Analysis of content and underlying theories in Spanish reference texts on General Didactics
Análisis de contenido y teorías subyacentes en los textos españoles de referencia sobre Didáctica General
Cristina Moral Santaella and Agustín de la Herrán Gascón
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP79-3-2021-01
The results of the 2019 Pisa Reports confirm that the Spanish education system continues to stagnate after compulsory education has been completed. This situation calls for self-criticism on the part of all actors involved. One of the groups concerned are the university professors and lecturers who provide training for prospective teachers. Among them are those who teach General Didactics. They provide basic and multi-purpose training on teaching methods for prospective teachers. For this purpose, they usually consider traditional and recent textbooks and other reference texts on teaching theory and practice, which help to define the discipline. The aim of the study is to find out whether these works train and equip prospective teachers with teaching competences and to verify their educational and professional potential with regard to the teaching theory they convey. In order to fulfil this aim, a descriptive documentary study of 35 reference works on General Didactics was carried out, including both textbooks and texts used as sources of didactic knowledge. The content of the structure and composition of these texts was analysed. The results show a tendency to prioritise theoretical aspects over competences and to order chapters based on a technical and administrative tradition, rather than a conceptual and semantic approach focused on designing a meaningful learning experience. As an applied summary, recommendations are provided for the development of textbooks on General Didactics, aimed at initial teacher training, from a more competence-based and less academic approach.
Please, cite this article as follows: Moral Santaella, C., & De la Herrán Gascón, A. (2021). Análisis de contenido y teorías subyacentes en los textos españoles de referencia sobre Didáctica General | Analysis of content and underlying theories in Spanish reference texts on General Didactics. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 79 (280), 437-455. https://doi.org/10.22550/REP79-3-2021-01
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing. Longman.
Bolívar, A. (2005). Conocimiento didáctico del contenido y didácticas específicas [Pedagogical content knowledge and specific didactics]. Profesorado, 9 (2). 1-39.
Bolívar, A. (2008). Didáctica y currículum: de la modernidad a la postmodernidad [Didactics and curriculum: from modernity to postmodernity]. Aljibe.
Bolívar, A., & Pérez, P. (2019). Políticas educativas sobre el profesorado [Education policies on teachers]. In A. de la Herrán, J. M. Valle, & J. L. Villena (Coords.), ¿Qué estamos haciendo mal en la educación? (pp. 25-35). Octaedro.
Consejo Escolar del Estado [State School Council] (2015). El profesorado del siglo xxi [Teachers in the 21st century]. Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.
Council of the European Union (2018). Council recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018H0604(01)&rid=7
Darling-Hammond, L., & Oakes, J. (2019). Preparing teachers for a deeper learning. HEP.
Dewey, J. (1902). The child and the curriculum. Chicago-Press.
Egido, I., & López, E. (2016). Condicionantes de la conexión entre teoría y práctica en el Prácticum de Magisterio [Constraints regarding the connection between theory and practice in the Teacher Training Practicum]. Estudios sobre Educación, 30, 217-237. https://doi.org/10.15581/004.30.217-237
European Commission (2004). Implementation of «Education and Training 2010» Work Programme. Key Competencesfor Lifelong Learning. A European Reference Framework. https://step4-sfc.eu/IMG/pdf/201509_a_integrer_dans_le_site_basicframe.pdf
Gairín Sallán, J., Díaz-Vicario A., del Arco Bravo, I., & Flores i Alarcia, O. (2019). Efecto e impacto de las prácticas curriculares de los grados educación infantil y primaria [Effect and impact of the curricular work placements forming part of the degrees in early years and primary education]. Educación XX1, 22 (2), 17-43. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.21311
González-Sanmamed, M. (2009). Una nueva oportunidad para la formación inicial del profesorado de educación secundaria [A new opportunity for the initial training of secondary school teachers]. Revista de Educación, 350, 57-78.
González-Sanmamed, M., & Fuentes, E. (2011). El prácticum en el aprendizaje de la profesión docente [The practicum in the learning of teaching professionals]. Revista de Educación, 354, 47-70.
Hall, R. (2020). Mixing methods in social research. Quantitative, qualitative and combined methods. Sage.
Hattie, J., & Clarke, S. (2019). Visible learning feedback. Routledge.
Heredia, A. (2015). Los manuales de Didáctica en español entre 1900-1970 [Manuals on Didactics in Spanish between 1900-1970]. revista española de pedagogía, 73 (260), 121-139. https://revistadepedagogia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/260-07.pdf
McTighe, J., & Willis, J. (2019). Understanding by design meets neuroscience. ASCD.
Novak, J. (2010). Learning, creating and using knowledge. Routledge.
Ritchart, R., & Church, M. (2020). Making thinking visible. Jossey Bass.
Schwab, J. (1970). The practical 3: Translation into curriculum. School Review, 81 (4), 501-522.
Shulman, L. (2005). Conocimiento y enseñanza. Fundamentos para una nueva reforma [Knowledge and teaching. Foundations for a new reform]. Profesorado, 9 (2), 1-28.
Sousa, D. (2017). How the brain learns. Corwin.
Tyler, R. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago-Press.
Walter, D., & Soltis, F. (2004). Curriculum and aims. College-Press.
Weinstein, Y., & Sumeracki, M. (2019). Understanding how we learn. Routledge.
Cristina Moral Santaella works as Associate Professor at the Universidad de Granada. She trains early years, primary and secondary school teachers, and conducts research into different areas of study for educational improvement and change. She is a member of the FORCE Research Group and of the RILME Network, among others. Her research interests are teacher training didactics and curriculum, educational leadership, qualitative research.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7302-165X
Agustín de la Herrán Gascón works as Associate Professor in the Department of Pedagogy of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. His research interests are teacher training, pedagogy of creativity, history of educational innovation, complexity and awareness in education or radical and inclusive approach to education, among others. He is a member of the research group PR-005 “Social and labour inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities”.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9156-6971
Data collected by PlumX Metrics. More information on the metrics collected can be found at https://plumanalytics.com/learn/about-metrics/
