There have been numerous changes in the natural processes because of excessive human interference with nature. As the consequences of these interventions become increasingly noticeable, society has started to raise awareness about environmental issues and the impact of human influence on nature. Chemical education is one of the areas where students can develop competencies that will empower them to contribute to a more sustainable society and to the protection of the environment in the future. In chemistry education, this kind of awareness is most effectively encouraged through the example of responsible chemical handling, which can be passed on to students through experimental work, which is also an essential teaching method in chemistry classes. By including the principles of green and sustainable chemistry in experimental activities, students can be made more aware of the importance of preserving nature.
Due to the importance of green and sustainable chemistry in chemical education, further research and systematic integration of this topic into chemistry curricula is needed. While more studies related to experimental work and green chemistry are already being conducted at the tertiary level, there is a noticeable lack of research in primary and secondary education. In addition, there is a shortage of supporting materials to empower teachers who may not yet have much experience teaching these topics. Since teachers already face challenges when conducting standard experimental activities, it is expected that introducing experiments related to green and sustainable chemistry will bring additional difficulties and a need for support from experts in chemical education. The current situation highlights the need for further research in Slovenian primary and secondary schools on how to incorporate the principles of green and sustainable chemistry, as well as practical activities on this topic, into chemistry lessons. It is also necessary to explore what kind of help and support teachers need to develop this area in Slovenian schools.
The study employed a causal non-experimental method of empirical pedagogical research, using a quantitative research approach. The research included purposeful sampling, which included 95 primary and secondary school teachers from all statistical regions of Slovenia who taught chemistry-related subjects during the 2023/24 school year. Of the 95 participating teachers, 34 were primary school teachers and 60 were secondary school teachers. For the purpose of the study, the teachers completed an online questionnaire, which was divided into five thematic sections. The first section included general demographic questions, the second focused on questions about conducting experimental work in chemistry classes, while the remaining three sections addressed questions related to experimental activities that incorporate the principles of green and sustainable chemistry.
The study revealed that the most common practical activity in chemistry classes is demonstration-based experimental work, with student safety being the most important factor for the majority of teachers when selecting such activities. In general, the teacher’s level of education has a statistically significant impact on the frequency of including experimental work in lessons, whereas years of teaching experience do not. The results show that most teachers are familiar with the field of green and sustainable chemistry and consider it important. The data indicate that teachers are usually introduced to this topic and related experimental work for the first time through seminars, study groups, or professional development programs for educators. On average, teachers currently dedicate between 20 and 40 percent of experimental activities to topics related to green and sustainable chemistry, although they face several limitations in doing so. These limitations include challenges already present in conducting experiments in general (e.g. lack of time during lessons, insufficient chemicals and equipment in schools) as well as additional obstacles specific to this topic (e.g. lack of teaching materials, practical information, concrete examples for classroom use, and shortage of seminars and professional training opportunities). Teachers tend to incorporate this area of experimental work through general educational goals and across various content areas of the chemistry curriculum. They report that they adapt experiments to the principles of green and sustainable chemistry independently; however, this is not reflected in the voluntarily submitted teaching materials, which were analysed using the Green Star and Green Circle criteria. The results also show that teachers believe the current curriculum does not actively encourage the integration of experimental work related to green and sustainable chemistry into chemistry lessons. Furthermore, the findings indicate that education level, years of experience, and teaching level (primary or secondary school) do not influence the inclusion of green and sustainable chemistry topics in chemistry instruction.
The research provided insight into the current state of integrating green and sustainable chemistry into primary and secondary chemistry education in Slovenia. The results highlighted the challenges teachers face, as well as the opportunity for experts in chemical education to offer appropriate support to chemistry teachers in implementing experimental content related to green and sustainable chemistry.
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