Using green and sustainable chemistry practical activities in Hungarian classrooms: barriers and opportunities

Abstract This study presents results from the IUPAC Teacher Survey on Practical Activities in Hungary. In this article, we focus on issues related to the frequency of use of green and sustainable chemistry experiments, what promotes their use and what barriers inhibit it. The sample had a size of 169, representing ∼5 % of Hungarian chemistry teachers. The majority of participants had a bachelor’s or master’s degree and were experienced. Most of them reported using hands-on activities in their work once a month or a few times a year, which was less frequent than the global average, and they also used green and sustainable chemistry experiments less frequently than the global average. The most frequently reported barriers were lack of time and lack of laboratory equipment and chemicals, similarly to the European results. Other barriers mentioned were fear of accidents and overcrowded classrooms. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills were reported as the main reasons for choosing GSC activities, while their connection with local environmental issues was considered less important by the respondents. These results will help us to improve our teacher training and modify its priorities to encourage high school chemistry teachers to use more experiments in their practice.