Chapter 12: The Use of Contexts in Chemistry Education: A Reflection on System Levels and Stakeholder Involvement

In Europe and elsewhere, the appreciation for chemistry courses in secondary education was low at the beginning of the 21st century. The Netherlands, like other countries, reacted to this finding. In this chapter, the process—starting with the political engagement towards the involvement of researchers and teachers and the development of a new curriculum and material—will be described as one case in the international context. After a first year of experimentation in 9th grade, groups were formed to develop a new curriculum for grades 10, 11 and 12, the final years of secondary education. In this pilot, groups of teachers worked on a new curriculum based on contexts and inquiry. The final report of this group presented to the ministry of education led to a new curriculum, which was implemented in September 2015. In this new curriculum, basic chemistry knowledge was linked to applications like chemistry in industry, chemistry in life, energy transition, as well as sustainability. In a final project, the introduction of the concept of ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ (RRI) linked to current research was shown to be effective to improve attitudes of both teachers and students towards RRI.