Competency-based practice in conducting natural science research and presenting its results in primary classes: A case study

Abstract Competency-based education practice is a priority area, but there is limited scientific research analyzing the education process of holistically developing students’ competencies and subject matter skills. The aim of the study is to provide scientific evidence for the integrated competency-based education practice of primary school students during the process of conducting natural science research and presenting the findings. The study involved 15 third-grade pupils (4 girls and 11 boys) from a private school in Lithuania, and two teachers who facilitated the class (a primary school teacher and an English language teacher). Convenience sampling was used. The article describes the detailed process of the study and the learning process of the students, reflecting on the intentional use of digital content in the learning process, when students sought the meanings of natural science concepts in both Lithuanian and English. The data were analyzed using a qualitative content thematic analysis, organized to the following clusters: interest in the activity, group work, information search, exploration and poster creation. In conclusion, it can be said that the students developed a learning culture in Lithuanian and English, reasoned and confidently shared their insights while seeking answers about different materials, their combustion properties. However, when faced with difficulty, even though they worked in a group, they first turned to the teacher for help rather than to their peers. The students have strong independent work skills, as they initiated the activity of improving the poster themselves. The development of communication culture in the education process not only allowed for the analysis of natural science content in Lithuanian and English, but also for the improvement of communication, social-emotional and digital competence skills.


Introduction
The idea of competency-based education is related to the vision of the future school, which envisages the education of each student according to their needs.The United Nations document "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" (2015,14) proposes a new goal for future education, which is to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."The Education 2030 project description by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Learning Compass 2030 (2019) states that learners must develop their own understanding of the world.Such an understanding is necessary for learners to adapt to complexity and uncertainty, and to help create a better future.Each learner should have competencies that enable them to improve and reflect on their future perspective.In the 21st century VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) era, there is a need not only for traditional knowledge, but also for competency-based education, which ensures the appropriate use of competencies in social life (Bakker et al., 2022;Diesel & Scheepers, 2019;Fullan et al., 2018;Nordin et al., 2021;Tepper et al., 2018).Due to these changes, school culture and pedagogy are changing, aiming to ensure that all students can learn successfully (Fullan, 2018(Fullan, , 2020;;Fullan & Gallagher, 2020;Fullan & Quinn, 2020) to the best of their ability, and competency-based practice is recommended for every day of subject content learning.
Competency-based content is the key to integrating various areas and subjects into educational programs (document "Guidelines for the Renewal of the General Curricula", 2019).Competence is related to problem situations and quality management, which is based on situational thinking and a sequence of actions.Situational thinking is primarily an individual's reflection on the situation, its context, resources, and constraints, the actions performed in the situation, their results, and their significance.The way each specific situation will be solved depends solely on the individuals who participate in it and their level of experience and competence.Competence is necessarily related to successful situation management and performance.In Lithuania, from 2020 to 2024, the entire general education content is being updated, with priorities set for developing competencies in subject lessons.One of the strategic objectives formulated in the document "Guidelines for the Renewal of the General Curricula" (2019) is to prepare competency-oriented General Programs.Therefore, it is important to scientifically justify the assumptions of such teaching by analyzing how competencies-based educational activities are integrally created in primary school.

