Ozcan Gulacar

1. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented opportunities and challenges for educational transformation worldwide. Accordingly, the integration of artificial intel...

This study explores the implementation of Chemical Educational Escape Rooms (CEER) as a pedagogical tool to enhance Chinese students’ engagement, foster core competencies, and promote green chemistry awareness in secondary chemistry education. The research focused on sodium, chlorine, and their compounds, integrating immersive narratives and hands-on experiments as puzzles into CEER-based review lessons. Ninety-five 10th-grade students at one public high school in Guangzhou, China, participated in the problem-solving tasks related to the Leblanc, Solvay, and Hou processes for soda ash production, as well as chlorine compounds. The students collaborated to decode puzzles and conduct chemistry experiments, integrating theoretical knowledge with real-world environmental considerations. The teaching intervention was assessed using students’ feedback questionnaires and a green chemistry assessment tool. Findings indicate that most students perceived the CEER lessons as engaging and believed that they could improve their problem-solving and communication skills. Additionally, the intervention appeared to increase students’ awareness of green chemistry, particularly in evaluating chemical production processes for sustainability. The study highlights the effectiveness of CEER in providing an interactive learning experience that deepened students’ understanding of green chemistry while fostering collaboration skills. This research suggests that CEER-based learning can serve as an innovative approach to advancing chemistry education for sustainable development.

Aligned with United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG‐13: Climate Action), this study examined levels of climate change awareness, beliefs, and pro‐environmental behavior among high school students in Israel. The sample consisted of 360 students, including 139 Environmental Science (ES) majors and 221 students from other science disciplines. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, MANOVA, hierarchical regression, mediation analysis, and Pearson correlations. Results indicated moderate awareness of climate change across majors, however no significant differences in knowledge, beliefs, or behavior were found between ES and other majors. Students' beliefs in their ability to mitigate climate change were generally strong and served as the primary predictor of pro‐environmental behavior. In contrast, awareness exerted a positive, but weaker, influence. Gender differences were significant, with females scoring higher across all dimensions. Correlation analysis further revealed a strong positive relationship between beliefs and behavior as well as a moderate association between awareness and behavior. These findings suggest that affective and motivational factors, particularly students' sense of efficacy, appear to play a central role in translating knowledge into sustainable action. The study suggests that strengthening the belief–action link in climate education may be a productive focus for future research and curriculum development.

This study explores how integrating simulations into lessons on electrical conductivity in aqueous solutions and electrolysis affects eighth-grade students’ academic achievement, motivation, and their perception of classroom climate. The study included 130 students (64 males, 66 females) from six classes in two Israeli middle schools, divided into an experimental group (68 students, simulation-integrated instruction) and a control group (62 students, traditional instruction). Participants completed pre- and post-achievement tests as well as motivation and classroom climate questionnaires. The results revealed significant improvements in achievement, especially for students with a lower initial performance. Additionally, when simulations were utilized, there was enhanced motivation to study chemistry. Simulations also improved students’ perception of classroom climate across all dimensions, with no significant gender differences observed. A strong positive correlation was found between achievements and motivation, as well as between classroom climate and motivation. The findings underscore the value of simulations and digital tools in education, emphasizing their role in creating more engaging learning experiences. These results also highlight the need for decision-makers to integrate such tools into science education to foster better outcomes in student learning experience.

This research aimed to evaluate the awareness of pre-service science teachers regarding green chemistry, sustainability, and their perspectives on environmental education. A total of 198 pre-service science teachers from primary and secondary school programs at a teacher education college in Israel participated by completing a 34-item questionnaire. Among these, 29 prospective chemistry and biology teachers engaged in an intervention that explored the chemistry and applications of plastics and bioplastics. Following the intervention, participants completed a post-intervention survey to assess the program’s impact. The pre- and post-survey comparison showed a significant increase in sustainability awareness (1.92 to 4.36) and green chemistry awareness (2.17 to 4.20) among pre-service teachers. Paired-sample t-tests confirmed significant improvements in green chemistry awareness, sustainability awareness, and attitudes toward environmental education. While attitude toward environmental education had the highest pre-survey score, it showed the least variation in post-intervention. All questionnaire subcategories reflected positive increases, demonstrating enhanced awareness and attitudes after the intervention. This innovative approach to integrating sustainability into science education underscores the importance of preparing future educators to address environmental challenges in their teaching.

The study reports a comparison of two first-semester general chemistry cohorts who were provided with the same instruction and course materials, but the format for their online homework assignments differed. One cohort had homework assignments organized using a block or categorized format, in which the concepts (e.g., limiting reagents) being assessed were identified for each problem. The second cohort had homework assignments organized using an uncategorized or interleaved format in which the assessed concepts were not provided. The two cohorts completed the same tests and a standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) final exam. Students who completed the uncategorized or interleaved homework assignments scored higher than the block or categorized cohort on each of the four tests and the final exam. Statistical differences, using a 95 % confidence level, were observed on the first test and final exam.

This study examined the relationship between the time students spend on practice problems and their performance on exams in various chemistry topics, considering their demographics. The researchers divided 91 general chemistry students into three groups based on the time allotted for solving intervention questions: Minimum, Average, and Maximum. The results showed that the Minimum and Average time groups benefited almost equally, but the performance of the Maximum time group declined. This suggests that, while additional practice is beneficial, there could be an optimal amount of time that students should spend on each question. Spending too much time on a single question can lead to mental and emotional fatigue, resulting in a decline in performance. Additionally, the researchers noted variations in performance across different chemistry topics and student groups, and they examined the relationship between student demographics and their problem-solving performances. The study provides recommendations for educators, testing services, and online homework systems to improve the effectiveness of chemistry instruction, highlighting the importance of finding the right balance between practice time and student engagement, and suggesting that a uniform approach to practice problems may not be ideal for every student.