Ecology in the LOMLOE school curriculum: Implications for a comprehensive ecological educatio

Abstract

Ecology in the LOMLOE school curriculum: Implications for comprehensive ecological education. In the context of the global environmental crisis, ecological education is essential for shaping a critical and engaged citizenry, making the ecological curriculum more relevant than ever. This study analyzes how the current Spanish educational regulations for compulsory education incorporate Ecology into their minimum teaching requirements.
A mixed document analysis was carried out based on the theoretical framework of the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework developed by the Ecological Society of America. Qualitative coding was complemented by a quantitative analysis to assess the balanced representation of the dimensions.
The results reveal an uneven treatment of the dimensions of ecological education, with a predominance of the social dimension (human–environment interactions) and a limited presence of certain fundamental ecological concepts, such as population biology or matter and energy flows. Likewise, some cross-cutting topics, such as temporal scales or evolution, are either absent or treated as optional, limiting their educational potential.
The school curriculum not only organizes content but also reflects the goals pursued through education. Although the LOMLOE represents progress by incorporating a more complex environmental perspective than previous regulations, it still presents significant structural limitations. The study emphasizes the need to move toward a more balanced curriculum, and the implications of these findings for educational practice are discussed.