A Holistic Understanding of Research as a Transversal Axis in Scientific Formation, Beginning in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This academic reflection paper addresses the integration of knowledge in classroom pedagogical practice in early childhood education, from the perspective of a holistic understanding of science. It questions the persistence of fragmented educational models that reduce the teaching of science and knowledge to linear methodological instruction, which may generate a separation between pedagogical theory and educational practice. In this sense, it proposes moving toward a syntagmatic integration that recovers the contributions of Jean Piaget’s structuralism and the syntagmatic holistic proposal of Jacqueline Hurtado de Barrera, who conceives research as a continuous and non-segmented process. The central objective is to present holism not only as a suitable theoretical approach for research, but also as a didactic resource that helps preserve and enhance children’s natural curiosity. From this perspective, holism is understood as a pedagogical orientation that promotes the construction of knowledge in an interconnected and meaningful way, rather than through isolated contents or rigid teaching sequences. Likewise, this approach encourages a rethinking of traditional educational practices in early childhood education, promoting more integrated forms of teaching and learning. It is concluded that overcoming methodological dogmatism at the preschool level is essential for the development of integral, holistic, and ethical thinking, necessary to lay the foundations of scientific citizenship from the earliest stages of education.