General Subject Didactics. Development – theoretical insights – empirical results

The article deals with a new scientific approach developed under
the title of ‘General Subject Didactics’. This concept is based on the
existence of several academic disciplines called ‘subject didactics’
or ‘subject(−matter) didactics’. These are linked to certain scientific
domains like biology or mathematics and to respective school
subjects. The goal was to observe and reflect on how the individual
subject didactics explore subject-specific teaching and learning,
both by top-down reflections and by bottom-up comparisons. In
terms of design, 17 subject didactics within Germany were com-
pared and analyzed on the basis of six impulses. This empirical
study allowed us to gain basic insights into the commonalities of
all related subject-didactic disciplines and to identify differences
among them. In this way, General Subject Didactics was developed
step by step in a comparative way. As a result it can be defined as a
theory of subject didactics. This innovative approach feeds into an
extended content- or knowledge-based philosophy of education.