CHAPTER ONE
The recent developed course science in cultural context
which introduce students to the spirit of science (and chemistry in particular)
as a process as opposed to a specific body of knowledge by employing the
multi-disciplinary tools of philosophy, history and geography of science
(American chemical society, 2003).
Most students perceive
chemistry as a difficult subject; I see three main reasons for its difficulty.
1.
The abstract nature of the material
which is not readily applied to real-life situations.
2.
The need to learn a whole new
vocabulary of terms and symbols that are almost never used in everyday life.
3.
The heretical character of
scientific reasoning which doesn’t come naturally to humans (Croner, 1995)
The challenges of teaching
non0science major are some what different from the challenges of teaching
science majors. Many educators including a former president of the National Science
Teacher Association (NSTA) have indicated that all efforts to instill rational
thought into non-science students have been largely fruitless (Shamos 1995).
This is attributed to the fact that so much of modern science defies commons
sense.
Therefore, the goal of a
general education course in the sciences should be perhaps not so much the
attainment of a certain level of scientific knowledge. And terminology as the
effort to impact to our students the spirit of the scientific enterprises which
will help them appreciate science. In a similar manner, we teach art
appreciation without expecting our students to necessarily create art.
In other words, we could try to
teach not chemistry oper say as a practice but rather to teach about chemistry
as a science unlike to pieces of art, through whose beauty is not a matter of
experimental evidence, the appreciation of the products of science like
pharmaceutical drugs or nuclear power required a specific level of
comprehension of the laws that govern the behaviour of matter in this universe.
Teaching of chemistry and general science through the multi-disciplinary prism
of philosophy, history and geography, a science is only one of many ways we all
try to teach or reach our general education offerings in three (3) of its
aspects (Trefil and Hazeb, 2006).
Firstly, the emphasis is on
areas of study that are usually associated with the humanities. Secondly, the
level of chemistry knowledge and quantitative reasoning is at its bare minimum.
Thirdly, instead o a laboratory experience, the course contains an
optional
travel abroad component. During the first class meeting students take a long
survey which explores their philosophical word view of science in general and
that of chemistry as the science of matter. Survey questions to determine
students familiarity with the scientific way of investigation, the experimental
method, the organization of knowledge, the difference between social and
natural science, the historical development of science, the roles of gender and
ethnicity e.t.c. In addition, students have contained views concerning the
impact of chemistry on society. Students have often indicated that the process
of taking the survey itself is an important learning and though provoking
exercises. The survey in its entirety is allocated to it as a separate
document. AIM OF CHEMISTRY EDUCATION
The aims of chemical education are;
1)
To provide a course which is
complete for students not proceeding to higher education while it is at the
same time reasonable adequate foundation for a secondary chemistry course
2)
To facilitate a transition in the
use of scientific concepts and technique acquired in integrated science with
chemistry
3)
To show chemistry and its link with industry, everyday life,
benefit and hazards.
4)
To provide the students with basic
knowledge in chemical concept and principle through efficient selection of
content and sequencing
5)
To show chemistry in its inter-relationship with other
subjects.
1.2 STATEMENT OF
THE PROBLEM
It was observed that the
general knowledge of science advancement and explores some of general aspects
of modern science, its predictive power, the uncertainty of measurement, the
impossibility of completely specifying the initial state of a system (Position
of a molecule) the philosophical aspects of science, it special impact and
relationship to other way of knowing its recentness, completeness, objectivity
and its unity. The most important aspect is to introduce the idea that science
is not a body of knowledge but a process, a way of thinking which is the search
for a consensus of rational opinion among all competent researchers which
contains the recognition hat an external reality exists out there independently
of our minds and independently of any super natural force.
1.3 PURPOSE OF
THE RESEARCH
This research intends to find
out the Making predictions and constructing explanations: and investigation
Into introductory chemistry, student understanding of structure property relationship
in some selected secondary schools in Ogun State.