To foster this digital transformation within classrooms, teachers have been noted as crucial gatekeepers ( Bridwell-Mitchell, 2015 Lockton and Fargason, 2019 Wohlfart and Wagner, 2022).

This means that the use of digital technologies in STEM subjects can be understood to prepare young people for the requirements of tomorrow’s job market ( Centre for the New Economy and Society, 2018). In addition, STEM subjects often require high competence in handling digital technologies, as many scientific processes have been digitized and data is often processed using computers ( Walkowiak and Nehring, 2016).

Digital tools can also help improve students’ understanding through interactive, multimedia learning content ( Hillmayr et al., 2020). These subjects often require a high degree of abstraction and visualization, and digital tools could potentially facilitate the fulfillment of these requirements ( Hrynevych et al., 2021). Overall, STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are highly relevant to society, as they are often at the center of innovation processes ( Kennedy and Odell, 2014 Centre for the New Economy and Society, 2018). In chemistry education (CE), as part of science education in schools, the mere presence of digital tools does not automatically add value to the lessons. With massive disruptions within the educational systems induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, educators worldwide were forced to re-think teaching and implement digital tools to enable education, leading to fast-track digital transformation processes in many classrooms worldwide. This necessarily incorporates the confrontation with and implementation of digital tools in classrooms and presents the education systems and stakeholders therein with new and dynamic challenges. The study concludes that subject-specific digital tools have the potential to enhance learning outcomes and recommends teacher training and further education as well as future research to focus on developing and supporting opportunities for teachers to implement subject-specific digital tools to create a more dynamic and engaging learning experiences for students.Įducation in the 21 st century has the task to prepare students for a responsible participation in our increasingly digital society ( Vuorikari et al., 2016). The findings revealed that while subject-specific digital tools were highly valued by teachers, several barriers to their strategic integration exist, including time constraints, high workloads, failing infrastructure, lack of technical support, and a fear of change. For this purpose, we conducted and analyzed interviews with 10 secondary school chemistry teachers in Germany. Against the background of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study analyzes the value that chemistry teachers place on digital tools and examines specific factors that influence their implementation in teaching. The article addresses the challenges faced by teachers incorporating digital tools into chemistry education to prepare students for responsible participation in a digital society. Institute for School Pedagogy and Didactics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.

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