Part of the Prentice Hall Series in Educational Innovation, this concise new volume is the first book devoted entirely to describing and critiquing the various theoretical frameworks used in chemistry education/science education research – with explicit examples of related studies. Provides a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives upon which readers can base educational research. Includes an extensive list of relevant references. Presents a consistent framework for each subject area/chapter. A useful guide for practicing chemists, chemistry instructors, and chemistry educators for learning how to do basic educational research within the context of their own instructional laboratories and classrooms.

Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2017 Award This comprehensive collection of top-level contributions provides a thorough review of the vibrant field of chemistry education. Highly-experienced chemistry professors and education experts cover the latest developments in chemistry learning and teaching, as well as the pivotal role of chemistry for shaping a more sustainable future. Adopting a practice-oriented approach, the current challenges and opportunities posed by chemistry education are critically discussed, highlighting the pitfalls that can occur in teaching chemistry and how to circumvent them. The main topics discussed include best practices, project-based education, blended learning and the role of technology, including e-learning, and science visualization. Hands-on recommendations on how to optimally implement innovative strategies of teaching chemistry at university and high-school levels make this book an essential resource for anybody interested in either teaching or learning chemistry more effectively, from experience chemistry professors to secondary school teachers, from educators with no formal training in didactics to frustrated chemistry students.

The Handbook of Research on STEM Education represents a groundbreaking and comprehensive synthesis of research and presentation of policy within the realm of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. What distinguishes this Handbook from others is the nature of integration of the disciplines that is the founding premise for the work – all chapters in this book speak directly to the integration of STEM, rather than discussion of research within the individual content areas. The Handbook of Research on STEM Education explores the most pressing areas of STEM within an international context. Divided into six sections, the authors cover topics including: the nature of STEM, STEM learning, STEM pedagogy, curriculum and assessment, critical issues in STEM, STEM teacher education, and STEM policy and reform. The Handbook utilizes the lens of equity and access by focusing on STEM literacy, early childhood STEM, learners with disabilities, informal STEM, socio-scientific issues, race-related factors, gender equity, cultural-relevancy, and parental involvement. Additionally, discussion of STEM education policy in a variety of countries is included, as well as a focus on engaging business/industry and teachers in advocacy for STEM education. The Handbook’s 37 chapters provide a deep and meaningful landscape of the implementation of STEM over the past two decades. As such, the findings that are presented within provide the reader with clear directions for future research into effective practice and supports for integrated STEM, which are grounded in the literature to date.

Problem solving is central to the teaching and learning of chemistry at secondary, tertiary and post-tertiary levels of education, opening to students and professional chemists alike a whole new world for analysing data, looking for patterns and making deductions. As an important higher-order thinking skill, problem solving also constitutes a major research field in science education. Relevant education research is an ongoing process, with recent developments occurring not only in the area of quantitative/computational problems, but also in qualitative problem solving. The following situations are considered, some general, others with a focus on specific areas of chemistry: quantitative problems, qualitative reasoning, metacognition and resource activation, deconstructing the problem-solving process, an overview of the working memory hypothesis, reasoning with the electron-pushing formalism, scaffolding organic synthesis skills, spectroscopy for structural characterization in organic chemistry, enzyme kinetics, problem solving in the academic chemistry laboratory, chemistry problem-solving in context, team-based/active learning, technology for molecular representations, IR spectra simulation, and computational quantum chemistry tools. The book concludes with methodological and epistemological issues in problem solving research and other perspectives in problem solving in chemistry. With a foreword by George Bodner.

In August 2005, over 500 researchers from the field of science education met at the 5th European Science Education Research Association conference. Two of the main topics at this conference were: the decrease in the number of students interested in school science and concern about the worldwide outcomes of studies on students’ scientific literacy. This volume includes edited versions of 37 outstanding papers presented, including the lectures of the keynote speakers.

This book brings together fifteen contributions from presenters at the 25th IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education 2018, held in Sydney. Written by a highly diverse group of chemistry educators working within different national and institutional contexts with the common goal of improving student learning, the book presents research in multiple facets of the cutting edge of chemistry education, offering insights into the application of learning theories in chemistry combined with practical experience in implementing teaching strategies. The chapters are arranged according to the themes novel pedagogies, dynamic teaching environments, new approaches in assessment and professional skills – each of which is of substantial current interest to the science education communities. Providing an overview of contemporary practice, this book helps improve student learning outcomes. Many of the teaching strategies presented are transferable to other disciplines and are of great interest to the global community of tertiary chemistry educators as well as readers in the areas of secondary STEM education and other disciplines.

