subject knowledge required in the curriculum standards within a limited time and schedule to revise for the High School Entrance Exam (an important test, also called Zhong Kao).…”

“…35 That is to say, chemistry teaching only starts in the ninth grade and lasts for one year in the remaining areas of Chinese Mainland. 36 Such a curriculum arrangement is a challenge for teachers, which means that they have to teach subject knowledge required in the curriculum standards within a limited time and schedule to revise for the High School Entrance Exam (an important test, also called Zhong Kao). Therefore, JHSs CTs are not interested in the innovation of online teaching; moreover, JHS chemistry knowledge is so relatively simple that is difficult to integrate the complex nature and work principles of the pandemic virus into class.…”

Exploring Adaptations of the VisChem Approach: Advancements and Anchors toward Particle-Level Explanations

“…This study demonstrates the value in using lesson plans as a window to better understand teachers’ ideas about and plans for teaching chemistry. While other studies have evaluated, compared, and investigated lesson plans in various ways, − lesson plans are more auxiliary relative to other teacher artifacts when characterizing teachers’ professional knowledge bases. − This study showcases how lesson plan analysis can not only determine the uptake of Johnstone’s triangle but also amplify underexplored teacher characteristics that affect fidelity. For the last 25 years, researchers have tried resolving the incongruity between what teachers report in surveys and the quality of interactions between teachers and students .…”