Understanding of chemical content in high school: difficulties from the teacher’s perspective

Abstract

Abstract This research is trying to uncover the difficulties encountered by high school chemistry teachers in teaching chemical content. A total of 30 chemistry teachers who were attending a regional teacher professional development program at the Institutes of Educational Development in Central Java were included in this study. The methods of collecting data by using questionnaires and interviews to respondents. The results showed that the difficulty of teaching chemical content experienced by 30 chemistry teachers from all over Indonesia was mainly due to the lack of knowledge of chemistry mastered both in the macroscopic, microscopic and symbolic aspects, the many concepts that must be mastered that were not interconnected, the low mathematical abilities of the teachers. The difficulties experienced by teachers are exacerbated by the difficulty of teachers to access various information and opportunities to participate in continuous professional development activities.