Investigating undergraduate students' scientific understanding of laboratory safety

Laboratory instruction does not only provide students with practical experience but also identify hazard materials and laboratory safety. The purpose of this research study was to investigate Thai undergraduate students' scientific understanding of safety signs. The survey questionnaire was administered to fourth-year undergraduate students at the Faculty of Education who enrolled chemistry laboratory instruction course. The findings indicated that a majority of the students misunderstood the definition of chemical hazards. In addition, they experienced confusion in matching chemicals commonly found in school science laboratory (i.e., sodium hydroxide) and the meaning of chemical safety sign. The interview revealed that they did not pay attention to safety signs labeled on containers during conducting experiments. The findings from this study provide basic information for teaching and learning in the course to promote students' awareness of the proper handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu