La distancia que separa las concepciones didácticas de lo que se hace en clase: el caso de los trabajos de laboratorio en biología

Abstract

Sixteen-year-old students’ ideas about Biological laboratory work done in their classes are revealed through an open questionnaire. They were also validated through a selection task in which students were presented four different instructional situations involving practical work and had to decide which was more frequent in their classes, what can be learned through them, and their personal preferences about the way they would like to be taught. The results show a wide gap between what students say they do in their classes and what experts in the field say that should be done. In schools they are taught through non reflective tasks (with only descriptive demands), which rarely help them develop inquiry skills. They are expected to follow the instructions of their teachers instead of posing problems, thinking of hypotheses, trying to find answers and analyzing what they observe.