Growing Pains
At some point or another, I really started to dislike my chemistry degree.
On a good day, I sought refuge in non-chemistry courses. On a bad day? I grew tired of the half-hearted molecular structure drawings. Tired of recalculating an equation for the thousandth time and my answer still not being a multiple choice option. Tired of pandemics and Zoom recordings that didn’t help professors and students alike to feel more, well, enticed.
But above all, I grew tired of feeling like these concepts could not solve “real-world” problems outside medicine or pharmacy. Scientists are conducting brilliant work in these fields! But what about the rest of us? The many of us? Students that love chemistry and want to use this knowledge to make a difference outside of drug development. Does chemistry really have such limited applications?
Yet how could that be? People have told me several times over the years that chemistry is so important (which it is). That it’s everywhere (without a doubt). That it’s the central science (fair point). That “you can do so much with a chemistry degree.”
So why the feelings of disenchantment?
It’s Paradoxical
Chemistry is everywhere. It’s also unrelatable. Teachers and students across the globe are echoing this sentiment.
The Royal Chemistry Society (RSC) in the UK released the findings of the The Science Teaching Survey 2023.1 Respondents included teachers, department heads, and science technicians from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.2 Only respondents from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales responded to questions related to GCSEs.2
Some questions asked about curriculum or education system changes necessary to improve the quality of chemistry education.1 Take a minute to reflect on a few of the responses:
“Making the curriculum seem more relevant, frequently asked by students ‘why do we need to know this?’ or ‘what’s the point?’”
– Teacher, England
“Pupils don’t see relevance of topic to everyday life.”
– Teacher, Northern Ireland
“Topics should be relevant to pupils’ lives. Most will not study science beyond a high school level so [they] should leave school as scientifically literate citizens. [This] comes from a relevant curriculum.”
– Teacher, England
It’s not just the UK.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the Specialized Manual on Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education and Learning.3 The research described in the manual noted similar lack of relatability among students. One study revealed that Malaysian high school students pursuing chemistry courses did not find chemistry experiments interesting.4 They also felt that chemistry experiments did not encourage learning. Another study revealed reduced enrollment of Swedish students in post-secondary chemistry courses, and similar high school disinterest.5
So what can educators do?
Sustainability Content is a Must!
The RSC Green Shoots research study emphasized the need for sustainability and climate change content in the chemistry curriculum.6,7 Survey participants for part one of the study targeted 11 to 18 year old youth, UK educators, and Irish educators.6 The educators worked with 5 to 19 year-old students.
Consider some of the key findings:
- Four in five young people and educators identified sustainability and climate change as key concepts for the chemistry curriculum.
- Two-thirds of educators believe that the chemistry curriculum lacks enough climate change and sustainability content. This figure raised to nine in ten for primary school educators.
- 59% of young people believe that colleges, universities and schools are responsible for teaching people about sustainability.
- Three in four young people are actively seeking ways to tackle climate change.
- Some concepts that chemistry educators believe students should learn before leaving school include carbon literacy, life cycle impacts, pollution, etc.
- Some of the barriers that chemistry educators face in teaching climate change and sustainability include:
- Lack of knowledge
- Incompatibility with the curriculum
- Lack of time or resources for younger students (e.g., primary school students).
One strong motivator for teaching climate change and sustainability is to emphasize the role of chemistry in tackling global issues.
“It is important that students know how valuable chemistry is in the fight against climate change…to encourage students to take chemistry at a higher level as there is so much to offer them.”
Educator (11-19 Education)
To read the full results for part one of the Green Shoots study, click here.
Part two of the study surveyed 1200 UK and Ireland chemists working in the chemical industry and academia.7 The chemists also believed that climate change and sustainability content is a must for the chemistry curriculum. They also identified carbon literacy, life cycle analysis, and pollution as key concepts.
Many of the chemists argued that this education can reduce the skills gap between chemists and future green jobs. The researchers identified the following conclusions from the chemists’ responses:
- Almost seven in ten of the chemists think that there is a skills gap between chemists and future green jobs.
- Nine in ten of those that believe there is a gap in sustainability knowledge said the gap is moderately significant.
- Some limitations in skills and knowledge are in green chemistry, carbon capture, and chemistry impacts on the environment.
To read the full results for part two of the Green Shoots study, click here.
Thus, it is clear that educators, employers, and youth alike are calling for a paradigm shift in the chemistry curriculum. The need for more climate and sustainability conscious material is more adamant than ever.
What Can Students Do?
It is inevitable that changes to the chemistry curriculum will take time. Nonetheless, chemistry students can still educate themselves on the subjects of climate change and sustainability. Aside from courses offered by your institutions, check out the two online resources below to boost your knowledge:
- UN CC: e-Learn: offers free online courses on climate change. Many courses come with a certificate of completion. Some courses include “Net Zero 101: What, Why and How,” “Children and Climate change,” and “Climate Change Negotiations and Health.”
- ACS Institute: the ACS Institute offers many on-demand courses that are free for members. Check out the ACS Climate Change Advocacy Workshop or the ACS Chemistry Advocacy Workshop. Undergraduate students and graduate students can sign up to be ACS members here.
Let’s do our part to cultivate a paradigm shift in chemistry education!
If you’re interested in reading more about the need to revamp the chemistry curriculum, check out Francisco’s article here.
References
1Royal Society of Chemistry. (2023). Teachers recommend curriculum changes to make chemistry more relevant and accessible. https://www.rsc.org/policy-evidence-campaigns/chemistry-education/education-reports-surveys-campaigns/the-science-teaching-survey/2023/teachers-recommend-curriculum-changes/
2Royal Society of Chemistry. (n.d.). The Science Teaching Survey 2023. https://www.rsc.org/policy-evidence-campaigns/chemistry-education/education-reports-surveys-campaigns/the-science-teaching-survey/2023/
3United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2023). Specialized Manual on Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education and Learning. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/44540/green_sustainable_chemistry_education.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
4Karpudewan, M., & Kulandaisamy, Y. (2018). Malaysian teachers’ insights into implementing green chemistry experiments in secondary schools. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 13, 113–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2018.06.015
5Broman, K., Ekborg, M., & Johnels, D. (2011). Chemistry in crisis? Perspectives on teaching and learning chemistry in Swedish upper secondary schools. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 7(1), 43–60. https://doi.org/10.5617/nordina.245
6Royal Society of Chemistry. (2021). Green shoots: A sustainable chemistry curriculum for a sustainable planet. https://www.rsc.org/globalassets/22-new-perspectives/sustainability/sustainability-curriculum/green-shoots-a-sustainable-chemistry-curriculum-for-a-sustainable-planet.pdf
7Royal Society of Chemistry. (2022). Green shoots part 2 – Sustainability and the chemistry curriculum. https://www.rsc.org/globalassets/22-new-perspectives/sustainability/sustainability-curriculum/rsc-green-shoots-report-part-2.pdf
About the Author
Yasmin is a McMaster University graduate and Program Coordinator at SCIFAA. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Chemistry and a Minor in Environmental Sciences.
SCIFAA 