Neuroscience engagement: The influences of chemistry education on affective dimensions

Abstract

Chemistry education is the combination of chemistry learning and teaching. The most important issues in chemistry education include understanding how students learn and how teachers teach chemistry. Although many studies have indicated that addressing cognitive dimensions could promote students' chemistry learning achievements, to improve the whole efficacy of chemistry education, the affective dimensions must be integrated into the consideration of students' learning and teachers' teaching. The difficulties of measuring the affective dimensions have been solved by using neuroscience technologies. In this chapter, the authors review the use of neuroscience technologies on measuring the affective dimensions and then introduce the influences of chemistry learning on the affective dimensions. Furthermore, the combination of chemistry education and fundamental findings of cognitive neuroscience, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), is illustrated in this chapter to provide specific and objective suggestions to chemistry learners, educators, and curriculum designers.