Didactic in pedagogy course curricula – presence or invisibility?

Abstract

Didactics studies the teaching and learning process, the focus of teaching; thus, its presence in teacher training curricula constitutes a structuring element. This study aims to understand how Didactics is presented in undergraduate curricula, focusing on the Pedagogy program—its presence or invisibility. Furthermore, it aims to verify the impact of this phenomenon on basic education teacher training and the research field in question. From a theoretical perspective, the project is substantiated by critical and emancipatory studies of Pedagogy and Didactics (Pimenta, 2023; Libâneo, 2013; Longarezi, Pimenta, Puentes, 2023). This is a qualitative, exploratory study, and its data production procedures include analysis of institutional websites of 69 federal universities, online questionnaires for teachers of the discipline, and analysis of 83 teaching plans. 50 federal universities from all regions were adopted as a sample. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis, which highlighted the terminology used to designate the Didactics component and its place in undergraduate Pedagogy curricula. The research highlights the need to update the content and theoretical-methodological frameworks of Didactics in teacher training, moving beyond the instrumental-technical perspective influenced by neotechnicism. It also highlights the importance of rethinking the role of Didactics in curricula and advocates for the academic recognition of this epistemological field by the scientific community and professionals in the field.