The «analysis of conceptual contents» of Science curricula and programmes: A possible mediation tool between Science Education research and practice

Abstract

In this paper we propose the analysis of the conceptual contents of Science curricula and programmes as a possible mediation tool between Didactics of Science (i.e. Science Education as an academic discipline) and Science Teaching as a professional practice. From the analysis we carried out, a classification of different recent and current programmes which introduce the concept of energy in the secondary level; such classification consists of three «ideal types» of programme (traditional, innovative, and constructivist), each of them characterised by a series of «axes». Finally, we discuss how we could use this classification when trying to bring the results of didactical (i.e. Science educational) research closer to the Science classrooms.