Pre-service teachers’ views on chemistry of fine art materials of cultural heritage

Abstract The chemistry and cultural heritage can be integrated in an interdisciplinary way into teaching the Chemistry, from primary to secondary school and university, including learning about the specifics of works of art in the context of their preservation or care. The main purpose of this study is to determine the pre-service Chemistry, Primary school, and Fine art teachers’ views about promoting an interest in the cultural heritage and Chemistry learning through materials of work of art from the chemistry perspective. The study revealed that pre-service teachers do not have sufficient knowledge and experience regarding cultural heritage from the point of view of chemistry (materials and techniques of fine art), and all groups show an interest in the mentioned contents. This integrated and interdisciplinary approach to teach Chemistry and cultural heritage is presented to the pre-service teachers as part of the general elective course that was developed on the basis of this preliminary research about pre-service teachers’ views regarding these topics.