New trends in physics teaching, v.4; The ... - unesdoc - Unesco

New Trends in Physics Teaching IV
Teaching energy in Hungarian schools: developing the
concept over seven years
F.J. KEDVES, L. KOV~S, P. KOVESDI
In recent years, the concepts considered in and the didactics of science teaching have been
recognized as providing a central problem in world-wide education. About twenty years ago,
innovative programmes in the field of physics education were initiated in a number of countries.
Projects such as PSSC [ 13, Nuffield [ 21 , the New South Wales (Australia) Science Programmes
[3, 41, and the Science Curriculum Improvement Study [5] were launched. In 1968, an international
congress on the integration of science teaching was held at Droujba, Bulgaria [ 61 which
reflected a growing interest in the preparation of integrated science programmes for schools.
Common to all the projects was the need to face the problems associated with the teaching of
energy; a wide range of different solutions was proposed and tested. The present paper outlines
the teaching approach adopted in Hungary.
The Hungarian education system has three main divisions [7, 81. The lower division includes
the primary schools (classes or forms 1 to 8 covering ages 6 to 13). The middle division includes
the secondary and grammar schools (classes 1 to 4, ages 14 to 17), the training schools (three
classes) and the extension training schools (two classes). The higher division embraces the
universities and colleges (from three to six academic years). Children enter school at the age of 6
and compulsory education lasts until the age of 16. The schedule of courses, curricula and most
textbooks for the primary and secondary schools are homogeneous (and compulsory) throughout
the country. Such a uniform system has the advantage that it makes the comprehensive planning
of well-established science education possible.
In 1973, the Ministry of Education invited the Hungarian Academy of Science (HAS) to work
out and to submit recommendations concerning the future form and content of education
programmes in the schools. Science education was to be involved in this and eventually a uniform,
overall plan was elaborated for the twelve years of school. This work, which took four years,
involved many scientists of various disciplines, university and college teachers as well as schoolteachers.
Their recommendations were extensively tested in the schools and thousands of pupils
took part.
HAS [ 9, 10, 1 1 ] concluded that ‘from the points of view of practice, ideology and general
living conditions, the study of science in school was as important as the studies of the mother
tongue, mathematics or history. An understanding of science enables a person to feel at home
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