The concept of development in Brazilian and German Geography curriculaAbstract
This paper analyzes content featured in Brazilian and German Geography curricula with the aim to explore how they handle the concept of development. The Brazilian sub-sample consisted of three curricula, namely one valid in the state of São Paulo and two across the nation. In contrast, the German sub-sample entailed three documents approved in the Federal State of Berlin. Given the federal education system in Germany, the validity of all curricula is restricted to the states. For this study, we considered two documents that regulated Geography in West Berlin and one document approved in the aftermath of German reunification. Our analysis first looked into each curriculum’s overall framework condition, always setting an emphasis on the prevailing conceptions of Geography and development. The results uncovered synergies between academic and school Geography in the two countries, but also found a number of differences in the approach to the concept of development. For example, critical perspectives originating from academic Geography had a stronger impact on school Geography in Brazil, leading to the more evident presence of the concept of uneven and combined development in two of the three curricula. In the German case, the role that the concept of sustainable development has gained in recent decades stands out, with implications for Education for Sustainable Development.
Keywords: School geography; Curriculum