Diagnosis of the didactic and scientific knowledge of teachers: the case of the Panamanian education system

The research presented in this paper derives from a broad study of Panamanian science teachers carried out in the context of the Plan de Evaluación de los Aprendizajes de Ciencias y Matemática. This plan stars in 2008 and was held by Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT) from Panama. The goal was to evaluate not only the science education knowledge but also the scientific one of a Panamanian science teacher sample. The ultimate goal was to identify the weaknesses in teachers knowledge to orientate the government in the in service teacher programs.