Interdisciplinariedad en educación secundaria: un recorrido de estudio e investigación

We start from the hypothesis that the school separation between disciplines hinders inquiry-based teaching. Creating interdisciplinary environments facilitates this approach when disciplinary content is utilized in the study of problematic issues, surpassing the limitations of school organization by subjects. We investigate this conjecture through the proposal of study and research paths (SRP) taking into consideration the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic. We present an SRP on the evolution of COVID-19 implemented over two consecutive years in the 4^th year of Spanish secondary school education, through collaborative work between the subjects of Mathematics, Technology, Biology, and Communication. The results indicate that the interdisciplinary environment fosters inquiry dynamics, but for it to be sustainable, it is crucial to preserve spaces for disciplinary work. We start from the hypothesis that the school separation between disciplines hinders inquiry-based teaching. Creating interdisciplinary environments facilitates this approach when disciplinary content is put at the service of studying problematic issues, overcoming the limitations of school organization by subjects. Some studies indicate that the lack of support and teacher competence are major constraints to effective interdisciplinary education. Research is developed to support and guide the implementation of interdisciplinary approaches, especially in science education. Within the framework of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic (ATD), two pedagogical paradigms are identified: a dominant paradigm and an emerging one. The current educational systems are situated in the so-called dominant paradigm of visiting works, characterized by the compartmentalization of knowledge into distinct subjects and the definition of educational goals as the study of collections of works within these subjects. The emerging counter-paradigm focuses on questioning the world, proposing that educational processes should be led to studying relevant questions from a non-disciplinary perspective. This does not mean abandoning disciplinary knowledge but subordinating its study to the need to address the questions at hand. ATD studies the conditions and constraints that facilitate or limit the dissemination of knowledge in our society, particularly at schools. The ATD considers knowledge as an institutional construction linked to the study of problematic issues. Inquiry processes are modelled through the Study and Research Paths (SRPs), aiming to answer a generating question posed by the study community. The teacher's role is to guide the class in elaborating a collective answer to this initial question throughout an inquiry process that includes moments of research and moments of study. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, as addressing the pandemic's challenges required input from various fields such as biology, epidemiology, medicine, economics, and social sciences. This situation underscored the relevance of mathematics as a modelling tool for real-life problems. The research presented in this paper aims to determine if SRPs favour interdisciplinary work and in which way. Two research questions are formulated: RQ1: How do disciplines intervene in the inquiry dynamics of an SRP, and how is interdisciplinarity generated? RQ2: Which conditions facilitate and which constraints limit interdisciplinary work in an SRP? Both research questions are addressed through a case study based on the design and implementation of an SRP related to the evolution of COVID-19 conducted over two years in a secondary school classroom in Spain. Didactic engineering is used as the main methodology, guiding the design and implementation of a pilot study to analyse the devices that support or limit interdisciplinarity, which was subsequently adapted for a second experimentation. Our analysis reveals three main results. Firstly, the questioning promoted in the two implementations of the SRPs has facilitated and enhanced multidisciplinarity. Secondly, the separation of disciplines has facilitated the dynamics of the inquiry, promoting more exchange between disciplines and greater feedback on the questions. Finally, the ecological analysis of the experienced SRPs has enlightened some facilitating didactic devices (such as monodisciplinary working teams, moments of joint presentations, work around a single generative question, or the use of the questions-answers map) and some limiting conditions (such as the lack of resources and professional training). Our research contributes to establishing that interdisciplinary environments foster inquiry dynamics. However, for the sustainability of the SRP, it seems crucial to preserve spaces for disciplinary work. The SRP proposals provide a promising approach to integrating interdisciplinary inquiry in secondary education, addressing real-life problems, and promoting collaborative inquiry-based learning.