Herrera Monegro Ronard, Gonzales Kira E, Graham Savannah R, Guerrero Miguel, Robertson Megan L, Henderson Jerrod A
William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
Katherine G. McGovern College of the Arts, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
J Chem Educ. 2024 Jun 27;101(7):2899-2902. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00387. eCollection 2024 Jul 9.
We previously developed a plastic sorting activity for high school students. In that activity, several tools were provided to separate plastic waste materials based on their physical properties while considering the time and cost for each separation step. Here, we aimed to understand the impact of this activity on the awareness of and learning about plastic sorting in a younger age group (8 to 11 years old) and explored how parental involvement influenced students' interest in the topic. The activity was part of the STEM Zone Saturday program at the University of Houston. Pre- and post-evaluations were used to assess students' understanding of plastic sorting and overall experiences. While some insights into plastic sorting were derived from previous experiences, the activity improved awareness among students, particularly regarding sorting based on physical properties. The involvement of parents encouraged exploration, discovery, and enjoyment. These findings underscore the importance of early education and community engagement in fostering sustainable practices and advancing toward a circular economy.
我们之前为高中生开发了一项塑料分类活动。在该活动中，提供了几种工具，用于根据塑料废料的物理特性对其进行分类，同时考虑每个分离步骤的时间和成本。在此，我们旨在了解这项活动对较年轻年龄组（8至11岁）的塑料分类意识和学习的影响，并探讨家长的参与如何影响学生对该主题的兴趣。该活动是休斯顿大学STEM区周六项目的一部分。通过前后评估来评估学生对塑料分类的理解和总体体验。虽然对塑料分类的一些见解来自以前的经验，但该活动提高了学生的意识，特别是在基于物理特性进行分类方面。家长的参与鼓励了探索、发现和乐趣。这些发现强调了早期教育和社区参与在促进可持续实践和向循环经济迈进方面的重要性。
