Science educators’ views on the role of computational thinking in scientific inquiry

Abstract

Science education in Latin America continues to face persistent challenges, including low student performance and limited teacher preparation in computational thinking (CT). Inquiry-based science education has emerged as a promising framework to enhance student engagement and critical thinking. This cross-sectional study explores Latin-American science educators’ conceptions of inquiry-based teaching and learning, CT, modeling, and technological self-efficacy (TSE), and examines how these conceptions relate to their epistemological perspectives. Survey responses from 188 in-service science educators across 12 Latin-American countries were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to derive latent constructs and analyzed using descriptive statistics and k-means clustering to identify the educators’ epistemological profiles. The analyses yielded three profiles—traditional, post-Kuhnian, and inquiry-driven—showing distinct patterns across inquiry, modeling and CT conceptions, and TSE. Across the sample and within profiles, higher TSE and more informed conceptions of CT were associated with greater self-reported use of inquiry-oriented approaches. At the same time, misconceptions about CT and limited technological confidence emerged as barriers to integration. These findings suggest that professional development should be differentiated by educator profiles, with an emphasis on strengthening TSE and clarifying the role of CT within inquiry-based science instruction to support more effective classroom integration across Latin America.