Food in science, science in food – Interdisciplinarity in science/chemistry and home economics lower secondary curricula across three countries

Kitchen Chemistry Boosts STEM Identity and Increases STEM Career Interests

“…Through a broader “halo effect,” a learner may create personalized meaning out of this experience and see different career futures for individual needs. Our findings align with Fooladi, Tuomisto & Haapaniemi’s estimate that 50% of middle school science topics can be effectively taught through kitchen chemistry. The positive associations we found between kitchen chemistry and diverse STEM career interests provide empirical support for the notion that this teaching approach can serve as an entry point into a wide range of STEM fields.…”

“…But the scope of kitchen chemistry is not limited to biology and chemistry. Fooladi, Tuomisto & Haapaniemi estimated that 50% of middle school sciences can be taught through kitchen chemistry. The procedural steps concern algorithms, the operations and controls concern engineering, and the ingredients and calories concern medicine and health.…”

“…Kitchen chemistry is an educational approach that invites people to learn about the sciences behind food by cooking food, using typical kitchen appliances. , Some showed that this pedagogy may raise interest in chemistry or biology fields, , while others anticipate it to raise the general interest in all sciences among the public, especially among beginners and novices in science . As increasing efforts are being made to introduce kitchen chemistry into precollege learning experiences to attract students into STEM, − we need studies to investigate to what extent and how kitchen chemistry may boost STEM affinity, and whether this boost is or is not confined to biology and chemistry subjects.…”