Supporting Earth Science Teaching through Curriculum Design: An Action Research Study in Italian Liceo Schools

Despite its relevance for understanding environmental, societal, and Earth system challenges, Earth Science remains one of the most marginalized components of Natural Science education in upper secondary schools. International research has consistently shown that Earth Science is underrepresented compared to other Natural Science subjects, both in terms of curricular emphasis and instructional time (King, 2021; Baker, 2017). This underrepresentation has been associated with reduced teacher confidence in understanding Earth systems.

In Italy, Earth Science is included in the National Guidelines for Natural Sciences, which are used as a reference framework by schools when designing local curricula. The 2010 Italian National Guidelines (Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, 2010) describe Natural Sciences as a set of distinct but interconnected disciplines sharing common competencies. These competencies are focused on observing and describing natural phenomena, understanding the relevance of scientific discoveries, and using scientific language to communicate and discuss scientific issues. Methodological recommendations emphasize inquiry-based learning, laboratory activities, and outdoor education as shared approaches across Natural Science disciplines. However, while the Guidelines identify content areas intended to support competency development, Earth Science topics are described only in broad terms. As a result, these topics are often difficult to interpret and translate into teaching practice, particularly for teachers without a geological background. This difficulty is further amplified by the heterogeneous academic preparation of Natural Science teachers, whose training may include biology, chemistry, geology, or agricultural sciences (Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, 2017).

To address this problem and support Italian Natural Science teachers lacking specific geological expertise, an Earth Science curriculum for Liceo upper secondary schools was designed. Lesson plans and teaching materials were developed for all Earth Science topics prescribed by the Italian National Guidelines. These materials were subsequently implemented and tested in 12 Italian upper secondary schools. Feedback from participating teachers indicated that the proposed curriculum, teaching plans, and instructional materials represent effective and practical resources. In particular, they were reported to facilitate a shift towards more student-centered, inquiry-oriented, and competence-based teaching practices. Moreover, the materials support the systematic inclusion of Earth Science topics while fostering the development of key scientific and STEM-related competencies. The final versions of the curriculum, teaching plans, and lesson materials were published online as open educational resources and made freely accessible (https://www.didatticascienzedellaterra.distar.unina.it). All materials are available under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International). This allows teachers to freely use and implement the resources in their educational contexts, thereby extending the action research approach initiated by this study.