The essence of competency-based education
Competency-based education is understood as a practice where learners can be assessed based on what they can practically do and know, rather than just what they know or do poorly (Brochu & Villemure, 2022;Carrette & Rey, 2010;Depover & Jonnaert, 2014;Jonnaert et al., 2009Jonnaert et al., , 2020;;Lasnier, 2014;Manalo, 2020;Ryan & Cox, 2017).In other words, learners are given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities by performing various activities practically and self-evaluating (based on predetermined criteria) so that students can demonstrate their competence in a specific area.Furthermore, this pedagogical approach means that each student should be given individual feedback and opportunities to improve their abilities, to acquire the material as best as possible.Competency-based education is focused on the individual progress of each learner, monitoring it, and providing support for learning (taking into account the individual needs of the learner).The essence of competency-based education consists of three stages: assessment, integration, and feedback (Brochu & Villemure, 2022;Carrette & Rey, 2010;Lasnier, 2014).It starts with the assessment of the learner's abilities, which is used to select the content that will allow the learner to make progress and experience success.The integration aspect involves what the learner is capable of and how those skills will be applied in a specific life context.In this way, ways are sought to create learning conditions that are related to life situations and real experiences.Therefore, it is suitable to organize practical research and project work.Feedback covers two areas, the experience and skills and knowledge acquired by the learner in such practice, and how all of this can be applied in a life context.To ensure that such education is of high quality, authentic situations need to be created in which students deepen their academic knowledge and develop higher-level thinking skills, based on problem-solving (Brochu & Villemure, 2022;Fullan et al., 2018).However, to achieve all of this practically, it is important to be able to define what, how, why, and for how long learning will take place.Creating alternative situations where the learner can choose helps to engage them more in the educational process and participate in it for a longer period (Brochu & Villemure, 2022;Fullan et al., 2018).Competence-based education in practice requires students to be able to learn on their own, independently, by testing and exploring the concepts they are learning.

Competency-based education as the basis for integrated education
Integrated education and competency-based education are becoming the most important topics in education.The basis of integrated education is the integration of knowledge from different areas and contexts in order to improve the learner's experience and connect education with real life, demonstrating the holistic use of different elements of science in problemsolving (Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė, 2016, 2017).Competency-based education involves integrated learning based on defined competencies that learners acquire through active participation (Cristol, 2022;Marcotte & Gruppen, 2022).Competency-based practice is a pragmatic concept (Jonnaert et al., 2020;Pastré, 2010) that arises from action situations, i.e., situations that are a product of actions.The sequence of situational thinking and actions allows the learner to solve the situation at hand and, by applying their experience, to solve other similar situations (Champy-Remoussenard & Starck, 2018).The implementation of educational programs based on situations is a planning tool.It is recommended to organize activities based on situations related to situational thinking and action sequence.The goal of such situations is to develop students' competencies, and the situations are just a means to achieve this goal.Each student expresses their perception of the situation based on their interaction with it (Champy-Remoussenard & Starck, 2018;Nal & Gavens, 2018).Based on this understanding, they adjust their behavior to the situation, and it is through this behavior that they acquire or do not acquire new knowledge regarding their actions.The perception of the situation and the competence derived from it may differ among different students.The students' understanding of the situation in the same class can vary.When faced with a situation proposed by the teacher, the student takes action to solve it: the situation is the source of their actions, and thus the source of the whole process they create.Ultimately, because the situation is solved effectively, the person performing the actions and verbally justifying what they are doing is evaluated as competent (Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė, 2016, 2017).Therefore, high-quality problem-solving in situational contexts is linked to the criteria of competence expression (Champy-Remoussenard & Starck, 2018;Cristol, 2022;Jonnaert et al., 2020;Pastré, 2010).Context, tasks transitioning into actions, and situations are an inseparable practice of competence-based education (see Figure 1): Figure 1 gives illustration that competency development in subjects is related to a life context, emerging situations, and tasks that lead to active student activities.All problematic situations have a practical aspect (Champy-Remoussenard & Starck, 2018;Cristol, 2022;Jonnaert et al., 2020;Pastré, 2010).It is important that problem-solving is related to a certain cognitive subject knowledge.The task is usually associated with predefined external conditions that need to be met.This is defined in the textbook, activity plan, teacher's instructions, situation description, and so on.By completing tasks, the student learns to master a certain subject matter.However, for the learner to be able to apply this knowledge practically when solving problems, they should use this subject knowledge in certain active activities.Activity is understood as an active part of the student's learning, in which the child actively participates, constructs, solves, proposes, that is, what the person actually does; taking into account the goal and implementation conditions.During the activity, the teacher can observe the student's activity, draw conclusions based on their behavior, provide assistance, advice, and consult (Brochu & Villemure, 2022).How often such activities will be implemented in schools depends only on the willingness, involvement, and responsibilities of school communities to change educational practices, analyze their benefits, changes, effectiveness, and make decisions to make innovations the driving force behind both teachers ' and students' work (OCDE, 2022).Of course, a holistic approach in this area is particularly important, requiring not only the internal willingness of the pedagogical community, but also a certain economic base, resources, and methodological material, which determine the quality of activities and student practice.We present the links between the main elements of the educational process, which show how competency can be developed during pedagogical activities (see Figure 2 Figure 2 illustrates that a competency-based education process consists of tasks and activities.By performing tasks, students acquire subject knowledge which they later apply in active activities.This is how competencies or their fields are developed.Researchers (Cuyacot & Cuyacot, 2022;Phillipson & Wegerif, 2016) point out that now and in the future, people will need a variety of skills and abilities to navigate increasingly complex and dynamic environments.It is equally important to provide them with the most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (referring to tasks), but also to create conditions for thinking and developing abilities that will allow them to continue learning and adapting to the constantly changing life (referring to activities) (Buchs, 2017;Chauret et al., 2021;Dumouchel & Karsenti, 2019;Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė, 2021b;Lacelle et al., 2017).That's why it's important to enable students to learn not only individually but also by collaborating and discussing with their classmates.

