Transdisciplinary perspective on problem solving: from didactic suitability in a primary school

Problem-solving skills are essential for addressing the complex challenges of contemporary society. However, in primary education, the teaching of mathematics often remains isolated from other disciplines and from students’ cultural and social realities, limiting the development of these skills. This study aims to characterize, from a transdisciplinary dialogue, the factors that favor and disfavor problem-solving in teaching practice, and to propose indicators of didactic suitability that guide its teaching in primary school. A qualitative methodology was employed, with an action research design developed in three phases: auto-formation, socio-formation, and eco-formation. The study was conducted in a public primary school in Barranquilla, Colombia, involving 12 primary teachers and 52 third-grade students. Instruments included a theoretical-methodological review, analysis of external test results ( Evaluar para Avanzar ), structured interviews with teachers and students, questionnaire-workshops, and classroom observations. The analysis revealed significant difficulties in metric thinking and problem-solving competencies, as well as weaknesses in teachers’ knowledge of measurement concepts and curricular guidelines. Based on these findings, indicators of didactic suitability were proposed, organized into three criteria: epistemic-ecological, cognitive-affective, and mediational-interactional. The transdisciplinary perspective, articulated with the Onto-Semiotic Approach, provides a powerful framework for analyzing and improving teaching practice in problem-solving. The proposed indicators offer concrete guidelines for designing more contextualized, meaningful, and effective teaching strategies in primary mathematics education.