CHEMISTRY LITERACY LITERATURE REVIEW

The following abstract gives an overview of the scholarship underlying the Chemistry Literacy Project. For more selections from the article, please contact Sheryl Mebane.  

Chemistry Literacy Research: Opportunities for Essential Synergy in Instruction and Action by Sheryl Mebane

Abstract

The review highlights scholarly contributions countering the under-representation of minorities in science disciplines and promoting environmental justice through education, research or action approaches.  The central claim is that synergy amongst the education, research and community action fields, directed toward fostering chemistry literacy, can advance all three arenas.  The review uncovers the pedagogical orientations, strategies and interpretive frameworks that hold promise for connecting the three fields of environmental education, environmental chemistry and research on organizations.  Subfields that connect two or three of the reviewed fields are also probed for additional guidelines for productive collaboration amongst the diverse stakeholders.  The ten key uniting Chemistry Literacy principles motivate synergy, support network success and inform research methodologies. 

The Chemistry Literacy Project is a research, education and action project. Part of the CLP's research is designed to test the efficacy of the principles in promoting learning, contributing to research and supporting community action.  Long-term project outcomes include the creation of a flexible Chemistry Literacy Network and links to evaluated curricular components.   

Sheryl Mebane
Former Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley
CLP Founder