The connections between integrated education and competency-based education
The success of competency-based education depends on many variables.One of the most important elements is the preparation of the learning environment and the creation of conditions for the student to learn independently.This allows for integrated education.For example, furniture needs to be carefully considered and arranged in the space so that pupils can move around freely and without disturbing others.Prepare the tools that will be necessary for the tasks, such as memory sets, reference books, dictionaries, etc. Bramante and Colby (2012) argued that students must be able to transfer content and skills in unique situations to be recognized as competent.It is important that students can apply what they have learned in unfamiliar situations.Competency-based education emphasizes the main theory that most students will achieve the competencies of a specific content area if they are given the opportunity and freedom to improve at their own pace, and their learning experience is structured based on their interests and needs (Sturgis & Casey, 2018).Competencybased learning aligns with personalized learning.By individualizing the learning content for each student, it is ensured that each student can learn according to their abilities.When selecting content for integrated activities, attention is paid to problem-solving content (Bacon, 2018;Chevalier & Deschamps, 2019;Reverdy, 2019;Sakho, 2017).The basis of learners' knowledge and skills is expanded by reconsidering topics and linking them to other disciplines and contexts.This learning method improves learners' ability to retain and apply information in various circumstances.
Integrated education allows children to learn comprehensively, without the limitations often imposed by subject boundaries.Integration recognizes and supports the relationships that exist between all subjects (Acree et al., 2017;Pasquini, 2021).An integrated education program means learning that operates synergistically between traditional subject areas, and a learning experience that is designed to complement one another.This approach develops a child's ability to transfer learning to other environments.During integrated activities, students are often motivated, active, participating, working independently, which can lead to better learning outcomes and higher-level thinking skills (Suriel et al., 2018).Levine and Patrick (2019) identified seven aspects that are significant in competency development: (1) Students are empowered daily to make important decisions about their learning experience, how they will develop and apply knowledge, and how they will demonstrate their learning.
(2) Assessment is a meaningful, positive, and empowering learning experience for students, providing timely, relevant, and appropriate evidence.
(3) Students receive differentiated support based on their individual learning needs in a timely manner.
(4) Students make progress based on evidence of learning.
(5) Students learn actively, using various methods and at different paces.
(6) Strategies that ensure equity for all students are embedded in the school's culture, structure, and pedagogy.
These aspects reflect the distinctive features of competency-based education: flexible pacing, learner-centered approach, and mastery learning.With competency-based education, all students strive to achieve the desired level of mastery.Some may take a shorter time, while others may require more time.In addition, students' existing skills are determined before they begin learning a specific subject matter.They may have acquired these skills through previous experience.Once the students' competency level is determined, more complex content is selected so that the learner can make progress in the learning process (Beaumont & Garcia, 2020;Campbell, 2019;Drake & Reid, 2018;Hargreaves & Fullan, 2019).To ensure that all students achieve higher levels of achievement-acquire necessary academic knowledge, transferable skills, and are prepared to learn throughout their lives there is a commitment to ensuring that the curriculum is created based on students' achievements and selecting increasingly complex content.This type of education constitutes a skills-based approach to curriculum development and individual student progress according to the national curriculum content.

