Affiliation:
1. “Ujedinjene nacije” Primary School, Serbia
2. University of Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
Industry field trips provide the contexts that enable students to improve their understanding of chemical concepts and processes. The aim of this research study was to explore to what extent students improve their understanding of water, solutions, mixtures, and the methods used for separating mixture components in the context of the waterworks, and what their views towards such an approach are. The sample consisted of 36 students aged 13 to 14 years, equally divided into the experimental and control group. The teaching unit Water and its significance for the living world was realised within the context of the waterworks in the experimental group, while in the control group it was realised using a conventional approach at school. Prior to the elaboration of the teaching unit the students from both groups had been tested using a pre-test, and upon the completion they were tested using a post-test. The views of the experimental group were examined using a questionnaire. The obtained results showed that the activities in the context of waterworks improved the understanding of the studied concepts, that students recognised the relevance of the applied context for their personal and societal life, as well as for their own future professional activities.
Keywords: chemistry concepts, context-based approach, waterworks, industry field trip, thirteen-year-old students
Reference47 articles.
1. Adamov, J., Segedinac, M., & Grandić, R. (2009). Analiza sposobnosti za učenje hemije kod učenika srednjih škola Analysis of the secondary school students' ability to learn chemistry. Pedagoška stvarnost, 53(9-10), 957-972.
2. Bennett, J., Lubben, F., & Hogarth, S. (2007). Bringing science to life: a synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching. Science Education, 91(3), 347-370. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20186
3. Braund, M., & Reiss, M., (2006). Towards a more authentic science curriculum: the contribution of out-of-school learning. International Journal of Science Education, 28(12), 1373-1388. http://doi.org/10.1080/09500690500498419
4. Brunton, M., & Coll, R. K. (2005). Enhancing technology education by forming links with industry: A New Zealand case study. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 3(1), 141-166. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-004-1516-1
5. Chowdhury, A. M. (2013). Incorporating a soap industry case study to motivate and engage students in the chemistry of daily life. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(7), 866-872. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed300072e