TRANSCOMPLEXITY IN EDUCATION: AN INTEGRATIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM COMPLEX THOUGHT, LEVELS OF REALITY, AND AUTOPOIESIS

Abstract

This documentary research of a theoretical-reflective nature aims to construct an integrative theoretical framework that articulates the contributions of Edgar Morin, Basarab Nicolescu, and Humberto Maturana as epistemological, logical-structural, and ontological foundations of a transcomplex pedagogical praxis in primary education. The documentary corpus was delimited through documentary hermeneutics, drawing on the canonical works of the three authors and peer-reviewed academic productions from the 2021–2025 period that demonstrate the relevance of this approach in contemporary educational contexts. The analysis establishes that the contributions of these thinkers do not constitute parallel perspectives but rather complementary dimensions articulable in a structure called the Transcomplex Epistemic Triad (TET), which provides a coherent foundation for rethinking assessment, planning, and pedagogical relations in highly diverse and complex educational settings. It is concluded that transcomplexity, understood through this triadic articulation, constitutes a metaparadigm capable of guiding teaching practice beyond disciplinary fragmentation.