Emerging pedagogies for the development of research skills in primary education

Abstract

The main aim of this review was to systematically examine the academic literature published between 2020 and 2025 in order to identify, assess the effectiveness of, and characterise the various challenges involved in implementing emerging pedagogical approaches in primary education to foster the development of research skills. It aims to provide an overview of trends, patterns and opportunities for implementation in the classroom. It is theoretically grounded in the relevance of the Flipped Classroom, Project-Based Learning and Inquiry-Based Learning, which represent an ecosystem of technology-mediated pedagogical practices for knowledge acquisition, fostering personalised, active and collaborative learning for the development of research skills. The PRISMA 2020 methodology was deployed, and the exploration was limited to the SCOPUS database for the period 2020-2025 in open access; the search protocol adopted terms such as ‘scientific thinking’ and ‘active methodologies,’ among others. Forty-two publications were selected for analysis. The data were grouped thematically using matrices to determine the correlation between pedagogical strategies and scientific training. The results highlight that active learning methodologies often enhance scientific and research skills. It is concluded that these pedagogies succeed in transforming science learning, promoting scientific and academic thinking, autonomy in the classroom, and collaborative work that fosters critical citizens. It is recommended to promote the curricular integration of interdisciplinary approaches (STEM/STEAM), the use of digital educational resources, and the implementation of formative assessment strategies.