Una propuesta para taxonomizar los contenidos procedimentales en las prácticas de laboratorio

the purpose of this paper is to establish a content taxonomy for laboratory procedures. the impact of the classification is twofold. on the one hand, it assists the systematic design of questionnaires used for assessing students？ previous knowledge on a subject; on the other, it facilitates the elaboration of index cards illustrating the progression of laboratory practices. using a descriptive and document-based methodology, existing theoretical methods are revised in terms of sequence of events. the result is the arrangement of those same scientific procedures according to the complexity of metal and motor actions involved in meaningful learning. based on this content criterion we are able to propose theoretically supported didactic guidelines in order to enhance the process of acquisition and transference of information to new context and situations. the overall result is a significant increase on the effectiveness of laboratory activities as an instructional tool.