Learning from and about Industry for Relevant Chemistry Education

Abstract

Applications of chemistry in, for example, industry, medicine (health), and agriculture have important and highly significant impact on the students' present and future life. That is why learning from and about issues related to industrial chemistry and related businesses has great potential contributing all the three dimensions of relevance of chemistry education, namely the individual, societal, and vocational dimensions. In this chapter it is discussed how these industrial applications of science are influenced by chemistry and how learning from and about them can affect students' attitudes, interests, and their related motivation.

Textbook Sets Through the Perspective of the Orientation of the Intended Chemistry Curriculum for Primary and Secondary Schools

“…13 The teaching and learning of chemistry that incorporates aspects of the chemical industry thus embraces one of the most important features of modern life and its technological achievements. 35,36 In doing so, it can provide the opportunity for a broader focus that includes the interaction of chemistry and technology in society. 13,35,36 • The socio-scientific orientation of the chemistry curriculum emphasises socio-scientific issues 13 and focuses on authentic social issues.…”

“…35,36 In doing so, it can provide the opportunity for a broader focus that includes the interaction of chemistry and technology in society. 13,35,36 • The socio-scientific orientation of the chemistry curriculum emphasises socio-scientific issues 13 and focuses on authentic social issues. 37 They provide a context for understanding scientific information 38 and are not only the starting point of teaching and learning but also the central content.…”

Thinking about ‘real-world science’ for career orientation

“…The rationale for this practice was to provide a concrete pathway, drawing from the large body of research on relevance of science education, authentic and real-world science, uptake of science and perceptions of science and self, for schools and students to engage in a meaningful fashion with industry and develop a greater sense of the diversity of individuals and activities involved in scientific careers and perhaps see more of themselves reflected back. As further work indicates, exposure to scientists and authentic practices can have powerful effects for students (Childs, Hayes & O'Dwyer, 2015;Coll, 2015;Kashefpakdel & Percy, 2016), leading them to finding their own sciences classes more relevant and applicable (Hofstein & Kesner, 2015), and can lead to broadening certain aspects of students' perceptions of scientists and scientific careers (Stapleton, McHugh, Childs & Hayes, 2018).…”

An Analysis of the Orientation and Emphasis of Intended Grade-10 Chemistry Curricula as Represented in Textbooks from Different Chinese Communities

“…It is also thought that corresponding contexts provide chances to illustrate the relevance of chemistry education to the individual learner (Childs et al, 2015). The same holds true for many technological and societal issues that offer links to demonstrate chemistry education's societal and vocational relevance (Hofstein & Kesner, 2015;Sjöström et al, 2015).…”