Disconnected Chemistry Education from High School over to University: Pathology, Etiology, and Possible Therapy

Abstract

The high school chemistry education in Japan provides quite limited knowledge useful for daily life. And what is worse, though being infected by superfluous pedantry, it is almost utterly disconnected from university chemistry. Accordingly, even a youngster who has got a perfect score for chemistry in an entrance exam, has to reset his/her brain during the initial stages of university education. Here the author examines how Japanese high school education is “closed,” what have caused the closure, and what measures could “open” it. The main culprit for the devastation of high school education may be university chemistry professors/researchers who involuntarily take charge of the entrance exam, with complete lack of interest in the real situation of primary/secondary education. © 2008, The Society of Polymer Science, Japan. All rights reserved.