Popularization Activities Promote Students’ Scientific Understanding of the Myths and Facts about Pesticides

Extensive use of chemical pesticides in agriculture is an effective and economical way to improve food production. Meanwhile, adverse impacts of pesticides on environmental sustainability and public health have increasingly emerged, leading to widespread negative comments about pesticides. When it comes to pesticides, teenage students who know little about agricultural chemistry tend to view them as harmful. Nevertheless, they are also puzzled as to why pesticide applications have not been stopped despite countless negative comments. Hence, it is important to popularize pesticide science at different levels of chemical education to promote scientific understanding and social responsibility. However, education practices that provide scientific knowledge of chemical pesticides to young people and guide them on how to view pesticides rationally are rare. This study describes a project aimed at educating middle school students about pesticide science. This project included a series of activities to popularize pesticide science including a science lecture, a poster competition, and a pesticide residue detection experiment. Results from students' ratings of these activities and related conceptual tests indicate that the project was well received. As a result of this project, the students gained a clearer understanding of the two-sided nature of pesticide chemistry: when pesticides are scientifically used, they can act as helpful guardians of food security, but if pesticides are abused or misused, they may become harmful pollutants. This project effectively strengthened students' scientific understanding of the myths and facts about pesticides. Such a project-based teaching case provides an example of stimulating students' interest in pesticide scientific research.