Reflections on Three Different High School Chemistry Lab Formats during COVID-19 Remote Learning

Kelley, Elizabeth W.

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00814

Cited by 40 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…During the summer of 2020, I read the Journal ’s special issue to analyze the main takeaways from other instructors’ experiences with laboratory instruction during COVID-19 ERL. After contributing one of the laboratory-focused action research papers to the COVID-19 special issue 34 and personally believing that hands-on laboratories are indispensable for a complete chemical education (due to my experiences as a student, my research background, and a teaching background in higher education and K-12 settings), my goal was to determine if other people had similar experiences, which suggested that a lack of hands-on laboratories had been detrimental to student learning and engagement—and, if so, how. With a small school grant (pre-COVID) in hand to develop a laboratory curriculum for an upcoming high school organic chemistry course starting Fall 2020, I also needed to determine whether adjusting the original curricular development plan for at-home laboratory work was worth investing the effort.…”

Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 47 High school general chemistry students at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (Chicago, IL) first completed a follow-up worksheet analysis of a f2f wet lab; the students later conducted two additional hands-on laboratories at home or video-based alternative assignments and completed follow-up worksheets. 34 At the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), analytical students focused on data analysis for the remainder of the semester, and the class sessions were devoted to addressing analysis mistakes and confusions. 74 Organic chemistry instructors at Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH) provided students with pre-recorded videos, and then students presented a COVID-19 journal article to their classmates in a final project, mimicking a symposium.…”

Section: Curricular Adjustments For Erlmentioning

confidence: 99%

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LAB Theory, HLAB Pedagogy, and Review of Laboratory Learning in Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kelley

2021

J. Chem. Educ.

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The role and efficacy of the laboratory in chemical education have recently been a subject of renewed discussion as researchers are called upon to address the question of whether laboratory education lives up to expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most of the global student population to temporarily adopt remote learning, offers an unparalleled case study to investigate types of outcomes resulting from a variety of adjustments made to laboratory education. This scoping review article focuses on the reports of laboratory learning in chemistry and closely related disciplines during COVID-19 to analyze the types of adjustments made to laboratory curricula and the immediate effect of these adjustments on students. The aggregated findings suggest that a lack of hands-on laboratory experience was detrimental to certain types of learning and engagement but that other types of learning were successfully achieved remotely. For researchers, departments, and university administrators, the differentiation in these findings could help inform the ongoing discussion about the future of laboratory education. For instructors and student support staff, the findings indicate potential areas of deficiency and strength for the COVID-19 student cohort going forward. Finally, a laboratory learning theory and pedagogy are proposed to guide the use of the laboratory in chemical education and potentially in other laboratory-based sciences as well.

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Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Curricular Adjustments For Erlmentioning

confidence: 99%

LAB Theory, HLAB Pedagogy, and Review of Laboratory Learning in Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kelley

2021

J. Chem. Educ.

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“…Although hazardous chemicals are often used in school laboratories, safety awareness and safety practices are often an afterthought in developing countries (Eguna et al, 2011). The recent global Covid-19 outbreak has brought into focus different forms of health-related safety awareness issues in schools, including chemical safety awareness (Kelley, 2020). Chemical laboratory safety (CLS) is the result of a combination of attitudes, awareness and safe practices in addition to a strict observance of procedures (NRC, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing Physical Sciences Teachers’ Chemical Laboratory Safety Awareness in Some South African High Schools

Gudyanga

2020

African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technol

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There is a scarcity of studies that focus on how South African high school physical sciences teachers are grappling with chemical laboratory safety (CLS). This is despite the fact that the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements in the South African school system increased emphasis on laboratory activities in the physical sciences. Department of Basic Education authorities have increased the supply of resources, including chemicals, in schools to ensure the successful implementation of the practical component. This quantitative study investigates physical sciences teachers' levels of CLS awareness through a conceptual framework developed by the United States National Research Council aimed at promoting chemical laboratory safety in developing countries. A laboratory safety survey questionnaire for teachers was administered to 72 physical sciences teachers from 72 schools in one province. The questionnaire consisted of 14 statements with a four-point Likert scale. Teacher CLS awareness was found to be generally suboptimal, especially concerning awareness of safe chemical storage and waste disposal, and emergency laboratory safety procedures. Results from the computed Pearson chi-squared tests for statistical significance suggest that teachers from better-resourced schools and those who had majored in chemistry had greater awareness than those from less wellresourced schools and those who had not majored in chemistry. Authorities could consider safety awareness training to accompany the provision of resources to schools and target those teachers who may not have majored in chemistry. Such training could include, but not be limited to, online laboratory awareness courses that exploit the use of multiple virtual tools.

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“…This was also the least frequently reported activity for students in Finland, which may be due to the difficulty associated with conducting science investigations without experimental tools and support from teacher and peers. Additionally, safety concerns and difficulty with distributing or obtaining resources have been shown to hinder participation in experimental activities while learning science remotely (Kelley, 2020 ). Students in both countries reported few opportunities to collaborate with one another in trying new activities and problem solving while learning remotely.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. and Finnish high school science engagement during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Maestrales

Dezendorf²,

Tang

et al. 2021

Int J Psychol

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When the COVID‐19 pandemic struck, research teams in the United States and Finland were collaborating on a study to improve adolescent academic engagement in chemistry and physics and the impact remote teaching on academic, social, and emotional learning. The ongoing “Crafting Engaging Science Environments” (CESE) intervention afforded a rare data collection opportunity. In the United States, students were surveyed at the beginning of the school year and again in May, providing information for the same 751 students from before and during the pandemic. In Finland, 203 students were surveyed during remote learning. Findings from both countries during this period of remote learning revealed that students' academic engagement was positively correlated with participation in hands‐on, project‐based lessons. In Finland, results showed that situational engagement occurred in only 4.7% of sampled cases. In the United States, students show that academic engagement, primarily the aspect of challenge, was enhanced during remote learning. Engagement was in turn correlated with positive socioemotional constructs related to science learning. The study's findings emphasise the importance of finding ways to ensure equitable opportunities for students to participate in project‐based activities when learning remotely.

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Reflections on Three Different High School Chemistry Lab Formats during COVID-19 Remote Learning

Cited by 40 publications

References 25 publications

LAB Theory, HLAB Pedagogy, and Review of Laboratory Learning in Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

LAB Theory, HLAB Pedagogy, and Review of Laboratory Learning in Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Probing Physical Sciences Teachers’ Chemical Laboratory Safety Awareness in Some South African High Schools

U.S. and Finnish high school science engagement during the COVID‐19 pandemic

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