Unique new approaches for making chemistry accessible to diverse students Students' interest and achievement in academics improve dramatically when they make connections between what they are learning and the potential uses of that knowledge i n the workplace and/or in the world at large. Making Chemistry Relevant presents a unique collection of strategies that have been used successfully in chemistry classrooms to create a learner-sensitive environment that enhances academic achievement and social competence of students. Rejecting rote memorization, the book proposes a cognitive constructivist philosophy that casts the teacher as a facilitator helping students to construct solutions to problems. Written by chemistry professors and research groups from a wide variety of colleges and universities, the book offers a number of creative ways to make chemistry relevant to the student, including: Teaching science in the context of major life issues and STEM professions Relating chemistry to current events such as global warming, pollution, and terrorism Integrating science research into the undergraduate laboratory curriculum Enriching the learning experience for students with a variety of learning styles as well as accommodating the visually challenged students Using media, hypermedia, games, and puzzles in the teaching of chemistry Both novice and experienced faculty alike will find valuable ideas ready to be applied and adapted to enhance the learning experience of all their students.

The SAGE Handbook of Research on Teacher Education offers an ambitious and international overview of the current landscape of teacher education research, as well as the imagined futures. The two volumes are divided into sub-sections: Section One: Mapping the Landscape of Teacher Education Section Two: Learning Teacher Identity in Teacher Education Section Three: Learning Teacher Agency in Teacher Education Section Four: Learning Moral & Ethical Responsibilities of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Five: Learning to Negotiate Social, Political, and Cultural Responsibilities of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Six: Learning through Pedagogies in Teacher Education Section Seven: Learning the Contents of Teaching in Teacher Education Section Eight: Learning Professional Competencies in Teacher Education and throughout the Career Section Nine: Learning with and from Assessments in Teacher Education Section Ten: The Education and Learning of Teacher Educators Section Eleven: The Evolving Social and Political Contexts of Teacher Education Section Twelve: A Reflective Turn This handbook is a landmark collection for all those interested in current research in teacher education and the possibilities for how research can influence future teacher education practices and policies.

Continuous professional development of chemistry teachers is essential for any effective chemistry teaching due to the evolving nature of the subject matter and its instructional techniques. Professional development aims to keep chemistry teaching up-to-date and to make it more meaningful, more educationally effective, and better aligned to current requirements. Presenting models and examples of professional development for chemistry teachers, from pre-service preparation through to continuous professional development, the authors walk the reader through theory and practice. The authors discuss factors which affect successful professional development, such as workload, availability and time constraints, and consider how we maintain the life-long learning of chemistry teachers. With a solid grounding in the literature and drawing on many examples from the authors' rich experiences, this book enables researchers and educators to better understand teachers' roles in effective chemistry education and the importance of their professional development.

Teaching Chemistry in Higher Education celebrates the contributions of Professor Tina Overton to the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning in chemistry education. Leading educators in United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia—three countries where Tina has had enormous impact and influence—have contributed chapters on innovative approaches that are well-established in their own practice. Each chapter introduces the key education literature underpinning the approach being described. Rationales are discussed in the context of attributes and learning outcomes desirable in modern chemistry curricula. True to Tina’s personal philosophy, chapters offer pragmatic and useful guidance on the implementation of innovative teaching approaches, drawing from the authors’ experience of their own practice and evaluations of their implementation. Each chapter also offers key guidance points for implementation in readers’ own settings so as to maximise their adaptability. Chapters are supplemented with further reading and supplementary materials on the book’s website (overtonfestschrift.wordpress.com). Chapter topics include innovative approaches in facilitating group work, problem solving, context- and problem-based learning, embedding transferable skills, and laboratory education—all themes relating to the scholarly interests of Professor Tina Overton. About the Editors: Michael Seery is Professor of Chemistry Education at the University of Edinburgh, and is Editor of Chemistry Education Research and Practice. Claire Mc Donnell is Assistant Head of School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Technological University Dublin. Cover Art: Christopher Armstrong, University of Hull