Practical aspects of chemistry in the context of the necessity to survive

Abstract

The article discusses how chemical knowledge (understood here as information, skills and attitudes) can be helpful in times of crisis, incl. war or hunger. In communist countries after World War II, the method of teaching chemistry at school was based on the student’s prac‑tical skills acquired at home and at school (Nodzyńska, 2007). Then, in school, these skills were supplemented with theoretical data. This way of teaching allowed the student to com‑bine practical skills and theoretical knowledge in the mind of the student, which allowed him to use this knowledge in practice. Nowadays, students often lack practical skills and at school, students encounter purely theoretical knowledge. This way of teaching may prove to be insufficient for students to be able to use this knowledge in practice during a crisis. thirteen practical skills were selected and the level of their knowledge the respondents were examined. The sources of the respondents’ practical skills in the field of chemistry, which will enable them to survive in difficult times, were also examined and the correlation between the declared knowledge and sources of knowledge and gender, age and the level of chemical education. The obtained results show that the practical knowledge of the respondents about the use of chemistry both in everyday life and in times of crisis does not come from formal school knowledge.