GEOLOGY STATUS IN THE CURRICULA. A CONCERNING SITUATION

Abstract

This research analyses the changes in the contents of the Geology in the pre-university educational curriculum stages (Compulsory and General Education), comparing LOMCE and LOMLOE education laws. Geology literacy is essential for students to acquire a solid scientific basis to understand and seek alternatives to the environmental crisis. An in-depth analysis of the contents of the Royal Decrees LOMCE and LOMLOE shows how some of these contents are lost from one regulation to another (e.g. Water on Earth and the Water Cycle – Primary Education– or Geological Time, Historical Geology and Geology of Spain –General Education–), but also how new contents are incorporated in most stages (Natural Heritage Protection –Pre-School– or Soil Science and Soil Formation –Secondary–). These changes towards less scientific literacy are reinforced by a reduction in the number of annual hours dedicated to subjects in this field in Secondary Education, together with an increase in the number of elective subjects, which negatively conditions the selection of subjects related to Geology in higher stages. We can conclude that students' scientific training in geology at the end of the pre-university stage will not cover the minimum knowledge, affecting the scientific literacy of citizens.