There has been a recent surge of interest in developing learning progressions of central ideas that can serve as curriculum models and assessment frameworks in educational settings. The analysis, synthesis, and transformation of chemical substances have many benefits for modern societies. However, social, political, economic, and environmental costs and risks need to be taken into account when making decisions involving the application of chemical design. To explore the role that culture and context may play in individuals' thinking about chemical design, we have expanded our study of a learning progression in chemical design with students in an urban university by including students at a university in Costa Rica. We will present results based on similarities and differences students from the U.S. and Costa Rica demonstrate when prompted to think and reason about chemical structure and property relationships, and the benefits, costs, and risks associated with designing chemical processes.

Multicultural perspectives on chemical design

245th National Meeting (2013)

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