Understandings of the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI), as opposed to engaging students in inquiry learning experiences, are included in science education reform documents around the world. However, little is known about what students have learned about NOSI during their pre-college school years. The purpose of this large-scale follow-up international project (i.e. 32 countries and regions, spanning six continents and including 3917 students for the high school sample) was to collect data on what exiting high school students have learned about NOSI. Additionally, the study investigated changes in 12th grade students’ NOSI understandings compared to seventh grade (i.e. 20 countries and regions) students’ understandings from a prior investigation [Lederman et al. (2019). An international collaborative investigation of beginning seventh grade students’ understandings of scientific inquiry: Establishing a baseline. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 56(4), 486–515. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21512]. This study documents and discusses graduating high school students’ understandings and compares their understandings to seventh grade students’ understandings of the same aspects of scientific inquiry for each country. It is important to note that collecting data from each of the 130+ countries globally was not feasible. Similarly, it was not possible to collect data from every region of each country. A concerted effort was made, however, to provide a relatively representative picture of each country and the world.

The teaching of natural sciences in complex school contexts, such as border and peripheral zones, faces challenges linked to curricular relevance, teacher preparation, and structural conditions. This study explored the professional demands of elementary teachers in northern Chile through four focus groups with 21 in-service teachers from rural and urban schools in the tri-border region. Thematic analysis revealed challenges including limited disciplinary training, scarce resources, reduced instructional time, and pressure from standardized tests. Enabling factors included the natural environment, students’ experiential knowledge, and interdisciplinary integration. Findings stress the need for situated teacher education policies responsive to territorial realities.

La comprensión de la naturaleza de la indagación científica es un componente esencial de la alfabetización científica; sin embargo, los estudiantes de todo el mundo mantienen visiones predominantemente ingenuas sobre cómo funciona la ciencia como empresa epistémica. Este estudio examina dichas comprensiones en 100 estudiantes de cuarto grado de primaria y 100 de undécimo grado de secundaria de instituciones públicas de Cundinamarca-Colombia, como parte de un proyecto internacional con cuestionarios de respuesta abierta validados. Las respuestas se codificaron como ingenuas, mixtas o informadas; se aplicaron pruebas chi-cuadrado para comparar ambos niveles en cinco aspectos compartidos. En cuarto grado las visiones ingenuas oscilan entre el 53% y 73%. En undécimo grado se observaron proporciones significativamente mayores de respuestas informadas en los cinco aspectos compartidos. No obstante, dos aspectos continuaron mostrando dificultades relevantes: la multiplicidad de métodos científicos, con un 37% de respuestas ingenuas y un 13% de respuestas informadas, y la relación entre la pregunta de investigación y los procedimientos, con un 57% de respuestas ingenuas y un 29% de respuestas informadas. Los resultados subrayan la necesidad de incorporar la naturaleza de la indagación científica como contenido explícito en los marcos curriculares colombianos y fortalecer su tratamiento en la formación científica.