Connecting the chemistry curriculum with work- and everyday life - Important aspects for the development of a material supporting chemistry teachers in Swedish upper secondary school

Abstract

Motivation and context are two important keys to positive learning outcomes. This master’s thesis aims to develop the prerequisites for a material that can help chemistry teachers in Swedish upper secondary school to connect the curriculum with work- and everyday life. The purpose of the material would be to make the theoretical content of the courses more relevant and engaging to the students and thereby helping the teachers create a motivational learning environment. The research questions concern the need for this kind of material, existing material and the potential format, platform, and content of such a material. The study consisted of two parts. First, a questionnaire was sent out to Swedish upper secondary chemistry teachers. Secondly, a prototype of the material was developed which 11 chemistry teachers tested for five weeks. This user test was then evaluated using semi-structured interviews. The results suggests that there is no existing material, that the teachers know of, that fills the purpose of making the connection between the curriculum and work- and everyday life and that there is a need amongst chemistry teachers for such a material. This study also suggests that the material should be web-based in order to be able to include features such as animations, videos, and easy navigation. One possible platform for this material is suggested to be Kemilärarnas resurscentrum (KRC). Regarding content, the results show that useful categories include “Everyday phenomena”, “Everyday products”, “Historical events”, “News” and “Interviews with professionals”. Further results regarding content concerns sustainable development, level of detail, level of concretion in the connection to the curriculum and a number of other aspects. The conclusion consists of a list of recommendations for the development of a material making the connection between the chemistry curriculum in Swedish upper secondary school and work- and everyday life.