Enhancing Sustainable Chemistry Education in Community College Laboratories Through Industry Partnerships

Thesis Abstract

The integration of sustainable practices into chemistry education remains a critical challenge within community college laboratories, often limited by resource constraints, curriculum rigidity, and insufficient industry engagement. This study aims to enhance sustainable chemistry education in community college laboratories through structured industry partnerships, focusing on developing practical, environmentally responsible instructional strategies that align with ecological and economic sustainability goals. The specific objectives are to evaluate current sustainable chemistry teaching approaches, identify effective models of industry-academic collaboration, develop a framework for integrating industry inputs into laboratory practices, and assess the impact of such collaborations on student learning outcomes and environmental awareness. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to obtain comprehensive insights. The quantitative component involves administering structured questionnaires to a sample of 150 community college chemistry instructors across the Midwest region of the United States, selected via stratified random sampling to ensure representation across different institution types and geographic locations. The qualitative component consists of semi-structured interviews with 20 industry professionals from chemical manufacturing, environmental consultancy, and educational material suppliers, purposively sampled to capture diverse perspectives on sustainable laboratory practices and education. Data collection instruments include validated questionnaires measuring instructors’ familiarity with sustainability principles, collaboration frequency, and perceived barriers; and interview protocols focusing on industry expectations and partnership experiences. Validity and reliability of instruments are ascertained through pilot testing, expert review, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding 0.85 for quantitative measures. Data analysis encompasses descriptive statistics, multiple regression analyses to determine factors influencing sustainable pedagogy adoption, and thematic analysis for qualitative data, guided by Braun and Clarke’s procedures. A conceptual framework is derived based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Exchange Theory, which posit that institutional attitudes, perceived behavioral controls, and reciprocal relationships significantly influence sustainable laboratory innovations. Expected findings suggest that active industry engagement correlates positively with innovative sustainability practices, enhanced student comprehension of environmentally responsible chemistry, and increased industry awareness of educational needs. The study anticipates identifying key facilitators and barriers within current community college contexts and demonstrating that structured industry partnerships significantly improve the integration of sustainable chemistry concepts into laboratory work. These insights are expected to reveal practical pathways by which community colleges can foster experiential learning, resource sharing, and curriculum reform aligned with industry standards and environmental imperatives. This research contributes novel empirical evidence to the discourse on sustainable chemistry education, highlighting the pivotal role of industry collaboration in resource-constrained settings. It offers a replicable framework for establishing and sustaining effective partnerships, thereby advancing pedagogical practices and ecological literacy among community college students. The main conclusion emphasizes that strategic industry engagement enhances sustainability integration, with policymakers and educational leaders urged to facilitate formal partnership frameworks, joint training programs, and collaborative research initiatives. Recommendations include developing standardized partnership protocols, incentivizing industry participation through recognition and funding, and embedding sustainability modules within accreditation processes. For future research, longitudinal investigations into the long-term impacts of industry-educator collaborations on student career trajectories and environmental impact assessments are proposed. Overall, the study underscores the importance of integrating industry insights into community college chemistry laboratories as a catalyst for cultivating environmentally responsible science education, ultimately contributing to a sustainable scientific workforce and ecological stewardship.