A polymer-pollution-focused laboratory sequence was written to teach general chemistry concepts in a course for pre-service elementary teachers. Students experienced the difficulties related to polymer pollution clean-up and made bio-based materials to see possible alternatives. In order to determine whether this laboratory sequence changed student understanding of the importance of polymers and their environmental impact, student opinions were gathered with pre/post-course sequence surveys, observations, post-laboratory surveys, and focus group interviews. These same data collection methods were also used to determine the likelihood that the pre-service elementary teachers would teach these polymer and environmental laboratories or their concepts in the future. This study provided pre-service teachers with the knowledge and curriculum to teach about polymers and their subsequent pollution and then determined the effectiveness of the course material.
","abstract_html":"<p>A polymer-pollution-focused laboratory sequence was written to teach general chemistry concepts in a course for pre-service elementary teachers. Students experienced the difficulties related to polymer pollution clean-up and made bio-based materials to see possible alternatives. In order to determine whether this laboratory sequence changed student understanding of the importance of polymers and their environmental impact, student opinions were gathered with pre/post-course sequence surveys, observations, post-laboratory surveys, and focus group interviews. These same data collection methods were also used to determine the likelihood that the pre-service elementary teachers would teach these polymer and environmental laboratories or their concepts in the future. This study provided pre-service teachers with the knowledge and curriculum to teach about polymers and their subsequent pollution and then determined the effectiveness of the course material.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hill, Victoria"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Chemistry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Amy Flanagan Johnson, Ph.D., Chair","Gregg Wilmes, Ph.D.","Cory Emal, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:40Z","subjects":["Chemical Education","Plastic Pollution","Education","Polymer Chemistry"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1054","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Amy Flanagan Johnson, Ph.D., Chair","Gregg Wilmes, Ph.D.","Cory Emal, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hill, Victoria"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-02-16T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemistry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Chemical Education","Plastic Pollution","Education","Polymer Chemistry"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1054"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A polymer-pollution-focused laboratory sequence was written to teach general chemistry concepts in a course for pre-service elementary teachers. Students experienced the difficulties related to polymer pollution clean-up and made bio-based materials to see possible alternatives. In order to determine whether this laboratory sequence changed student understanding of the importance of polymers and their environmental impact, student opinions were gathered with pre/post-course sequence surveys, observations, post-laboratory surveys, and focus group interviews. These same data collection methods were also used to determine the likelihood that the pre-service elementary teachers would teach these polymer and environmental laboratories or their concepts in the future. This study provided pre-service teachers with the knowledge and curriculum to teach about polymers and their subsequent pollution and then determined the effectiveness of the course material.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Polymer chemistry education to increase student awareness of plastic pervasiveness and environmental impact"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Amy Flanagan Johnson, Ph.D., Chair","Gregg Wilmes, Ph.D.","Cory Emal, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Hill, Victoria"],"dc:date.available":["2021-02-16T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["A polymer-pollution-focused laboratory sequence was written to teach general chemistry concepts in a course for pre-service elementary teachers. Students experienced the difficulties related to polymer pollution clean-up and made bio-based materials to see possible alternatives. In order to determine whether this laboratory sequence changed student understanding of the importance of polymers and their environmental impact, student opinions were gathered with pre/post-course sequence surveys, observations, post-laboratory surveys, and focus group interviews. These same data collection methods were also used to determine the likelihood that the pre-service elementary teachers would teach these polymer and environmental laboratories or their concepts in the future. This study provided pre-service teachers with the knowledge and curriculum to teach about polymers and their subsequent pollution and then determined the effectiveness of the course material.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1054"],"dc:subject":["Chemical Education","Plastic Pollution","Education","Polymer Chemistry"],"dc:title":["Polymer chemistry education to increase student awareness of plastic pervasiveness and environmental impact"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemistry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:40Z"}