Abstract:

The basic curriculum of secondary and upper secondary education regulates the elements that determine the process of teaching and learning of the different subjects and educational stages. In the research area of didactics of the experimental sciences it is relevant to analyse the Royal Decree that establishes the minimum teachings, with the objective of determining how certain scientific concepts are managed in the current regulations. Specifically, this study has selected the concept of "Waste", closely related to sustainable development within the framework of environmental education. In today's society, a scientific and technologically developed society, the correct management and treatment of waste is vital to alleviate the environmental problems involved, minimize environmental impact and achieve sustainable development. Waste is, however, usually perceived as just garbage, and the educational field can be a fundamental instrument to change this view and recognise waste as, for example, a resource that can be reused again. We consider it necessary to train society from the school stage and carry out an analysis of how the concept of waste is treated in the current educational system. The objective was to analyse the references to the concept of waste in the regulation that standardises secondary education in Spain, both nationwide through Royal Decree 1105/2014 and at the regional level of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura through Decree 98/2016. The different subjects in which the concept of waste is taught, the contents proposed and the approach that is given to the concept were analysed. A qualitative research design was carried out based on a descriptive statistical analysis. From each text with references to the field of waste, all those sentences with a logical meaning that reflect a characterization of waste were analysed, establishing a system of categories. Apart from the term of waste, which is literally stated in the regulations, social, economic and environmental factors have been taken into account. The established categories were Waste & Society, Awareness & Ethics, Technological Development, Regulations & Economy and Typology. The results show that the concept of waste appeared in different expressions, which were the indicators of this study. The results reveal that the current legislation, both national and regional, gives very little relevance to the concept of waste. A total of six subjects in the national Royal Decree refer to waste in the different fields studied, and a total of nine subjects in the regional Decree. The descriptive statistical study shows little weight in each of them. Although the regulations offer opportunities in education to study this concept, it is insufficient and incomplete in this regard. These results allow us to affirm that the study of the concept of waste in the school stage is not encouraged, neither in secondary education nor in the baccalaureate. We consider that this fact may be counterproductive in today's society, since human activity (waste generation included) causes a global change, which affects processes that determine the operation of the Earth system.

Keywords:

Teaching, Scientific Literacy, Waste, Curriculum, Sustainable development, Education.