DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00266

Summary
In this article a teacher’s action research project in which a Systems Thinking approach was implemented into a 15 h Depth Study for students in their final year of secondary chemistry, in Australia is reported.
Students were introduced to the concept of Systems Thinking and the use of systems maps, along with the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
A recent change in the State of New South Wales (NSW) across all senior secondary science (years 11 and 12) discipline curricula (chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science) provided an opportunity for teachers to incorporate sustainability into content knowledge within a traditional high school chemistry curriculum. The key feature of the change is the addition of a “Depth Study” to the years 11 and 12 curricula for each subject. A Depth Study is intended to provide “opportunities for students to pursue their interests in their particular discipline, acquire a depth of understanding, and take responsibility for their own learning”.
The research question addressed by this study is “How can systems maps allow a teacher to situate the learning of sustainability within the learning of chemistry content?”
The Haber process, which has been highlighted as a useful context to embed Systems Thinking into the learning of chemistry curriculum content, was used as the initial case study for students to investigate. The goal of the materials developed in this project was to prime the students to start thinking more broadly and to make connections beyond the boundaries of the reaction itself. As part of this module, students were given an example of a systems map constructed by the teacher. Having been introduced to the use of systems maps and having been shown an example, the students in this study were then encouraged to construct their own systems map based on what they had learned. The number of the corresponding SDG was written next to each element of their systems map where they found an impact. Importantly, students were also told to consider whether this impact was positive, negative, or neutral, and then to color code that element of their systems map to reflect its overall impact on all relevant SDGs.
The Depth Study assessment involved students completing an analogous evaluation investigating the syntheses of ethylene and ethanol as interrelated chemical processes.
The broad range of level of interconnectivity in the chemical processes in students’ systems maps suggested to the teacher that the students exhibited a range of ability and engagement in learning chemistry through the systems mapping approach. The findings in this teacher action research project indicated that the systems mapping approach provided a means for the students not only to learn about chemistry and about sustainable development, but also to interconnect their understanding of these two topics in a meaningful way. Α content analysis of student responses will be a focus of future research.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
Although this paper refers to secondary education, its approach of system maps constructions in order to connect chemical processes with the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development can fit in higher education as well. The paper deals with system thinking and sustainability.
Specifically, system thinking was incorporated into a Depth Study in order:
• to introduce young students in topics related to chemical equilibrium and organic chemistry
• to explore the connections between chemical processes
• to situate the learning of sustainability into the learning of chemical processes (i.e., learning the impact of individual chemical processes on sustainable development)
• to encourage the use of digital technology, both through self-paced multimedia learning resources and as a means to present their results and
• to employ a rigorous assessment of the students including assessment of “working scientifically”.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this article is the incorporation of System Map approach into chemistry education, in order to introduce students on System thinking and Sustainability.