Movies in chemistry education

Since 1957, movies have been used in many ways in chemistry education. The use of chemistry movies in the school environment provides the student with countless benefits. Training teachers is of the greatest importance in making effective and productive use of movies in educational environments. With the use of movies, styles of learning change, and teachers are required to adapt to such changes in classroom education. Equally as important to having chemistry movies become effective and productive in the educational environment through the choice of a suitable teaching method and strategy is their production. The production process includes the content of the movie, the chemistry knowledge offered, a suitable and effective choice of images and the length of the movie. With today’s changing perspective on education, the production of chemistry movies is a process in which experts in different areas such as chemists, chemistry educators and specialists in computer technologies work together. Thanks to advanced technologies, chemistry movies produced today are now recorded on CD’s and made available to students as part of their educational curriculum.

The present study is important in that it sets forth the different ways that chemistry movies have been used in the last fifty years. The research also presents information that will be useful to readers in understanding what benefits students can derive from the use of movies in learning environments and in comprehending why teachers should use these movies in their teaching. Another aspect of the study is that it serves to be helpful in the absence in the literature of any compilation of studies on the use of movies in chemistry education. The present study thus seeks to fill this gap in the literature and endeavors to make a contribution to future studies on the subject.