Integrating Computational Chemistry into Secondary School Lessons

Abstract

In an age dominated by digital technologies, instilling digital literacy within educational curricula is imperative. This study explores the innovative integration of computational chemistry in post-16 upper-secondary education. Learners actively modeled foundational principles like chemical bonding, van der Waals interactions, molecular geometry, and electron density using individual laptops with the Gaussian computational software. The efficacy of this approach was assessed through pre- and post-test measures, utilizing Likert-type scale questions to gauge shifts in students’ confidence in core chemistry topics and knowledge-based tests. The results show that students’ confidence in general chemistry is rapidly boosted by the intervention, followed by a moderate rise in their knowledge.