Factors determining the survival of an educational innovation

Abstract

This article analyses The Science Project 12-16 experimented in 45 Secondary Schools of Catalonia, and it tries to find mechanisms and reasons why teachers have decided to follow or to give up the Science Project 12-16. Our study is qualitative; we have interviewed 8 teachers from 3 different Secondary Schools around Barcelona: 2 of the teachers were male and 6 female, 5 biology teachers, 2 chemistry teachers and 1 Education teacher. In the interviews, we have tried to evaluate the reasons in order for following the Project and the advantages and disadvantages in their use, analysing the design of the Project, the structure, activities and results. The study also analyses the task of the teacher in the Project and finally the reasons why they gave up on it and why some activities had survived beyond the Project.