Untersuchungen zur Berufsorientierung als Baustein eines relevanten Chemieunterrichts im Vergleich zwischen Mittel- und Oberstufe sowie Darstellung des Chem-Trucking-Projekts als daraus abgeleitete Interventionsmaßnahme für den Chemieunterricht

Because of the bad image of science and a relating threatening skills shortage, many institutions demand an increased implementation of career orientation in science education for example by using more authentic learning environments and public-private-partnerships between schools and industry. Furthermore, students need to recognize the relevance of science for their everyday life. In their relevance model Stuckey, Hofstein, Mamlok-Naaman und Eilks (2013) point out the vocational dimension as one of three dimensions of relevance of science education.
Based on these considerations, the status quo of vocational orientation in chemical education and factors influencing students’ expectations concerning their professional orientation - especially in the field of chemistry - were evaluated. In spring 2015, 1113 students from the eigth and eleventh grade of various types of schools in the region of Siegen in Germany were sur-veyed. Through factor analysis and multiple linear regression, a model for each grade was developed, in which the students’ vocational orientation is described in relation to self-concept, self-to-prototype-matching and image of school chemistry lessons and chemistry in general.
The results of the survey and the reported big influence of the image of chemistry lessons and the prototype of chemists on chemistry-related career orientation were taken into consideration to develop an intervention project. The so called Chem-Trucking-Project consists of a mobile environmental lab, that allows students to perform chemical analyses on site, based on real and authentic problems. To evaluate the project, a small sample of the project participants were given a self-developed questionnaire. First results indicate a positive influence on a chemistry-oriented career orientation.