From Curriculum Reform to Sustainable Implementation: A Four-Condition Framework for Inquiry-Based Science Education in Greek Primary Schools

ABSTRACT: The recent reform of the Greek primary science curriculum has repositioned inquiry-based learning (IBL) as a central organizing principle of science teaching from Grades 1 to 6. Although the curriculum formally promotes a shift from transmissive instruction to student-centered inquiry, the long-term success of this reform depends not only on curricular design but also on the systemic conditions that support classroom implementation. This article examines how IBL is operationalized in the new Greek primary science curriculum and analyzes the conditions required for its sustained enactment beyond pilot and experimental contexts. Drawing on curriculum documents, policy texts, and existing empirical and theoretical studies on Greek primary science education, the article develops a four-condition framework for sustainable IBL implementation: teachers’ epistemological preparation, assessment alignment, institutional mediation through experimental model schools, and pedagogically meaningful integration of digital inquiry. The analysis suggests that the curriculum’s inquiry-oriented ambitions exceed the current level of teacher preparedness and remain constrained by summative assessment traditions, uneven infrastructure, and the risk of using digital tools as substitutes rather than supports for authentic inquiry. The article argues that the reform represents an important epistemological advance in Greek science education, but its effectiveness will depend on coherent professional development, assessment reform, institutional support, and careful integration of digital technologies within the inquiry cycle.