Teachersʼ opinions about the effect of chemistry demonstrations on studentsʼ interest and chemistry knowledge

Vinko, Luka (author), Delaney, Seamus (author), Devetak, Iztok (author)

Chemistry is an experimental discipline that uses experimentation as one of its most important research methods. Laboratory work and other practical work are therefore also essential in chemistry lessons. Chemistry demonstrations are used by teachers as an educational approach that can increase students’ interest in chemistry and motivate them to learn chemical concepts with understanding. However, if the students are actively involved in the chemistry demonstration, it can be just as effective as or even more effective than students’ learning through experiments. The purpose of this research is to examine teachers’ opinions about the impact of chemistry demonstrations on students’ interest and chemistry knowledge. Based on a quantitative research approach, 81 primary and secondary school teachers from different regions of Slovenia participated in this study. Participating teachers completed an online questionnaire on their perceptions of the impact of chemistry demonstrations on students’ interest and performance in chemistry classes and on the quality of students’ knowledge of chemistry. The results show that regardless of the years of teaching experience and the frequency of performing chemistry demonstrations, the participating teachers consider such demonstrations to have a positive effect on the motivation and performance of the students in chemistry and on the quality of the students’ knowledge of chemistry.

• Language: English
• Keywords: chemical concepts understanding, chemistry demonstrations, chemistry teaching, students' interest
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 9-25
• Numbering: Vol. 10, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-117226
• UDC: 37.091.31:54
• ISSN on article: 1855-9719
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.893
• COBISS.SI-ID: 20949251

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 10. 9. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 08.07.2020

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta Univerze, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani, = University of Ljubljana Press
• ISSN: 1855-9719
• COBISS.SI-ID: 252707584

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Mnenje učiteljev o učinkih demonstracijskih eksperimentov na interes učencev in njihovo kemijsko znanje

Abstract

Kemija je eksperimentalna veda, ki uporablja eksperiment kot eno glavnih orodij preučevanja. Laboratorijsko in drugo praktično delo sta tako bistvena tudi pri kemijskem izobraževanju. Demonstracijske eksperimente učitelji uporabljajo kot pedagoški pristop, ki lahko povečuje učenčev interes za kemijo pa tudi motivira učence za učenje z razumevanjem. Če so učenci v demonstracijo aktivno vključeni, pa so lahko demonstracijski eksperimenti enako učinkoviti oziroma še učinkovitejši kot samostojno eksperimentiranje učencev. Namen raziskave je bil preučiti mnenja učiteljev o učinkih demonstracijskih eksperimentov na učenčev interes in uspešnost pri pouku kemije ter na kakovost učenčevega kemijskega znanja. V raziskavi, ki je temeljila na kvantitativnem raziskovalnem pristopu, je sodelovalo 81 osnovnošolskih in srednješolskih učiteljev iz različnih statističnih regij Slovenije. Učitelji so izpolnili spletni vprašalnik, ki se je navezoval na njihovo mnenje o učinkih izvajanja demonstracijskih eksperimentov na interes učencev in uspešnost pri pouku kemije ter na kakovost učenčevega kemijskega znanja. Ugotovljeno je bilo, da učitelji ne glede na delovno dobo in pogostost izvajanja demonstracijskih eksperimentov po večini menijo, da demonstracijski eksperimenti pozitivno vplivajo na interes in uspešnost učencev pri pouku kemije ter na kakovost učenčevega kemijskega znanja.

• Keywords: pouk kemije, učne metode, eksperimenti, učenci, motivacija