ERIC Number: EJ1228125
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Sep
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Educational Modules for Increasing Indigenous Australian Students' Involvement in Chemistry
Journal of Chemical Education, v96 n9 p1914-1921 Sep 2019
Indigenous Australians are significantly underrepresented in chemistry based professions, which arises from their low participation in physical science subjects in secondary and tertiary education. This is a multifaceted issue with a number of identified solutions, one of which is to link chemistry with aspects of Indigenous culture. Here, four modules are presented that examine traditional Indigenous Australian practices in detail through a chemistry perspective. These modules assist students to better identify with chemistry principles and therefore encourage further inquiry. The first module is based on toxin removal from plant seeds through water solubility; the second is based on the medicinal properties of the tea tree, which results from isomers of organic compounds. The third module presents color hues of ochre pigments, which are dependent on inorganic chemistry, and the fourth module utilizes plant resin adhesive properties, which are based on glass transition temperatures. These modules have been assessed with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, who demonstrated increased interest in chemistry. There is also encouraging evidence that these modules have assisted students in taking up additional chemistry subjects.
Descriptors: Learning Modules, Indigenous Populations, Student Participation, Chemistry, Disproportionate Representation, Science Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Culturally Relevant Education, Plants (Botany), Student Interests, Instructional Effectiveness, Minority Group Students, High School Students, College Students, Foreign Countries
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A