Kitchen chemistry course for chemistry education students:
influences on chemistry teaching and teacher education – a multiple
case study
Nuora, P., Välisaari, J.
Chemistry Teacher International (DOI: 10.1515/cti-2018-0021)
Generated on April 14, 2025
, Kitchen chemistry course for chemistry education students: influences on chemistry
teaching and teacher education – a multiple case study
Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study introduces the Kitchen Chemistry (KC) course
and its influences on chemistry education as a whole. KC is considered to be a life-relevant
learning environment that engages learners in science through the pursuit of personally relevant
and meaningful goals. KC, as a form of interdisciplinary learning, aims to develop boundary-
crossing skills and to support the development of pupils’ scientific thinking. The purpose of this
research was to determine how KC as a context-based teaching approach applies to chemistry
education and what it offers to chemistry teaching and teacher education. We found that KC gave
lower secondary school pupils the opportunity to understand the chemical phenomena in a
familiar context. Teachers of visiting groups saw that integration is the challenge: pupils often
see the subjects of chemistry and home economics as separate entities. The chemistry education
students highlighted real-world connections to chemistry concepts and contexts. They also found
KC to be an interesting form of teaching chemistry. According to the KC course teachers, the
students were motivated and excited, and provided positive feedback on the course. These
findings suggest that teachers and teacher education students need to be guided in actively using
integration.</jats:p>
This study introduces the Kitchen Chemistry (KC) course and its influences on chemistry
education as a whole. KC is considered to be a life-relevant learning environment that engages
learners in science through the pursuit of personally relevant and meaningful goals. KC, as a
form of interdisciplinary learning, aims to develop boundary-crossing skills and to support the
development of pupils’ scientific thinking. The purpose of this research was to determine how
KC as a context-based teaching approach applies to chemistry education and what it offers to
chemistry teaching and teacher education. We found that KC gave lower secondary school pupils
the opportunity to understand the chemical phenomena in a familiar context. Teachers of visiting
groups saw that integration is the challenge: pupils often see the subjects of chemistry and home
economics as separate entities. The chemistry education students highlighted real-world
connections to chemistry concepts and contexts. They also found KC to be an interesting form of
teaching chemistry. According to the KC course teachers, the students were motivated and
excited, and provided positive feedback on the course. These findings suggest that teachers and
teacher education students need to be guided in actively using integration.
The phenomenon-based approach is part of the new core curriculum for basic education in
Finland ( Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE), 2016 ; Symeonidis & Schwarz, 2016 ).
The Finnish National Core Curriculum recommends that learning environments offer the means
to explore phenomena from different perspectives ( Finnish National Board of Education
, (FNBE), 2016 ). At the core of phenomenon-based learning are real phenomena that are dealt
with in a genuine context. The starting point for teaching is that phenomena or themes of the real
world are examined as wholes in each subject and in interdisciplinary studies. Integrative
instruction is also an important part of a modern school culture and supports comprehensive
basic education. The purpose of integrative instruction is to help pupils see the interdependencies
and relationships between the phenomena to be studied ( Finnish National Board of Education
(FNBE), 2016 ).
Therefore, in this empirical research we wanted to investigate the kitchen chemistry (KC)
context in chemistry education. KC is a life-relevant context and it offers possibilities for
interdisciplinarity by combining chemistry and home economics. For this reason, we viewed KC
in school education and chemistry teacher education as a valuable area of study. This research
may contribute to how to advance KC in a school context in different grade levels in future.
This article is focused on lower secondary (age group 10–14) level of education and chemistry
major and minor students at university.
According to Woods (2007) , teaching and learning that crosses subject boundaries is a growing
theme in higher education (HE) literature in different national contexts. Interdisciplinary thinking
can be defined as a capacity to integrate knowledge of two or more disciplines ( Ivanitskaya,
Clark, Montgomery, & Primeau, 2002 ). According to Ivanitskaya et al. (2002) , interdisciplinary
learning “is characterized by the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge across a central
program theme or focus” (p. 95). Ivanitskaya et al. (2002) also present Rowntree’s (1982)
definition of an interdisciplinary approach as “one in which two or more disciplines are brought
together, preferably in such a way that the disciplines interact with one another and have some
effect on one another’s perspectives” (p. 135). Integration or synthesis of knowledge is seen as
the defining characteristic of interdisciplinarity and the ability to integrate or synthesize is a
beneficial learning outcome of interdisciplinary HE. Thus, the learning outcome is called either
interdisciplinary thinking or interdisciplinary understanding. However, interdisciplinary thinking
does not occur by itself. It is important that teachers help students to synthesize two or more
disciplines ( Spelt, Biemans, Tobi, Luning, and Mulder 2009 ). Ivanitskaya et al. ( 2002 , p. 97)
also introduce the concept of multidisciplinary learning that Shafritz, Koeppe, and Soper used in
1988: the concept “refers to the involvement of several different professional areas, though not
necessarily in an integrated manner.” For the purposes of this article, we will use the most
common term, interdisciplinary , to refer collectively to activities that may be multidisciplinary
or interdisciplinary.
A context provides a coherent structural meaning for something new that can be situated within a
broader perspective. These descriptions are consistent with context-based chemistry education
(CBCE): chemistry should become more meaningful to students, students should experience
their learning as relevant to some aspect of their daily lives, and they should be able to construct
logical mental maps of the subject. ( Gilbert, 2006 ) Ültay and Çalık (2012) explain that CBCE
influences on chemistry teaching and teacher education – a multiple
case study
Nuora, P., Välisaari, J.
