journal: Chemistry Teacher International

Open Access Published since June 20, 2019

Chemistry Teacher International

Best Practices in Chemistry Education

ISSN: 2569-3263

Editor-in-chief: Jan Apotheker

Submit manuscript

About this journal

Aims and Scope

Chemistry Teacher International (CTI) is a peer-reviewed Open Access journal from the Committee on Chemistry Education of IUPAC. The journal aims to be a platform for teachers of all levels, focusing on researchers in chemistry education. The objectives of the journal are:

Bridging the gap between research and education
Creating a platform for all IUPAC activities in the field of education
Building an international journal not linked to a specific area or nation

IUPAC and De Gruyter

In addition to Chemistry Teacher International, De Gruyter is proud to partner with IUPAC in the publication of the society's flagship monthly journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry, as well as the society's quarterly newsmagazine, Chemistry International. You may also be interested in the IUPAC Standards Database. Links to all of the IUPAC Content available on De Gruyter Online can be found at the IUPAC & De Gruyter Home Page, alongside special content, such as themed Virtual Issues of content drawn from across journals and volume years.

CALLS FOR PAPERS

CTI is planning to publish a special issue entitled “Chemistry Education and Cultural Heritage”. In this special issue, we are looking for contributions about the way cultural heritage has played a role in formal and informal settings. In schools/universities, science centres and museums, cultural heritage is used to learn about science and chemistry in particular. We are inviting contributors from around the globe. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2022.

CTI is planning to publish a special issue of Chemistry Teacher International (CTI), that will contain 10 to 12 articles that describe methods and teaching tools to learn about e-waste. Preferably the article should demonstrate ways to teach high school and/or university students about the problem of and potential solutions to e-waste. This could include in-class exercises, laboratory experiments, demonstrations or other activities. We are inviting contributors from around the globe. The deadline for submission is June 30, 2023.

MOST CITED ARTICLERS IN CTI

Vohlídal, Jiří. "Polymer degradation: a short review", Vol. 3 Issue 2, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2020-0015
Graulich, Nicole and Caspari, Ira. "Designing a scaffold for mechanistic reasoning in organic chemistry", Vol. 3 Issue 1, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2020-0001
Pernaa, Johannes and Wiedmer, Susanne. "A systematic review of 3D printing in chemistry education – analysis of earlier research and educational use through technological pedagogical content knowledge framework", Vol. 2 Issue 2, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2019-0005
Baluyut, John Y. and Holme, Thomas A. "Eye tracking student strategies for solving stoichiometry problems involving particulate nature of matter diagrams" Vol. 1 Issue 1, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2018-0003
Kim, Sunghwan; Gindulyte, Asta; Zhang, Jian; Thiessen, Paul A., and Bolton, Evan E. "PubChem Periodic Table and Element pages: improving access to information on chemical elements from authoritative sources", Vol. 3 Issue 1, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2020-0006

Abstracting and Indexing

Chemistry Teacher International is covered by the following services:

Baidu Scholar
Chronos Hub
CNKI Scholar (China National Knowledge Infrastructure)
CNPIEC - cnpLINKer
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
EBSCO Discovery Service
Google Scholar
J-Gate
KESLI-NDSL (Korean National Discovery for Science Leaders)
MyScienceWork
Naver Academic
Naviga (Softweco)
Primo Central (ExLibris)
ReadCube
SCImago (SJR)
SCOPUS
Semantic Scholar
Summon (ProQuest)
TDNet
Web of Science - Emerging Sources Citation Index
X-MOL
Yewno Discover

Supplementary Materials

Topics

External Links

Volume 4 Issue 4

December 2022

Publicly Available December 30, 2022

Frontmatter

Page range: i-ii

Download PDF

Research Article

Open Access August 4, 2022

Difficulties of novice students in solving the final concentration value of a mixture of solutions

Elvira Vaccaro, Carlos Stella, Manuel Alonso

Page range: 297-305

More Download PDF

Abstract

In this paper, we investigated and classified the answers of college freshmen when asked about “the final concentration value of a mixture of solutions ”. Prior to the explanation of the topic in class, a diagnostic questionnaire on “solutions” was presented to 532 first year students in the chemistry course at the University of Buenos Aires. The questionnaire consisted of three questions assessing the same concept: the calculation of the final concentration of a solution obtained mixing a concentrated and a dilute solution of the same solute. The format of the three questions was multiple choice answer with justification, but they differed in their chemical language style: chemical formulas, verbal-procedural, and visual languages were used. It was noted a trend to apply mathematical calculations, when chemical problems are addressed, even when such calculations are not necessary. Thus, obtaining a numerical result would be considered appropriate by the students, with no analysis of the significance of the value obtained. Nevertheless, question which uses visual language was answered correctly by a greater number of students. This would allow inferring that the use of this language brings students closer to a better understanding of the situation.

