"Meta-Theoretical Contributions to the Constitution of a Model-Based Didactics of Science"

ARIZA, YEFRIN; LORENZANO, PABLO; ADÚRIZ-BRAVO, AGUSTÍN

SCIENCE & EDUCATION (DORDRECHT)

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016 vol. 25 p. 747 - 773

0926-7220

There is nowadays consensus in the community of didactics of science (i.e., science education understood as an academic discipline) regarding the need to include thephilosophy of science in didactical research, science teacher education,curriculum design, and the practice of science education in all educational levels. Some authors have identified an ever-increasing use of the concept of ´theoretical model´, stemming from the so-called ´semantic view of scientific theories. However, it can be recognised that, in didactics of science, there are over-simplified transpositions of the idea of model (and of other meta-theoretical ideas). In this sense, contemporary philosophy of science is often blurred or distorted in the science education literature. In this paper, we address the discussion around some meta-theoretical concepts that are introduced into didactics ofscience due to their perceived educational value. We argue for the existence of a ´semantic family´, and we characterise four different versions of semantic viewsexisting within the family. In particular, we seek to contribute to establishing a model-based didactics of science mainly supported in this semantic family.