Design Thinking-Based Chemistry Instruction for Concept Application and Problem-Solving Skills Among Secondary School Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study Protocol

Background. Secondary chemistry requires students to transfer concepts to unfamiliar situations, interpret
evidence and construct explanations. A structured design-thinking process may provide repeated opportunities to practise these behaviours. Aim. To evaluate, in a prospective school-based study, whether a six-week design thinking-based chemistry programme improves concept application and problem-solving skills compared with conventional chemistry
instruction.
Methods. This protocol describes a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test comparison-group study among
secondary school students. The intervention consists of six weekly cycles involving understanding a context,
defining a chemistry problem, generating alternatives, developing a solution, testing evidence and revising
the solution. The primary outcomes will be scores on a Concept Application Test (CAT) and a ProblemSolving Skills Test (PSST). The instruments will undergo expert review, pilot testing, reliability assessment
and rubric-based scorer training before the main study. The sample size will be determined a priori using a
formal power calculation. Baseline-adjusted post-test comparisons will account for clustering by class or
teacher where applicable.
Expected contribution. The study is designed to provide empirical evidence on a clearly specified,
chemistry-specific design-thinking intervention. No synthetic or simulated observations are presented as
study findings in this protocol.