From Culture to Science: Development and Validation of the CHEMazing Lab Ethnochemistry Learning Packet

Chemistry is often perceived as a difficult subject because of its abstract concepts, scientific terminologies, and limited connection to learners’ real-life experiences. This study aimed to develop and validate the CHEMazing Lab Ethnochemistry Learning Packet as a contextualized instructional material integrating Indigenous Cultural Knowledge and Practices (ICKP) and Filipino food preservation practices in teaching selected Chemistry concepts. Specifically, the study determined the need for ethnochemistry integration and evaluated the validity, acceptability, usability, learner engagement, and impact on learners’ performance of the developed learning packet among Grade 11 learners.
The study employed a quantitative developmental research design utilizing the ADDIE Model. Participants included 90 Grade 11 learners, 30 Science teachers, 6 expert evaluators, and 32 Grade 11 learners who participated in the tryout implementation. Data were gathered using needs assessment questionnaires, evaluation rating sheets, usability and learner engagement questionnaires, and pretest-posttest assessments.
Findings revealed that ethnochemistry was only sometimes integrated into Chemistry instruction, highlighting the need for contextualized instructional materials. The developed learning packet obtained an overall expert evaluation mean of 3.54, interpreted as Highly Acceptable. Usability and learner engagement results yielded mean scores of 3.62 and 3.63, respectively, both interpreted as Highly Evident. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test revealed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (Z = −3.82, p < .001), resulting in the rejection of the null hypothesis with a large effect size (r = 0.68).
The findings suggest that the learning packet may serve as an effective contextualized instructional material for improving Chemistry learning experiences.

Chemistry education, Ethnochemistry, Indigenous Cultural Knowledge and Practices (ICKP)

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