De emphasisvoorkeur van docenten biologie, natuurkunde en scheikunde en de gevolgen voor curriculumvernieuwingen

Tijdschrift voor Didactiek van de Beta-wetenschappen, uitgegeven door het Freudenthal Instituut, Universiteit Utrecht in de periode 1983-2014

De Putter-Smits, L. Taconis, R. Jochems, W. van Driel, J. Tijdschrift voor Didactiek van de Beta-wetenschappen 2011 – 28(1), 33-48 Download pdf

The emphasis preference of teachers of biology, physics and chemistry and the consequences for curriculum innovation.
The curriculum innovation committees for high school biology, chemistry and physics in the Netherlands suggest the use of the concept-in-context approach to teaching science (Michels, Boersma, & Gommers, 2009), although the exact interpretation of this approach differs per subject. The teachers using the innovative curriculum and materials are expected to adopt a teaching emphasis corresponding to this approach when teaching the new curriculum. This research uncovers the current teaching emphasis preference among teachers of these three science subjects as well as possible emphasis preferences per science subject. Also the possible influences of teaching experience and material design experience on emphasis preference are considered. Using a previously validated questionnaire we approached biology, chemistry and physics teachers throughout the Netherlands (n = 213). The results show that within the subjects, biology teachers prefer a ‘science technology and society’ emphasis and physics teachers prefer a knowledge development in science emphasis. Between the subjects biology teachers were found to have a significantly stronger preference for a science, technology and society emphasis than their colleagues from chemistry and physics. No other influences on teaching emphasis were found. Considering the emphasis preferences found among the different subjects it is expected that the innovation of the biology curriculum will meet with the least friction with teachers’ emphasis.