The Future of Education

Schools today face the challenge of preparing learners for a future shaped by rapid changes. [1] Learners must therefore be equipped not only to follow emerging technological advancements, but also to understand, critically evaluate, and actively shape them. [2] To ensure this, references to future are crucial in science education. While Education for Sustainable Development offers large potential for future-oriented approaches, research indicates that its curricular implementation is still insufficient. [3]

To identify references to future-related contents in chemistry class, this study applies a two-step methodological approach: First, all German chemistry curricula were systemically analyzed using Python-based text screening aligned with predefined clusters of terms associated with future and future technologies. Second, given that the implementation of future references in chemistry class is heavily dependent on teachers' attitudes and competencies, a sample of teacher students was interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. To find linkages to familiar teaching concepts related to temporal perspectives, participants were explicitly asked to reflect on references to past, present, and future in chemistry teaching. All interviews were subsequently transcribed and evaluated using qualitative content analysis. [4] Our results indicate that participants possess substantially more prior knowledge regarding references to past and present than regarding future-related ones. However, participants assign considerable importance to them underscoring their relevance for chemistry education research.