Inquiry-Based Science Education: Analysis of Didactic Conceptions of Primary School Teachers in Costa Rica Based on a Complexity Model

Abstract

This article analyzes didactic conceptions of primary school teachers regarding inquiry and establishes evolutionary complexity profiles according to three dimensions which comprise the technical, practical and critical complexity hypothesis. The perspective of four advisors and twelve teachers was analyzed through narratives based on an emerging narrative design (prepared by the advisors) and an open questionnaire (answered by the teachers). The results suggest a transmissive didactic model baseline for four of the teachers, a traditional didactic model and eight of the teachers in three intermediate levels with constructivist conceptions closer to an alternative model. However, none of the teachers were close to proposed complexity model baseline. The transition from an intermediary level to a reference level can be supported by initial and continuous teacher education.