Competency-based natural science education
In developing students' competencies, scientists recommend utilizing children's curiosity and natural interest in nature and its phenomena (Science et technologie à l'école primaire: un enjeu décisif pour l'avenir des futurs citoyens, 2020; Dehaene, 2018).STEM education (learning in the areas of natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics) forms the basis of integrated education in primary schools, as at this age, children can better understand natural phenomena as a whole, rather than as separate subject areas.Natural science literacy requires three main abilities: the ability to scientifically explain natural phenomena, to evaluate and prepare natural science research, and to scientifically interpret data and evidence (General Program of Natural Science Education, 2022).Scientifically explaining natural phenomena requires certain content knowledge (i.e., students' understanding of scientific facts and theories).The other two abilities require procedural and epistemic knowledge (i.e., students' understanding of how ideas are created and based).A student's success depends on whether they can acquire the most important abilities and competencies, rather than just learning facts (Viro et al., 2020).It is important that students have opportunities not only to learn the facts but also to put their knowledge into practice through hands-on activities and experiments.
Natural science education as a process is directly aimed at shaping the system of natural science knowledge and skills.In the process of natural science education, the student's orientation towards nature and personal qualities based on a value-based attitude towards the surrounding world are developed.Experimental and research activities are essential in natural science education, and education includes ecological, environmental, healthy lifestyle, sustainable development, and other components (Lamanauskas, 2022;Lamanauskas & Augienė, 2021).In a natural science lesson, students are encouraged to raise problem-based questions, suggest research methods, plan and conduct observations, and draw conclusions based on them.By providing students with the opportunity to work directly with research, natural sciences are more understandable.An important aspect of natural science literacy is the connection of natural sciences to real life (General Program of Natural Science Education, 2022).Students' scientific literacy is developed, allowing for a more coherent understanding of complex everyday phenomena, increasing conceptual understanding, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and increasing students' interest in school and natural science subjects.

Materials and methods
The case study in our research is based on the principle of naturalistic research (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998;Lincoln & Guba, 1985;Rupšienė, 2007): the students' natural learning environment, specifically a research laboratory where the children work at least once a week, was selected as the primary source of data collection.Data were collected through indirect observation by two observer-researchers who analyzed the filmed activities of the pupils, observing the process from a distance (Frechtling & Sharp, 1997).The context was analyzed, treating the educational process as research data, which was recorded and described in detail, alongside the analysis of students' outcomes or task results (Rupšienė, 2007).This detailed description aimed to provide deeper insight into the educational process, revealing the comprehensive development of students ' subject knowledge and competences (e.g., communication, digital literacy, creativity, etc.).The data were documented in diaries, detailing and analyzing all observed occurrences.
At the conclusion of the activity, the data were described and interpreted (Patton, 2003).The following steps were undertaken in this case study research.This research method allows for the examination of real situations and students' experiences (Stake, 2006;Verhoeven, 2010).It is particularly valuable when researchers have limited control over events but seek answers to "how" and "why" questions (Yin, 2018).Our interest lay in understanding how students learn science education while concurrently developing general competences.We analyzed specific student behaviors during certain activities, as well as observed and assessed the results achieved in the lessons.The objective was to contribute to the existing research and resources on educational practices where students develop both integral and general competences through science education activities.

Research questions:
(1) How can competency-based education be organized in primary classrooms?
(2) What activities are effective for developing pupils' competences within the context of science education?
(3) How can activities be structured to ensure a high-quality educational process?

