Digital Competence and Science Education in Bulgarian Secondary School: Curriculum Analysis

Abstract

Digital competence has been identified as a key competence in European education policy. In Bulgarian education, it is developed both directly through subjects aimed specifically at it, and indirectly through training in all other subjects. The aim of the study is to elucidate the presence of elements related to the digital competence in the educational documents defining the curriculum of natural science education. As a result of the analysis, it was found that for science education, digital technologies are to be applied as a means of accessing information and mainly the skills of searching, analysing and presenting information and data are to be developed. There is a lack of specific focus on assessing the authenticity of digital content, which is particularly important for health and environmental education. The possibilities of technologies for collaborative learning, their importance for the development of individuals and society, for the development of science and the importance of science for the development of digital technologies are also underestimated.