ERIC Number: EJ1460193
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Analysis of Climate Change in General Chemistry Textbooks
Patrick Wilson; Nevaeh Duarte; Tia Harris; Tori Sayers; Melissa Weinrich
Journal of Chemical Education, v101 n4 p1435-1441 2024
Climate change has the potential to push humans across the limits at which we can exist. Chemistry is essential in understanding the complexities of climate change, as many of the processes involve chemical relationships. Textbooks influence the development of course curricula and support instructors' decision making, which can impact student understanding. This study examined the extent, type, and location of climate change content present in 24 undergraduate general chemistry textbooks (for STEM majors and nonmajors). Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3) served as the theoretical framework and basis for the codebook. Textbook items were considered to be codable instances if they linked to the core chemistry concepts outlined by VC3. Of the core chemistry concepts reviewed, gases were the most prevalent topic connected to climate change. Topics regarding organic chemistry and equilibrium concepts were the least frequent codable instances. The distribution of climate change content was also uneven among the sampled textbooks. Only three textbooks contained more than 100 codable instances, and three other books did not contain any climate change material. Most instances connecting climate change to chemistry appeared in peripheral regions of the books and not in the main text. Without available materials to connect core chemistry concepts with real-world issues such as climate change, instructors become burdened with developing their own content. Supplemental materials, such as VC3, can provide a bridge to climate change content deficits, but there is a need for textbook materials to be more effective at presenting the chemistry of climate change.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Textbook Content, Textbook Evaluation, Textbook Selection, Climate, Science Instruction, Chemistry, College Faculty, Curriculum Development, Scientific Concepts, Authentic Learning
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A