Micro-scale Chemistry Laboratory Techniques at Senior Secondary School Level and its Effectiveness

Micro-scale chemistry techniques are proving to be very useful for performing chemistry experiments in school laboratory. These are not just cost effective but also reduce wastage and health hazards. The techniques enable students to perform experiments in an environmentally safe and pollution free atmosphere using small quantities of chemicals without compromising the quality and standard of experiments. A typical micro-scale experiment consumes only, say less than 10% of the required quantity of reagents used in a corresponding traditional chemistry experiment. This paper presents the outcomes of a study that attempted to assess the effectiveness of the experiments in terms of students' understanding of chemistry related concepts and their overall achievement in chemistry subject. The paper discusses the result of the study and accentuates the economy model of micro-scale chemistry experiments and further delineates the educational implications of this technique for all the stake holders of school education.