Exploring Estonian Students' Ability to Handle Chemistry-Related Everyday Problem Solving

Abstract

In today's scientific world, it is important to solve sciencerelated problems,                                                                                                                     because each person during his/her studies, needs
these skills both at workplace and in every day. Research has shown
that in order to solve everyday science-related problems, it is necessary
to develop an ability to transfer skills acquired in science class. The aim
of this study is to analyse students‟ ability to transfer science-related
skills and factors that affect this ability. A 7-item instrument, related to
an everyday situation and based on chemistry, but including
interdisciplinary elements related to physics and biology, is developed,
validated and administered to 10th grade gymnasium students
(N=1129) at the beginning of their studies in gymnasium and to 11th
grade students (N=953), having completed four compulsory chemistry
courses at the gymnasium level during two academic years. The
findings show that (1) progress in the transfer of problem solving skills
after completing the compulsory chemistry courses involved only a few
science-related skills in addition to academic knowledge and (2) the
transfer of knowledge and skills was most successful in items limited to
one subject – chemistry, rather than in an interdisciplinary context. This
suggests the need to review the national curriculum and teaching
methods that are in use in gymnasium chemistry lessons. It can also be
concluded that the ability to apply transfer skills is most successful in
items limited to one subject – chemistry, while in an interdisciplinary
context, the transfer of skills in chemistry and physics contexts are
transferred better than a chemistry and biology context.