Special Issue Paper

Open Access August 29, 2022

Basic principle and good practices of rheology for polymers for teachers and beginners

Hairunnisa Ramli, Nurul Fatahah Asyqin Zainal, Michael Hess, Chin Han Chan

Page range: 307-326

More Download PDF

Abstract

We present a basic principle and good practices of the rheology of polymers, particularly for teachers or lecturers at colleges or universities for educational purposes, as well as for beginner researchers who may refer to this article as their self-learning resources. Basic consideration of the experimental methods using parallel-plate oscillatory rheometer and step-by-step guidelines for the estimation of the power law dependence of storage, G ′ and loss, G ″ modulus as well as the estimation of the relaxation time at f cross G ′ − G ′′ ${f}_{\,\mathrm{cross}}^{\,{G}^{\prime }-{G}^{\prime \prime }}$ at terminal zone using various approaches such as commercial graphical software, manual graphical approach and commercial rheometer software are highlighted. Good practices for data interpretation using different approaches are described and compared where the outcomes revealed the manual graphical approach or commercial graphical software yield comparable results with the commercial rheometer software. In order to have better insight, several examples and exercises which are applicable for teaching and self-learning activities are also provided.

Good Practice Reports

Open Access September 15, 2022

Some people and personalities of organic chemistry: a teaching hook for mid-level university students

Katrina Mackey, Martin McHugh, Gerard P. McGlacken

Page range: 327-338

More Download PDF

Abstract

Organic chemistry often represents a key impasse for students during their third level science education. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to perceived difficulties in learning the subject. Moreover, the teaching of multi-step organic synthesis at third level has well-documented challenges. At University College Cork (UCC), we have adopted a strategy to engage students at the mid to late degree stage using an innovative teaching hook, to inspire interest and engagement. The approach was taken to outline chronologically some of the seminal breakthroughs in synthesis, and organic chemistry more generally, from the 1950 s to a few of the current leaders of today. Importantly the focus is on the people, the circumstance and the stories surrounding them. As a relevance-based hooking strategy grounded in a storytelling pedagogy, the goal was to inform students of the potential in organic chemistry and thus spark their interest for the subsequent lectures. Over multiple interventions, feedback from students has been highly positive. We posit that the design framework behind the ‘The People and Personalities’ could be adapted to many disciplines in a similarly successful manner. Overall, this approach proved inspirational for students, and was a most timely intervention in their degree program.

Open Access October 17, 2022

A billion times smaller than us: helping students comprehend the molecular scale

Jaspreet Sidhu, J. Scott McIndoe

Page range: 339-342

More Download PDF

Abstract

Comprehension of molecular scale is an essential component of a chemistry student’s education. However, it is especially difficult for most to wrap their heads around just how small the nanometer scale is at which the molecules they are taught about exist. Using 3D printing techniques to aid in visualization, we can model spherical molecules, namely buckminsterfullerene (C 60 ) and the cuboctahedral gold cluster Au 55 , and scale them up by eight orders of magnitude. The new size of these molecules is comparable to a globe 13 cm in diameter, a model of the Earth scaled down by eight orders of magnitude. Seeing and holding both of these objects resized to similar dimensions, students are able to get a sense of how the molecular scale compares to the handheld scale. The fact that the molecule is scaled up by a factor of 10 24 in volume also nicely contextualizes the magnitude of Avogadro’s number (∼0.6 × 10 24 ), the constant of proportionality that converts the molecular scale to the handheld scale.

Research Articles

Open Access October 11, 2022

A curriculum-based laboratory kit for flexible teaching and learning of practical chemistry

Hee Ting Wong, Siong Fong Sim

Page range: 343-353

More Download PDF

Abstract

Laboratory practical is an essential component for effective learning of science. To provide laboratory experience can be a challenge to some rural schools with limited laboratory facilities. The situation was exacerbated when schools were close due to the COVID pandemic. This paper reports a laboratory kit designed based on the Standard Curriculum for Secondary Schools in Malaysia (KSSM). The kit was evaluated by students and experienced teachers from town and rural schools. Pre- and post-test was conducted with the students before and after using the kit. A questionnaire was disseminated to appraise the students’ perceptions on practical learning. There was a significant improvement ( p < 0.05) in the overall score of the post-test comparing to the pre-test. Both rural and town schools demonstrated a marked increase in the overall mean scores in the post-test. There was also improvement in affection for chemistry among students after using the kit. The practical kit can be deployed in schools with laboratory constraints and to be used outside the school settings. It was designed to be affordable, safe and environmental-friendly, providing individualized hands-on exposure.

Open Access December 23, 2022

The impact of a professional development MOOC on the teaching beliefs of University Science Laboratory Teachers

Natasa Brouwer, Gunther Fleerackers, Iwona Maciejowska, Claire McDonnell, Mauro Mocerino

Page range: 355-376

More Download PDF

Abstract

This study contributes to the understanding of online professional development of university STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) lecturers. An active learning massive open online course (MOOC) to develop best practice in teaching in university science laboratories was developed using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) model in three cycles. The teaching beliefs and intentions of the participants were determined before and after they completed the MOOC and their level of satisfaction with this professional development opportunity was examined using a survey. The results showed high completion rates and an appreciation of the online course design. Participants who completed the course evaluation were satisfied and they identified the usefulness of the active learning components that required them to discuss and reflect, develop plans and peer-assess. A large majority developed new ideas to help them to improve their teaching. The participation in the course increased participants’ understanding of the multidimensional aspects of laboratory teaching and the challenges related to it. The majority of participants changed their teaching beliefs to become more student-centred.

Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Volume 4 (2022)

Volume 3 (2021)

Volume 2 (2020)

Volume 1 (2019)

Cite Score	1.1
SCImago Journal Rank	0.239
Source Normalized Impact per Paper	0.513

Submit

Manuscripts
Articles should have a maximum length of 5000 words, excluding the bibliography and any tables. For their convenience, authors should use article and title page templates . All submissions should be made online through the CTI Manuscript Central site at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/chemistryteacher.

We have implemented new submission guidelines. Template for Author’s Statements needs to be customized/filled out by the submitting author on behalf of all others and uploaded as separate files at the time of the original submission. For more information on how to fill the for please check Author and ethical statements instructions.

Questions about submissions should be directed to Jan Apotheker at J.H.Apotheker@rug.nl.

Chemistry Teacher International (CTI) focuses on publishing articles that address:

Good practice in chemistry education at all levels
Reports about development in chemistry education
Papers presented in conferences about Chemistry education such as:
- ICCE
- ECRICE
- NICE
- ACRICE
- EUROVARIETY
Reports from educational activities of the divisions and standing committees in IUPAC for publications in the field of education.

The journal aims to be a platform for articles that would otherwise only be published in a local language. The editors will be active in identifying articles in their own language that would be suitable for publication in Chemistry Teacher International.

Authors will also be actively searched for among teachers at all levels of education, writing about projects they have carried out. The journal will publish special issues containing selected articles based on papers presented at the conferences mentioned above.

Your benefits of publishing with us

High quality peer-reviewing
Open access publication
Rapid turnaround times
Every article is easily discoverable because of SEO and comprehensive abstracting and indexing services
Convenient citation tracking via e-mail alert
Secure archiving by De Gruyter and the independent archiving service Portico
Professional sales and marketing support

Editorial Policy & Peer Review Process
Each paper is checked for plagiarism and, if considered for publication, reviewed by at least two reviewers before publication. Chemistry Teacher International offers a broad editorial board consisting of outstanding people working in chemistry education.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)
From January 1, 2023 onwards the Article Processing Charge is set at € 500.
It is possible to get a reduction on the Article Processing Charge. If your country is a member of IUPAC or EuChemS a reduction of 33% will be applied. For more information, please contact Open Access funding department atOAfunding@degruyter.com.

Open Access License
Article in Chemistry Teacher International are published under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Articles appearing prior to June 2021 were published under CC BY license.

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jan Apotheker
Chair Committee on Chemistry Education of IUPAC,
Retired lecturer in Chemistry Education,
Faculty of Science and Engineering,
University of Groningen,
Nijenborgh 9,
9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
Tel: +31624990725
j.h.apotheker@rug.nl

VICE-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Rachel Mamlok-Namaan
Chair Division of Chemsitry Education of EuChemS,
Department of Science Teaching,
Weizmann Institute of Science,
Rehovot, 76100, Israel
Tel: +97289342446
Rachel.mamlok@weizmann.ac.il
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ScienceTeaching/Mamlok/

EDITORS

Editor for Asia/NICE
Mei-Hung Chiu
Member executive committee IUPAC,
Distinguished Professor,
National Taiwan Normal University,
Graduate Institute of Science Education,
# 88, Sec 4 Ting-Chou Road,
Taipei City, 116, Taiwan
Tel: +886 935 738 962

Editor for Europe
Iwona Maciejowska
Lecturer in Chemistry and University Education,
Department of Chemistry Education,
Jagiellonian University,
2 Gronostajowa, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
Tel: 0048126862430
iwona.maciejowska@uj.edu.pl

Editor for Africa (ACRICE)
Marietjie Potgieter
Acting HOD: Department of Chemistry,
Chemistry Building, Room 3.22-1,
University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20,
Hatfield 0028, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)12 420 3093
marietjie.potgieter@up.ac.za　
www.up.ac.za

Editor for Latin America
Alejandra Suárez
Professor of Organic Chemistry,
Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas,
Universidad Nacional de Rosario,
Instituto de Química Rosario - CONICET-UNR,
Suipacha 531, S2002LRK-Rosario, Argentina　
Tel/Fax: 54-341-4370477
asuarez@fbioyf.unr.edu.ar
suarez@iquir-conicet.gov.ar

Editor for North America
Ian Butler
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry,
Department of Chemistry,
Otto Maass Building, Room 427,
McGill University,
801 Sherbrooke Street West,
Montreal, Quebec,
Canada H3A OB8
Tel: 1-514-398-6910
ian.butler@mcgill.ca

Editor for Australia/New Zealand
Suzanne Boniface
Retired Lecturer in Chemistry Education,
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences,
Victoria University of Wellington,
PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 4636485
suzanne.boniface@vuw.ac.nz

(Deutsch)

Type: Journal
Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
First published: June 20, 2019
Publication Frequency: 4 Issues per Year