Curriculum Perspectives in Science Education

The educational policies and curriculum reforms carried out in the last decades have pushed science education in Latin America from traditional propaedeutic visions toward scientific literacy and citizenship or civic science education approaches. This chapter examines the different curricular perspectives in Latin America, identifying the organizing principles and learning progression prescribed, considering the different emphasis on scientific ideas, practices, and attitudes to be developed, and their implementation. Finally, we discuss the challenges of curricular contextualization, given the importance of implementing a meaningful curriculum for the diverse Latin American school population.