International teacher survey on green and sustainable chemistry (GSC) practical activities: design and implementation

Abstract

High school chemistry teachers typically share a passion to engage students with hands-on practical experiences. However, teachers worldwide face similar challenges of lack of time and resources for laboratory activities. National standards and traditions can also constrain and dictate the level and content of school chemistry practical experiences. In recent years, some national curricula have included a growing focus on the relevance of chemistry to sustainability and environmental issues. Until now, little has been known about what practical activities teachers actually do with their students, and whether practical activities concerning green and sustainable chemistry are being implemented in schools. In this project, we aimed to determine a baseline of teacher perspectives – how often they run practical activities with their students, what factors are important when choosing a practical activity, what barriers they face in running practical activities, and whether their activities relate to sustainability. This was approached through a major international survey of in-service high school chemistry teachers conducted in over 35 local languages in over 60 countries. Here, we present the initial stages of the project: design of the survey, recruitment of country coordinators, translation, and the implementation process.

Keywords

• practical activities
• laboratory work
• teachers
• green chemistry
• sustainable chemistry