Abstrakt
In this paper, results of an action research aimed at developing students' abilities to solve science problem-tasks are presented. This is a part of the objectives of science education defined both in the national curriculum and in the objectives of the PISA.
To do so, the indicator tasks from the Education standards were used. The research sample consisted of grade 1 upper-secondary school students.
At the beginning of the action research, students' achievement in problem-solving was determined and the strategies they used were mapped. This was done in two steps: quantitative - with the use of test results and qualitative - based on eye-tracking and the think-aloud method.
The proposed intervention was based on these results. Subsequent chemistry teaching included tasks of a similar type aimed at developing and strengthening expansive strategies for problem solving and eliminating the identified limiting strategies.
The ongoing state of intervention was monitored by sub-testing and lesson hospitations. The success of the intervention was tested with the use of tasks of comparable difficulty with the pre-test during and at the end of the research.
The post-test results show that the interventions led to an improvement in the students' ability to solve problem tasks. From the original 64% of unsuccessful and 36% of partially-successful solvers, 13% of unsuccessful, 58% of partially- successful and 29% of successful students emerged after the intervention.