The effectiveness of green chemistry practicum training based on experimental inquiry to improve teachers' science process skills

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effects of green chemistry practicum training based on inquiry experiments on chemistry teaching to improve teachers’ science process skills. Nine green chemistry experiments were selected, while 18 chemistry teachers aged 26-42 and six chemistry students voluntarily participated in the research. The training was held for three days, consisting of two sessions. The first session was about green chemistry theory and inquiry-based learning theory. The second session was about practicum with a green chemistry-based inquiry experiment model. The steps for green chemistry inquiry experiment activities were
oriented, conceptualization, investigation, conclusion, and discussion. The training's success was shown by the increase in the teachers' science process skills, namely the skills to formulate hypotheses, identify variables, experiment, interpret data, and communicate, as measured by employing Science Process Skills Test (SPST). The teachers' pre-and post-SPST scores in green chemistry inquiry experiment training had significant differences, suggesting that the green chemistry inquiry experiment had specific promoter actions for teachers’ science process skills. The findings indicated that the green chemistry inquiry experiment's implementation improved the teachers' science process skills significantly.