Chemistry Teacher International (DOI: 10.1515/cti-2018-0021)
Generated on April 14, 2025
, Kitchen chemistry course for chemistry education students: influences on chemistry
teaching and teacher education – a multiple case study
Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study introduces the Kitchen Chemistry (KC) course
and its influences on chemistry education as a whole. KC is considered to be a life-relevant
learning environment that engages learners in science through the pursuit of personally relevant
and meaningful goals. KC, as a form of interdisciplinary learning, aims to develop boundary-
crossing skills and to support the development of pupils’ scientific thinking. The purpose of this
research was to determine how KC as a context-based teaching approach applies to chemistry
education and what it offers to chemistry teaching and teacher education. We found that KC gave
lower secondary school pupils the opportunity to understand the chemical phenomena in a
familiar context. Teachers of visiting groups saw that integration is the challenge: pupils often
see the subjects of chemistry and home economics as separate entities. The chemistry education
students highlighted real-world connections to chemistry concepts and contexts. They also found
KC to be an interesting form of teaching chemistry. According to the KC course teachers, the
students were motivated and excited, and provided positive feedback on the course. These
findings suggest that teachers and teacher education students need to be guided in actively using
integration.</jats:p>
This study introduces the Kitchen Chemistry (KC) course and its influences on chemistry
education as a whole. KC is considered to be a life-relevant learning environment that engages
learners in science through the pursuit of personally relevant and meaningful goals. KC, as a
form of interdisciplinary learning, aims to develop boundary-crossing skills and to support the
development of pupils’ scientific thinking. The purpose of this research was to determine how
KC as a context-based teaching approach applies to chemistry education and what it offers to
chemistry teaching and teacher education. We found that KC gave lower secondary school pupils
the opportunity to understand the chemical phenomena in a familiar context. Teachers of visiting
groups saw that integration is the challenge: pupils often see the subjects of chemistry and home
economics as separate entities. The chemistry education students highlighted real-world
connections to chemistry concepts and contexts. They also found KC to be an interesting form of
teaching chemistry. According to the KC course teachers, the students were motivated and
excited, and provided positive feedback on the course. These findings suggest that teachers and
teacher education students need to be guided in actively using integration.
The phenomenon-based approach is part of the new core curriculum for basic education in
Finland ( Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE), 2016 ; Symeonidis & Schwarz, 2016 ).
The Finnish National Core Curriculum recommends that learning environments offer the means
to explore phenomena from different perspectives ( Finnish National Board of Education
, (FNBE), 2016 ). At the core of phenomenon-based learning are real phenomena that are dealt
with in a genuine context. The starting point for teaching is that phenomena or themes of the real
world are examined as wholes in each subject and in interdisciplinary studies. Integrative
instruction is also an important part of a modern school culture and supports comprehensive
basic education. The purpose of integrative instruction is to help pupils see the interdependencies
and relationships between the phenomena to be studied ( Finnish National Board of Education
(FNBE), 2016 ).
Therefore, in this empirical research we wanted to investigate the kitchen chemistry (KC)
context in chemistry education. KC is a life-relevant context and it offers possibilities for
interdisciplinarity by combining chemistry and home economics. For this reason, we viewed KC
in school education and chemistry teacher education as a valuable area of study. This research
may contribute to how to advance KC in a school context in different grade levels in future.
This article is focused on lower secondary (age group 10–14) level of education and chemistry
major and minor students at university.
According to Woods (2007) , teaching and learning that crosses subject boundaries is a growing
theme in higher education (HE) literature in different national contexts. Interdisciplinary thinking
can be defined as a capacity to integrate knowledge of two or more disciplines ( Ivanitskaya,
Clark, Montgomery, & Primeau, 2002 ). According to Ivanitskaya et al. (2002) , interdisciplinary
learning “is characterized by the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge across a central
program theme or focus” (p. 95). Ivanitskaya et al. (2002) also present Rowntree’s (1982)
definition of an interdisciplinary approach as “one in which two or more disciplines are brought
together, preferably in such a way that the disciplines interact with one another and have some
effect on one another’s perspectives” (p. 135). Integration or synthesis of knowledge is seen as
the defining characteristic of interdisciplinarity and the ability to integrate or synthesize is a
beneficial learning outcome of interdisciplinary HE. Thus, the learning outcome is called either
interdisciplinary thinking or interdisciplinary understanding. However, interdisciplinary thinking
does not occur by itself. It is important that teachers help students to synthesize two or more
disciplines ( Spelt, Biemans, Tobi, Luning, and Mulder 2009 ). Ivanitskaya et al. ( 2002 , p. 97)
also introduce the concept of multidisciplinary learning that Shafritz, Koeppe, and Soper used in
1988: the concept “refers to the involvement of several different professional areas, though not
necessarily in an integrated manner.” For the purposes of this article, we will use the most
common term, interdisciplinary , to refer collectively to activities that may be multidisciplinary
or interdisciplinary.
A context provides a coherent structural meaning for something new that can be situated within a
broader perspective. These descriptions are consistent with context-based chemistry education
(CBCE): chemistry should become more meaningful to students, students should experience
their learning as relevant to some aspect of their daily lives, and they should be able to construct
logical mental maps of the subject. ( Gilbert, 2006 ) Ültay and Çalık (2012) explain that CBCE
