COMPETENCY TASKS OF THE INTERNATIONAL PISA RESEARCH IN THE MODERN NATURAL EDUCATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The article clarifies the essence of natural science competency tasks and justifies their role in ensuring the quality of natural science education and achieving the expected learning outcomes in secondary education institutions. The competency tasks of the international PISA study are analyzed, which assess scientific and natural science literacy and are aimed at testing three key competencies: the ability to explain natural phenomena scientifically, the ability to design and evaluate research, and interpret data and evidence from a scientific perspective. The content, form, structure, format of answers, and the complexity of the tasks of the international comparative PISA study are clarified. The structural components of cluster tasks for testing natural science literacy are determined, which consist of a situation in a contextual form that appeals to a real problem of everyday life and a stimulus with information provided in various forms that is necessary for solving the tasks. The next step is to answer the test tasks within the framework of a specific problem described in the situation. It was found that the competency tasks of the international PISA study differ from traditional tasks in structure, type of cognitive operations, assessment purpose and social orientation. They are aimed at assessing: the ability to apply scientific knowledge in practical contexts; the ability to form explanations and arguments based on evidence; understanding the structure of scientific research; critical analysis of information and media texts; complex thinking and data integration. This gives grounds to conclude that the use of this type of tasks in pedagogical practice will contribute to the reorientation of natural science education from the reproduction of knowledge to the formation of competent, research and critical thinking, which are key skills of the 21st century. The study highlighted the role of the system of advanced training of teaching staff in teaching and using competency tasks in pedagogical practice. Pedagogical practice shows that comparative monitoring studies become a tool for improving the quality of education only if there is an institutional infrastructure for the professional development of teachers, which ensures the interpretation of results, methodological translation and long-term support for changes.