Weaving new threads into a chemistry education landscape! The role of Perspective articles in chemistry education research and practice

Abstract

Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP) publishes both Perspective and Review articles – the difference between these is often queried by authors. The simplest answer is that a Review article is a well-recognised genre that establishes the status of a field based on prior published work; in contrast, a Perspective article can perhaps be regarded as forward thinking, hence will evolve as the research field evolves. Through a survey of previously published Perspective articles in our journal, an eclectic picture is developed in terms of the frequency, purpose and utility of this type of article for our readership. These insights therefore reflect the dynamic nature and the fertility of chemistry education research as a field.

Origin of Perspectives in CERP

Perspective articles in many journals are typically invited contributions. The first issue of CERP was published in 2000 (at that time it was titled Chemistry Education Research and Practice in Europe, CERAPIE) and it collated a variety of article types (invited contributions, research reports, research communications, methods and issues of teaching and practice papers). Of note, the very first published article was an Invited Contribution under the theme of ‘Practice in Chemistry Education’, authored by Alex Johnstone, titled ‘Teaching of chemistry – logical or psychological?’ (Johnstone, 2000). The text of the article represented a synthesis of the author's personal views, observations, reflections on his research findings and his expertise in the field – he proposed teaching strategies to address persistent challenges in student learning based on models. This combination of elements wove the threads of communication that is still the foundation of current Perspective articles in 2022, yet our contemporary version of this genre has evolved through several different forms in between.

In 2004, as Editor-in-Chief, George Tsaparlis introduced a special section titled Position Papers. In his editorial on the progress of CERP since its launch, submissions of ‘perspectives on methodological and other issues of research and/or practice’ were welcomed (Tsaparlis, 2004). Despite these early roots, the first formal appearance of Perspective articles in CERP was not seen until 2012 (Issue 2) as part of a themed special issue. Between 2012 and 2022, twenty-one Perspective articles have been published, of which six were associated with Special Issues involving guest editors. These Perspective articles have focussed on a variety of topics, including presenting theoretical, educational and conceptual frameworks all informed by chemistry education research. Most have either framed contemporary issues in chemistry teaching practice or progress in understanding student learning processes.

The ongoing inclusion of Perspective articles in CERP reinforces the aim to seed further thought, stimulate debate and catalyse subsequent action in research or in practice. One approach to considering whether this has been achieved to date is to evaluate the impact of published Perspective articles through a simple citation rate comparison (an average rate calculated by dividing the total number of citations for an article by the number of years since its publication). The number of citations is sourced from Google Scholar metrics, recognising that this number represents citations in a broad range of sources, hence perhaps reflecting an impact on a diverse audience. Excluding the two 2022 articles, only six of the twenty-one Perspective articles have a rate of below 7 citations per year. The highest six citation rates for Perspective articles are listed in Table 1, along with a summary of the components that are present in the text to consider how these combine to make a high-impact Perspective article.

Table 1 Perspective articles in CERP with the highest average citation rates since their publication and a simple summary of the components in each article

Author (Year) title	Google Scholar citations	Citation rate	Components of the Perspective
Taber (2013)	420	46.7	• Conceptualisation of chemical knowledge
Revisiting the chemistry triple: drawing upon the nature of chemical knowledge and psychology of learning to inform chemistry education			• Linking models and learning science perspectives
			• The role of language in learning chemistry
			• Implications for developing pedagogy
Sevian & Talanquer (2014)	250	35.7	• Proposed educational framework centred on chemical thinking
Rethinking chemistry: a learning progression on chemical thinking			• Learning progressions as the theoretical framework
			• Draw on cross-cutting concepts
			• Propose modes and complexity in student reasoning
			• Provide an empirical validation
Burmeister et al. (2012)	343	34.3	• Consider the challenges in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) recommended by the United Nations
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and chemistry education			• Provide models for integrating sustainable development in chemistry education
			• Consequences and implications for teaching practice involving societally relevant issues
Weinhold & Klein (2014)	103	14.7	• Consider conceptual and pedagogical consequences of IUPACs re-definition of hydrogen bonding
What is a hydrogen bond? Resonance covalency in the supramolecular domain			• Contrast proposed approaches with current representations and practices in teaching to make recommendations
Blackie (2014)	99	14.1	• Identifies the challenge of the complexity of language in learning chemistry
Creating semantic waves: using legitimation code theory as a tool to aid the teaching of chemistry			• Presentation of legitimation code theory as a new approach to teaching
			• Personal position presented, informed by experience in practice
			• Teaching examples shared
Talanquer (2018)	56	14.0	• Synthesis of education research literature around structure–property reasoning by students
Progression in reasoning about structure–property relationships			• Guided by own theoretical framework of chemical thinking and informed by theories of conceptual change and human reasoning
			• Consideration of the role of cognitive resources
			• In-depth analysis of the progression of structure–property reasoning through instructional tasks

