Context function at chemistry teaching in primary school

Učenje naravoslovnih predmetov, še zlasti kemije, zaradi abstraktnosti pojmov učencem predstavlja težavo in zato postaja kemija za razumevanje vedno zahtevnejša, še zlasti, ko učenci napredujejo po izobraževalni vertikali. Tudi učni načrt kemije, ki se vsaj že deset let ni spremenil in ostaja v šolskem prostoru dokaj izoliran od vsakdanjega življenja učencev, se ne prilagaja potrebam razvoja učenčevih kompetenc. Manj kot so učenci zainteresirani za učenje kemijskih pojmov, manjša je tudi njihova kemijska pismenost na koncu šolanja. Da bi učenci pokazali večji interes za učenje kemije, so verjetno potrebni tudi novi in drugačni pristopi poučevanja, ki bi temeljili na novih učnih načrtih. Pri tem je bistveno dodiplomsko in stalno strokovno izobraževanje učiteljev kemije. Študije kažejo, da učenje kemije v kontekstu povečuje interes učencev za učenje tega predmeta, predvsem zaradi uporabe konteksta, ki ga predstavljajo realne situacije in problemi družbe. Namen magistrskega dela je bil ugotoviti, ali učenje kemije v kontekstu pripomore k večjemu zanimanju za učenje specifičnih kemijskih pojmov po mnenju učiteljev in učencev ter ali so izbrane vsebine kontekstov dovolj zanimive, da bi učence spodbudile k nadaljevanju reševanja določenega kemijskega problema. V raziskavo so bili vključeni učenci in učitelji kemije na osnovnih šolah. Zanimalo nas je, ali so učitelji dovolj usposobljeni za poučevanje kemije v kontekstu ter ali tak način poučevanja že uporabljajo ali pa so bolj naklonjeni tradicionalnem poučevanju. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih 200 učencev osmih in devetih razredov osnovnih šol ter 50 učiteljev kemije. Rezultati so pokazali, da je učencem poučevanje kemije v kontekstu zanimivejše in spodbudnejše za nadaljnje učenje. Enakega mnenja so tudi učitelji, ki menijo, da bolj kot je kontekst učencem blizu, večji je interes za učenje. Učitelji kemije tudi menijo, da so sami dovolj usposobljeni za tak način poučevanja in da pri svojem poučevanju že uporabljajo vsebine kontekstov.Learning natural science subjects, especially chemistry, is a problem for students due to the abstract nature of chemical concepts, and thus chemistry becomes increasingly difficult to understand as they advance up the educational vertical. Even the curriculum that has not changed for at least ten years and remains in the school environment rather isolated from everyday life of students, does not adapt to the needs for developing student competences. Less the students are interested in learning chemical concepts, the lower is their chemical literacy at the end of schooling. For students to show greater interest in chemistry, new and different teaching methods based on new curricula are probably needed as well. In this regard, pre-service and in-service professional education of chemistry teachers is essential. Studies show that the learning of context-based chemistry increases the interest of students primarily due to the use of the context, which contains real situations and problems of society. The purpose of the master\u27s thesis was to determine whether, according to teachers and students, the learning of context-based chemistry contributes to greater interest in learning specific chemical concepts and whether the selected context contents are interesting enough to motivate students to continue solving a particular chemical problem. The study included chemistry teachers and students at elementary schools. We were interested in whether the teachers were trained enough to teach context-based chemistry, whether they already use this teaching method, or are more inclined to traditional teaching. The study involved 200 eighth and ninth grade students of elementary schools and 50 teachers of chemistry. The results showed that teaching of context-based chemistry is more interesting and encouraging for the students to learn chemistry. The teachers share the same opinion, and they believe that the more attractive the context is for students, the greater their interest in learning. The chemistry teachers also consider themselves qualified enough to practice such a teaching method and already use context contents in their teaching