THE WATERWORKS: A CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING CHEMISTRY CONCEPTS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL

Abstract

Industry field trips provide the contexts that enable students to improve their understanding of chemical concepts and processes. The aim of this research study was to explore to what extent students improve their understanding of water, solutions, mixtures, and the methods used for separating mixture components in the context of the waterworks, and what their views towards such an approach are. The sample consisted of 36 students aged 13 to 14 years, equally divided into the experimental and control group. The teaching unit Water and its significance for the living world was realised within the context of the waterworks in the experimental group, while in the control group it was realised using a conventional approach at school. Prior to the elaboration of the teaching unit the students from both groups had been tested using a pre-test, and upon the completion they were tested using a post-test. The views of the experimental group were examined using a questionnaire. The obtained results showed that the activities in the context of waterworks improved the understanding of the studied concepts, that students recognised the relevance of the applied context for their personal and societal life, as well as for their own future professional activities. Keywords: chemistry concepts, context-based approach, waterworks, industry field trip, thirteen-year-old students