A common thread across these six highest citation rate articles listed in Table 1, and also present the other Perspectives, is a strong focus on influencing chemistry teaching practice informed by theory and empirical evidence. As mentioned earlier, this combination aligns with the content of Johnstone's (2000) Invited Contribution article, which has been cited 913 times with a citation rate of 41.5. The two highest impact Perspectives have presented a conceptualisation of chemical knowledge (Taber, 2013) and an educational framework for chemical thinking (Sevian & Talanquer, 2014), informed by learning theories, models and chemistry education research. Both articles suggest shifts in teaching approaches supported by examples. Blackie (2014) and Talanquer (2018) also provide strong recommendations for new pedagogical approaches in the classroom based on theory. Two Perspectives that have had substantial impact have addressed challenges in teaching in response to recommendations published by two global authorities: the United Nations (Burmeister et al., 2012) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists (Weinhold & Klein, 2014).

The most recent Perspective articles published this year integrate key components of effective publications in this genre. Wu and Yezierski (2022) present a novel conceptual framework (PedChemSense) informed by their group's prior work and theory to address a gap in professional development of teachers’ knowledge bases. Agustian (2022) proposes a conceptual framework for integrated assessment of laboratory learning domains. This latter Perspective draws on cognitive and affective learning theories to propose a model to inform practice.

What do we currently look for in a contemporary Perspective article in CERP?

Looking forward, our advice to authors who are considering submitting a Perspective article is to combine several of the core elements of vision, new direction, personal position, validated claims from previous research, experience and pedagogical approaches. We will be updating our advice to authors on our journal website to include the following guidance:

We welcome the submission of Perspective articles that:

• communicate new challenges or visions for teaching chemistry framed in current chemistry education research or theories with evidence to support claims.

• propose frameworks (theoretical, conceptual, curricular), models, pedagogies or practice informed by personal expertise and supported by research outcomes (either the author's own research or the wider body of education research).

• argue theoretical stances accompanied by recommendations for how these can be applied in teaching practice or measured in student conceptualisation of knowledge, with examples supported by evaluative data.

This genre of article has the potential to provide a focused analysis of a controversial or an emergent topic in our field. There is no template for an optimal structure of a Perspective.

It should be noted that any author who is considering submitting a theoretical position is advised to avoid presenting an isolated theoretical argument without also integrating a discussion of how their arguments can be translated into chemistry teaching practice and student learning. While a theoretical perspective or argument is essential in challenging the field, chemistry teachers need guidance in translating theory into pedagogies and practices that support their students’ learning.

References

1. Agustian H., (2022), Considering the hexad of learning domains in the laboratory to address the overlooked aspects of chemistry education and fragmentary approach to research on student learning, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., accepted manuscript 10.1039/D1RP00271F.
2. Blackie M. A. L., (2014), Creating semantic waves: using legitimation code theory as a tool to aid the teaching of chemistry, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 15, 462–469 10.1039/C4RP00147H.
3. Burmeister M., Roache F. and Eilks I., (2012), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and chemistry education, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 13, 59–68 10.1039/C1RP90060A.
4. Johnstone A. H., (2000), Teaching of Chemistry – Logical or Psychological?, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. Eur., 1, 9–15 10.1039/A9RP90001B.
5. Sevian H. and Talanquer V., (2014), Rethinking chemistry: a learning progression on chemical thinking, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 15, 10–23 10.1039/C3RP00111C.
6. Taber K. S., (2013), Revisiting the chemistry triple: drawing upon the nature of chemical knowledge and psychology of learning to inform chemistry education, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 14, 156–168 10.1039/C3RP00012E.
7. Talanquer V., (2018), Progression in reasoning about structure–property relationships, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 19, 998–1009 10.1039/C7RP00187H.
8. Tsaparlis G., (2004), Securing a future for chemistry education research and practice, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 5(3) 209–212.
9. Weinhold F. and Klein R. A., (2014), What is a hydrogen bond? Resonance covalency in the supramolecular domain, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 15, 276–285 10.1039/C4RP00030G.
10. Wu M.-Y. M. and Yezierski, E., (2022), Pedagogical chemistry sense-making: a novel conceptual framework to facilitate pedagogical sense-making in model-based lesson planning, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 23, 287–299 10.1039/D1RP00282A.

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