Green Chemistry: Approach to Improve the Performance of Grade 11 STEM Students in Chemical Equilibrium

Most science activities and programs provide emphasis on saving the environment. The Green Chemistry approach matches this effort to enhance students’ understanding of chemical concepts at the same time promote the value of responsible stewardship by applying principles that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design of laboratory activities. This study focused on the use of Green Chemistry to improve the performance of Grade 11 students in Chemistry particularly on the topic on chemical equilibrium. This action research employed the experimental design where the 205 Grade 11 STEM students enrolled during the second semester of the school year 2019-2020 were exposed to two Green Chemistry laboratory activities in chemical equilibrium. The pretest and posttest data were analyzed using appropriate statistical measures namely: highest possible score, highest score obtained, lowest score obtained, mean, mean percentage score, median and standard deviation. The level of performance of the Grade 11 STEM students were further described as high, average or low. Paired samples t-test analysis of students’ pretest and posttest assessments was carried out at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the pretest revealed an “average†level of performance among the Grade 11 STEM students. Higher scores are evident during the posttest showing a “high†level of performance. The effectiveness of the Green Chemistry approach was further established by comparing the performance of the Grade 11 students in the pretest and posttest. Their posttest scores were significantly higher than their pretest scores. The results suggest that the green chemistry approach is effective in improving the students’ performance in Chemistry specifically in their understanding of one of the most complex topics which is chemical equilibrium. Prior to the intervention, most students held misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. However, after using the green chemistry approach, they gave logical explanations about systems in equilibrium and how they were affected by external stresses. The Green Chemistry hands-on activities helped the students to improve their performance in chemistry by reinforcing the development of students’ concepts in chemical equilibrium while taking measures to save the environment. It is recommended that the green chemistry teaching approach be adopted by other chemistry teachers in Urdaneta City Division. Similar approach can also be used in teaching other science concepts. The study shows that the Green Chemistry approach greatly improved the Grade 11 STEM students’ understanding of Chemical Equilibrium. Pre-test scores averaged 7.81 with no high performers, while post-test scores rose to 15.15, with 63.4% of students achieving high performance. A paired t-test confirmed a significant improvement (p