Stage 1: research planning
During the study, it was decided to organize integrated activities based on the content of science and English language subjects.Students learned about how material properties change when they ignite, what kind of flame combustible materials produce, whether smoke is released during combustion, and whether there is a smell of burning material during the experiment.The English language was used to analyze material names (e.g., rubber, wood, plastic, wool, sand) and flame properties.Tasks were prepared for the students by combining these topics.
The activities focused on developing two competencies: digital competency, using a tablet, and developing communication skills in both the students' native language and English by improving their vocabulary, analyzing concepts, and communicating collaboratively while answering questions and presenting a poster about the material under investigation.
Two teachers, an English teacher and a primary school teacher, led the lesson.The activity's theme and questions were related to the investigation.Activities were carried out both individually and in randomly arranged groups.
Tablets were used to find information about whether materials ignite, what objects are made of the material being investigated, and where it can be found.The tablets were used multiple times during the lesson.
In preparation for the lesson, the teachers planned integrated tasks: which words and concepts need to be learned in both Lithuanian and English, prepared a Lithuanian vocabulary sheet that the students had to translate into English, and created a research sheet that the students filled out during the lesson (see Figure 3).The tasks were presented in Lithuanian on one side of the sheet and in English on the other.
In Figure 3, we see that students analyzed six materials, which they studied based on three criteria (flame, smoke, odor).The flame was further divided into three characteristics, the concepts of which the teacher clarified with the students before starting to fill in the research sheet.The students had to draw conclusions by writing down the names of the materials.After filling in the research sheet in Lithuanian, the students had to write down all the information in English.
After conducting the research and filling out the research sheet, the teacher presented the material consolidation task, which was to prepare and present a poster of the studied material according to the given criteria: a drawing of the material, its combustibility, what it is made of, where it can be found, examples of objects made of the studied material.

Stage 2: Conducting the study in the classroom (case study and semi-structured interview with the teacher).
3.1.2.1.School context.The study was conducted in a private primary school in one of the major cities in Lithuania.This school implements the national primary education program and, at the same time, works according to a specialized engineering education program, where engineering education, STEAM, and targeted use of information technology are integrated into the curriculum, combining the content of several subjects.IT technologies such as tablets, Photon robots, Blue-bot, and iMo cubes are used in classes.The school not only operates on a lesson-by-lesson basis but also applies integrated education -integrated days, as well as interdisciplinary integration (when studying any topic or problem, various subject and general student competencies are developed).Two teachers (English language and primary school) teach natural sciences in this school.In natural science classes, students learn basic concepts not only in Lithuanian but also in English.Communication competence in Lithuanian and English is developed.The class size is up to 18 students, which is optimal for quality learning, with more attention paid to individual student needs, differentiation, and individualization according to the student's abilities and needs.

Teacher competence and work context
The lesson was taught by two teachers.The primary school teacher has completed the primary education and natural science teacher specialty at one of the universities in Lithuania.She has been working at the school for 3 years and has a total of 5 years of teaching experience.The uniqueness of the teacher is that she is very interested in natural sciences, observation, research, experimental activities, and involves students in natural science research activities.The teacher actively and purposefully uses information technologies in various subject lessons, links technologies to the topic of the activity, and creates interactive tasks for students.
The English teacher has completed English philology at one of the universities in Lithuania.She has been working at the school for 4 years and has a total of 6 years of teaching experience.The teacher encourages students to actively use English not only in lessons but also during breaks and other activities, and is able to interest students in the English language.These teachers were selected for the study because they are able to integrate the content of English language and natural science subjects in an interesting and purposeful way.During integrated lessons, they select activities and tasks for students according to their abilities, know ways to help children remember English words and other necessary information, thus making learning meaningful for students, deepening, expanding, and linking their knowledge and skills, awakening motivation to learn, and developing the ability to communicate and collaborate.The teachers complement each other in class, distribute learning time qualitatively, and involve students in communicating in Lithuanian and English, encouraging them to reflect and work in teams.
The study was carried out in a 3 rd -grade class with 18 students, most of whom have higher abilities, are able to work independently, and aim for the highest personal result.One student has special educational needs.There are 6 girls and 12 boys in the class.

