SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ↔ CHEMISTRY ↔ HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: REALITIES, TRENDS, PROSPECTS: REALITIES, TRENDS, PROSPECTS

Abstract

The key theoretical and methodological aspects of teaching chemistry in general secondary education have been analyzed to assess how well secondary school students are prepared in chemistry. This study also examines their perceptions of the role of chemistry in their future careers and predicts the number of potential applicants for chemical and natural science majors. To gather this information, a pedagogical experiment was conducted. An anonymous survey was conducted among students in grades 10–11 at Lviv Secondary School No 67, No 97, No 27, and Lyceum No 80 in Ukraine. The survey revealed that these students study chemistry at a standard level. The results of the diagnostic experiment revealed some important insights about students' perceptions of their chemistry education. Only 50.3 % of students believe that the knowledge they have acquired in chemistry is sufficient for entering higher education institutions in fields such as natural sciences, medicine, pharmacy, and technical specialties, which typically require a workload of 1.5 to 2 lessons per week. Furthermore, 90.65 % do not plan to take the NMT (National Multi-Subject Test) in chemistry, and 84.93% intend to pursue a specialty related to chemistry. Notably, approximately 87 % of respondents have never participated in chemistry olympiads, tournaments, competitions, or scientific research. Additionally, a significant 89% of surveyed students do not utilize any additional resources for their chemistry studies. Finally, around 89.4 % of students expressed a desire to enhance the practical (experimental) component of their lessons. A self-assessment conducted among students regarding their knowledge and skills in chemistry revealed the following results: 8.3 % of students reported a high level of knowledge, 26.06 % achieved a sufficient level, 52.5 % indicated an average level, 9.9% reported a low level, and 3.24% assessed their knowledge as very low. Notably, the percentage of students with sufficient performance varied, ranging from 10.5 % to 28% among tenth graders and from 15.9 % to 50 % among eleventh graders. Similarly, the percentage of students with average performance ranged from 37 % to 79.8 % for tenth graders and from 33.3 % to 68.2 % for eleventh graders. Reducing study time for chemistry in the New Ukrainian School framework could lead to decreased motivation for students to pursue the subject further. This may result in fewer applicants entering fields related to the natural sciences, ultimately leading to a decline in the number of specialists. This is a crucial concern for developing a generation that can drive the scientific and technological advancement of the country in the post-war period.