Practical work has taken a leading role in science teaching, particularly since the 1960s. Its goals are mainly oriented toward the development of sensitivity and taste for the study of physical and natural phenomena, bringing students closer to the daily reality experienced by researchers working in these areas of knowledge, while promoting educational success. However, these purposes have not always been achieved so, over time, limitations to the way that practical work has been developed have also been identified. In order to recognize the current state of the art on the development of the practical work in the teaching of sciences, a systematic literature review was designed, especially focused on the definition of the concept of practical work, its advantages, evaluation methodologies, and the criticism/limitations attributed to its implementation. To this end, four databases and one aggregator were used, to identify 53 international scientific publications. Analysis of this corpus allowed the identification of 8 categories associated to the concept of practical work, 5 categories associated to its advantages, 6 categories with the types/methodologies of evaluation and 5 categories associated with the limitations of this methodology. (From this analysis) it is concluded that most authors considers that the main idea integrative idea of the concept of practical work should be the manipulation of materials in practical activities (hands-on style), and the main advantage of this methodology comes from the fusion between the development of practical skills and the conceptual understanding (minds-on). In the evaluation methods, the context, procedures and specific instruments are favored and the main limitation pointed to this methodology is that the way practical work is implemented, is often not in agreement with the methods and techniques used by scientists and researchers.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a global public health problem. Lay bystanders witness almost half of OHCA, so early recognition is critical to allow immediate initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the bystander. The present investigation aims to analyze the most recent scientific evidence of the effect of bystander CPR on survival after an OHCA. A systematic literature review was carried out at "Web of Science", "Scopus" and "PubMed" databases, including publications from the last 20 years. After inclusion/exclusion criteria, 37 articles were identified. Results indicate that patients who receive CPR are more likely to survive than those who don't, and CPR is associated with a good quality of life post-OHCA. Emphasis should be placed on practicing chest compressions only when the bystander has not mastered the artificial ventilation technique. Finding an AED is the first step to using it in an OHCA situation. Correct use of an AED by laypeople is associated with nearly double the survival rate after an OHCA when compared to standard CPR. It is important to promote CPR and AED training to non-professionals, such as community residents and youth, as training is associated with higher success rates of effective CPR-AED. A mobile phone positioning system to recruit trained laypeople or text message alert to send citizen volunteers, as well as assistance through a mobile app, appear to have significant advantages in practicing effective CPR. The benefits of bystander CPR outweigh the risk of injury to victims, highlighting the need to disseminate training to lay people.

O trabalho prático é atualmente considerado, por muitos investigadores e educadores, como uma componente estruturante da educação em ciências. Este trabalho pretende fazer uma sinopse histórica do trabalho prático no ensino das ciências. Depois de uma breve passagem pela antiguidade até ao séc. XIX, prossegue com uma visão do contexto português, destacando importantes episódios que influenciaram o ensino prático e experimental neste campo do conhecimento. Seguidamente, analisam-se as visões sobre o trabalho prático, nas mais recentes alterações curriculares no sistema de ensino português, representadas pelas Metas Curriculares e pelas Aprendizagens Essenciais em articulação com o Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória. Conclui-se que, a concetualização e a relevância do trabalho prático foram alterando num processo dinâmico ao longo do tempo, acompanhando os diferentes paradigmas económicos, políticos e sociais que se foram sucedendo, aproximando-se ainda alternadamente, de abordagens mais influenciadas por um estilo minds-on, e de abordagens mais influenciadas por um estilo hands-on. Por último, considera-se como premente o debate sobre a atual relevância do trabalho prático, com vista à sua otimização e ao estabelecimento do seu futuro formato, no ensino das ciências do sistema educativo português, no quadro dos atuais referenciais curriculares.

Since the mid-20th century, practical work has assumed a prominent role in science education and is viewed by many teachers as an essential component of their instructional practices. This perspective is supported by various positive beliefs held by educators, such as the idea that practical work can foster students' curiosity and appreciation for studying physical and natural phenomena. It also provides opportunities for students to develop problem-solving skills applicable to real-life situations, thereby bringing them closer to the authentic methods used by scientists. However, despite these advantages, several studies have identified limitations to implementing practical work in science education, particularly at the pre-university level. To better understand the current landscape, a systematic review was conducted, analyzing 53 scholarly articles. The results from this systematic literature review revealed five categories of advantages associated with practical work in science education, as well as five categories of limitations. The analysis suggests that enhancing the effectiveness of practical work in science requires thoughtful reflection and targeted interventions across four key dimensions: 1) chosen instructional strategies; 2) challenges related to limited financial resources; 3) appropriately designed classroom spaces; and 4) issues of time allocation.

Review question / Objective: Main question: What is the current state of the art, on practical work, in science teaching at the pre-university level? Subquestions: a) What aspects are integrated into the concept of practical work? b) What are the advantages attributed to the development of practical work in science teaching? c) What types/strategies of assessment are carried out in the development of practical work? d) What are the disadvantages attributed to the development of practical work in science teaching? Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria: Complete and Open Access documents; Peer-reviewed studies; Studies developed on the teaching of science in pre-university teaching establishments; Publications written in English. Exclusion criteria: Systematic literature reviews; Graduation dissertations; Master's dissertations; Publications prior to 2011.

This article presents the development and validation process of a qualitative data collection instrument aimed at analysing natural sciences teachers’ perceptions of practical work in lower secondary education (third cycle) in Portugal. The methodological approach combined a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines with an analysis of relevant curricular frameworks and legal documents. Based on the triangulation of these sources, a semi-structured interview guide was constructed, validated by a panel of five experts from four Portuguese public universities, and tested through a pilot interview. The final instrument comprised seven dimensions and fourteen subdimensions, totalling 44 items. It demonstrated methodological rigour and practical applicability for qualitative data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that the instrument enables a comprehensive exploration of teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding practical work, offering a valuable contribution to the research on didactics of science and to the professional development of teachers. Also, the application of this instrument will enable teachers and researchers to characterise the dynamics of practical work carried out with young students in natural sciences education across seven structuring dimensions: (1) Conceptual; (2) Limitations; (3) Advantages; (4) Evaluative; (5) Operationalisation; (6) Textbook; and (7) Curricular.