This study is associated to the Programa Hagamos Ciencia (‘Let’s Do Science Ptrogramme’) coordinated by SENACYT in Panama. It development seeks to advance our knowledge of all aspects of the teaching and learning process, including those referring to the working methodologies usually employed by teachers. Forming part of the plan to evaluate science and mathematics learning in the Panamanian education system, the general objective is to “Detect the most frequent problems in the didactics of science on a general basic level”. And in relation to that, it focuses on:
- Analysing the methodological skills of teachers teaching science using a widely applied instrument.
- Evaluating the level of basic science knowledge of the teachers in the Panamanian education system.
- Deriving proposals aimed at improving teachers and the teaching of science.
The development of the objectives made it necessary to define a project plan that involves different phases:
- Phase 1: Contextualization. Aimed at identifying the key elements that configure and influence how science is taught, and especially the activity of the teachers implied.
- Phase II: Construction of the instrumentation. Focused on the design of one or several pertinent, functional, useful and validated instruments.
- Phase III: Data collection. Related with the application of the instrument to significant samples from the Panamanian education system.
- Phase IV: Production of the report. Aimed at drafting an appropriate report that details the work done, the conclusions drawn and the proposals reached for improvements.
The different phases comply with the system of operations established in the aforesaid Plan for the evaluation of science and mathematics learning and consider such questions as: communication of the plan to the community and magisterial directors, production of tests, selection of co-operators, logistics of application, testing of instruments and drafting of reports. The instruments to be applied are focused on natural science (chemistry, physics and biology) and mathematics teachers in 7th, 8th and 9th grade of basic education and 10th, 11th and 12th grade of medium education. It involves a specific sample of 237 teachers representing different regions of the country.