Forming research competencies of higher school students with multi-level tasks

Introduction. At present, when dynamic transformations are taking place in all spheres of society, and the technological progress is simply ahead of time, production is being modernized, science is developing, the state needs specialists with high creative potential. To train such specialists, it is necessary to change the priorities in education, focusing on the independent cognitive activity of students. Research activity is becoming an essential part of learning, and the formation of students’ research competencies is the goal of their teachers.
Goal. Therefore, the purpose of our work was to find an answer to the question of how to increase the level of formation of research competencies of higher school students.
Materials and methods. The article presents creative tasks developed by the authors and methods of their application in a laboratory workshop for undergraduate students in the field of Physics. The tasks are close to scientific research, they involve the use of complex experimental facilities and the study of materials whose properties have not yet been fully studied. The tasks are divided into three levels: complex, medium and simple, which allows the authors to propose a new methodology for organizing their implementation, taking into account the different abilities of students. The teacher acts as an assistant in the search for ideas for solving the next task.
Results and discussion. A pedagogical experiment using the methodology of the authors of the article for the formation of research competencies was conducted on the basis of the NCFU Department of Experimental Physics. To conduct the experiment, the students were divided into two groups – the control one and the experimental one. The control group performed standard laboratory work according to ready-made instructions, using standard techniques. The experimental group additionally performed tasks close to scientific research.
Conclusion. The experiment was conducted over the course of a year and showed that additional creative tasks performed by students using the proposed methodology cannot only increase the level of formation of research competencies but also enhance students’ motivation for scientific activity.

1. Pesha AV, Patutina SYu. Conceptual model for the development of research competencies of university graduates. Bulletin of Omsk University. Series "Economist". 2022;20(4):82-93. (In Russ.).

2. Barvinok AS, Prikhodchenko EI. The structure of research competencies of engineering master's students. Bulletin of Donetsk National University. Series B: Humanities. 2020;(2):157-161. (In Russ.).

3. Zanfir LN. Motivation of students for research activities. Advanced sciences. 2020;8(131):146-148. (In Russ.).

4. Kocheva MA, Gotuleva YuV, Likhacheva SYu, Yurchenko TV. Progressive development of research work of schoolchildren and students in the system of higher education. Modern problems of science and education. 2020;(2). Available from: https://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=29684 [Accessed 20 October 2024]. (In Russ.).

5. Izhoykina LV, Petkevich AN. Development of research competence of students in the context of interaction between school and university. Modern problems of science and education. 2022;6(1). Available from: https://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=32331 [Accessed 15 December 2024]. (In Russ.).

6. Baklanov IO, Biryukova IP. Methods and means of diagnostics of formation of competencies in laboratory workshops in natural science disciplines. Modern problems of science and education. 2020;(4). Available from: https://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=30016 [Accessed 15 December 2024]. (In Russ.).

7. Polovnikova LB. Virtual laboratory workshop as a means of formation of research competencies of a future engineer. Modern science-intensive technologies. 2020;4(2):311-316. (In Russ.).

8. Morev AV, Timerzyanova II. Modern methods of teaching physics in a technical university. Education. Science. Scientific personnel. 2024;(2):314-318. (In Russ.).

9. Akhmetshina GKh. Actual problems of teaching the subject "Physics" in the 2022/23 academic year. Methodical recommendations. Kazan: IRO RT; 2022. 63 p. (In Russ.).

10. Fedina OV. Formation of research competencies of physics students within the framework of laboratory practical training in the course of general physics. Dissertation of cand. ped. sciences: 13.00.02. Ryazan State University named after S. A. Yesenin. Ryazan; 2011. 233 p.