نشریه پژوهش در آموزش شیمی
سال ششم شماره 2 (پیاپی 22، تابستان 1403)

Textbooks have always been among the scientific phenomena of all ages. Valuable textbooks with suitable content are very effective in the realm of teaching and learning for teachers, professors, and students of all educational levels. Textbooks serve as excellent guides for professors and teachers to convey content and concepts to their students. With their basic and scientific topics, textbooks provide a clear path and logical sequence for education. Therefore, textbooks are classified according to approved syllabi, and topics are presented in a certain order to facilitate easy and understandable teaching. These elements assure teachers and professors that the course materials are comprehensive enough to teach in a structured and engaging manner to their students. These factors are particularly important in the field of chemistry textbooks, as the experimental aspects of chemistry books hold significant importance, and teaching materials in the field of chemistry are diverse and varied, all skillfully integrated in chemistry textbooks.

This research aimed to evaluate Iranian and Malaysian senior high school chemistry textbooks in terms of their correspondence with entrepreneurship components. The study employed descriptive method of content analysis type. The statistical population included 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade Iranian senior high school chemistry textbooks in the academic year of 2022-2023, and Malaysian grade 10 and grade 11 (4th and 5th levels) chemistry textbooks in the academic year of 2020-2021. Due to the nature of the study, complete enumeration sampling method was employed, and all content of the books, including text, images, questions, and activities, has been analyzed using Shannon's entropy method. Data were collected using a researcher-developed content analysis checklist, which was validated through expert opinion, and its reliability was confirmed through retesting (91% agreement). Findings revealed 191 and 172 references to entrepreneurship components in Iranian and Malaysian textbooks, respectively. Data analysis showed that in both countries, from among the five components of ‘creativity and innovation,’ ‘progress motivation,’ ‘internal control,’ ‘risk-taking,’ and ‘futurism,’ greater focus was on ‘futurism’ as well as ‘creativity and innovation.’ The least attention in Iranian chemistry textbooks was related to ‘progress motivation,’ while in Malaysian chemistry textbooks, it was related to ‘risk-taking.’ Shannon's entropy results indicated that in Iranian textbook, ‘internal significance’ received higher attention while in Malaysian textbooks, ‘creativity and innovation’ as well as ‘futurism,’’ were the focus of higher attention.

In recent decades, the issues such as confronting the destruction of the ozone layer, keeping water sources clean, and searching for renewable energy sources have been proposed and taught at different levels of chemistry education. Today, it is inevitable to add topics related to green chemistry in chemistry curricula and to develop systematic education of green chemistry. In addition, green chemistry education is considered the cornerstone of green and sustainable chemistry development. Therefore, one of the most challenging topics in educational planning is the development of green chemistry concepts at different educational levels. In addition, for the effectiveness of the concept of green chemistry in the quality of human life and the environment, it is necessary to spread the concepts and teachings of green chemistry beyond educational environments to society and industry. In this study, the publications about the teaching method of green chemistry at some of the schools and universities across the globe, as well as the methods of promoting it in different societies have been discussed, and the most important methods and applied experiences of this field have been highlighted. Research results indicate that achieving the desired state in implementing the principles of green and sustainable chemistry in the chemical industry requires an educational transformation in order to educate the citizens and workforce familiar with the principles of green chemistry.

Today, with the public availability and developments of  artificial intelligence and its utility in everyday life of human beings, chemistry teachers, like other professional users in various jobs, attempt to explore and apply it in their profession In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to get acquainted with the capabilities and shortcomings of two artificial intelligence robots, Bard and ChatGPT (two of the most common and publicly available chat bots); Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility and the most effective strategies for using the mentioned chatbots in the field of Inorganic chemistry. In this qualitative-analytical study,  ChatGPT-3.5, and Bard have been used to investigate and evaluate the ability to answer questions in the field of chemistry The answers produced by these two smart robots have been used in the field of teaching the shape of molecules, symmetry, calculating lattice energy, checking the Born Mayer equation, and predicting the structure of spinels. Moreover, different learning levels such as knowledge, application and problem solving in terms of the quality and accuracy of the answer, as well as the use of different media in providing the answers were compared and analyzed.

The most important factor in students' learning is the existence of problems in the curriculum; and the main problems in the curriculum are related to teaching-learning methods. In this regard, Flipped learning has been researched by many researchers today. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of flipped learning on components of metacognitive strategies of junior high school Students. The method of the study was a single group semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test. The population of the study included all eighth-grade students of the Junior high school in Kaleybar in the academic year 1401-1402. The Participants in the study were 30 students selected by convenience sampling. Learning Strategies Questionnaire by Karami et al. (1384) was used for data collection. First, the pre-test was conducted. Then, during 13 sessions of 75 minutes, they underwent flipped learning in the course of experimental sciences. After the treatment sessions, the post-test was administered. Descriptive and inferential statistics (covariance analysis) were used to analyze the data. The results showed that flipped learning had a significant and positive effect on knowledge and self-control strategies. Considering the findings of this research and its theoretical and empirical support, it is suggested that this method should be used in the educational system.

In this study, nanotechnology based on the principles of green chemistry and need to teach it at schools have been introduced and discussed. Review of articles and library studies based on narrative and descriptive review of various researches in this field have been discussed. Nanoproducts based on green chemistry not only have less destructive and toxic effects but also lead to improved management of waste and more cost-effective recycling. So, to reduce environmental risks, it is better to teach its principles and application through the education systems of the country starting at a young age. The use of various programs and step-by-step training can be useful in better conveying the concepts of nanotechnology based on green chemistry to students. The main challenges in this field are the lack of a written framework and program, the lack of sufficient infrastructure, the large number of textbooks, and the lack of proficient teachers. By adopting optimal educational and research policies and programs, the education system can play an effective role in learning the future generation and improving the conditions of the country.

Red-cabbage extract (RCE) with its purple color in neutral environment, contains anthocyanin compounds and can act as an acid-base indicator. In this study, red cabbage extract in the form of liquid extract, dried cabbage powder, as well as paper, cotton, and sponge soaked in the extract were used as acid-base indicators. Then, the characteristics of the prepared materials were compared with each other. Compared to paper, cotton was more easily impregnated by RCE and quickly wetted in acidic/alkaline solutions. The sponge was easily impregnated by RCE, but didn’t show a high clarity of color-changes as a pH-identifier, because it cannot absorb much RCE due to its hydrophobicity. RCE can also be used directly as a pH-identifier and shows good color-changes in various acidities. Nevertheless, it was found that the use of dried red-cabbage powder as a pH indicator is more appropriate than the other pH indicators. This superiority of dried red-cabbage powder probably results from it's simple and easy production as well as its clear color-change in acidic and basic solutions. Additionally, this research could have positive effects on introducing the notions of acid, base, pH indicator, and bio-materials, it has also led to the creation of some experiments, which can be used in high-school labs for the purpose of practical teaching.