A School-Oriented Course Based on History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science and Problem-Based Education: Chemistry in the History of Chinese Science and Technology

School-oriented courses (SOCs), which are developed and implemented by schools on their own, are an important educational reform measure. However, the development of a chemistry SOC in China faces multiple challenges. This study develops a chemistry-based SOC with the use of the history of science and technology in China, aiming to improve the quality of the practice of chemistry-based SOCs. The course is intended for high school students between the ages of 15 and 19 who have already mastered chemistry in middle school, and it innovatively combines the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science (HPS) with problem-based education and introduces generative artificial intelligence (GAI) technology. In practice, through the organizational methods of situational construction, role-playing, and blended teaching, this course will guide students to participate in teaching activities such as problem exploration, interesting experiments, issue discussions, and project practice, thus assisting them in deeply grasping the chemical knowledge embedded in the history of Chinese science and technology. The results of this study show that this course not only facilitates students’ mastery and application of chemistry knowledge but also effectively enhances students’ inquiry and discussion skills and significantly improves students’ sense of identity and self-efficacy in chemistry, which is conducive to the long-term development of students.