The course of case study implementation
In the context of the case studies (Baškarada, 2014;Thomas, 2021;Yin, 2018), the 3rd grade was chosen, and a convenient sample was applied.In qualitative research, researchers can choose one unit of the general set (a specific class of students, an organization) (Rupšienė, 2007;Smaling, 2003) and to analyze the competency-based education process in that classroom when seeking to fully understand the content of learning.Our study is an example of action research that demonstrates how to develop students' subject and general competences in a high-quality way simultaneously (Smaling, 2003).Students worked individually and in mixed groups, which were randomly formed during the lesson.All activities were filmed, and the researchers analyzed the filmed material, recording the students' work in the observation protocol.The study was conducted in November 2021.15 (9-10 years old) students participated in the activity.The integrated activity lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes in total.
• searching for information in electronic sources (using tablets) while simultaneously developing communication, digital, and cognitive competencies, as well as English language and natural science content skills (Pedro et al., 2019;Piedade et al., 2020;Slangen, 2016).

Analysis of empirical research data
Before the activity in class, the teachers prepared activity research sheets, word sheets (vocabulary), which will need to be translated and used in the lesson, tablets for each student, and tools required for the research.The video lasted 65 minutes.15 students participated in the activity, 4 of them were girls and 11 were boys.

Interest in the activity
The integrated activity started with an interest task related to the topic of the lesson and with the distribution of students into groups.The teacher shows the students a fire burning on an interactive screen, and the students have to think about what the lesson will be about.You can find out what opinions the students expressed from the data presented in Figure 4, marked with the letter M for girls' answers and B for boys' answers.
The engagement of the lesson is an important part of the integrated lesson.The teacher showed recorded material that sparked the children's curiosity by analyzing what would be researched.

Group work was carried out
During the activities, the students worked in groups twice.The first time, after dividing into groups, the teacher handed out a sheet and a tablet.The group wrote down the name of the material in English and Lithuanian and found information on the internet to answer whether the assigned material burned or not.Five minutes were allocated for the task.The second time, at the end of the lesson, the students returned to the same groups.They created a poster about the material according to the given poster creation reminder/scheme.7-10 minutes were allocated for the task.The group work elements that the researchers noticed from the analysis of the recorded material are presented in five images.
During the semi-structured interview analyzing the situation in the work group, we were interested in the teacher's opinion on how the children performed working in groups (See Figure 5).The teacher noted that the students were able to work in teams and help each other.They even took time the next day to improve and present their posters in teams.Although many students in the class are very independent, competitive, and want to be leaders, these qualities help them work together when they need to, as they want their team to be the best.They know how to communicate and collaborate with each other.We see that students transfer skills such as independence and collaboration to group work, which helps them achieve effective results.In our opinion, instead of striving for leadership, it would be better to focus more on providing assistance and seeking collaboration.
The groups were randomly assigned, without considering the students' abilities.According to the teacher, the majority of students in the class are high-ability students, with only a few lower-ability students.Therefore, the group always has the opportunity to perform tasks of high quality.I try not to single out and show that a student is struggling or not understanding something during lessons.Therefore, they open up and try to express all their knowledge, even if sometimes it is incorrect.However, knowing the student's abilities and skills, I guide them in the right direction, so that student feels safe.In teams, it is not noticeable that they have any difficulties.

Searching for information in electronic sources
Students had the opportunity to search for the necessary information using information technologies twice during the lesson.They searched for information about whether a material is flammable or non-flammable, what can be made from the chosen material, and where it can be found.We can see how this activity went for the students in Figure 6.

Students' and teacher's activities
Researchers' comments 1 Teacher introduces the topic, task, and flow of the lesson and suggests dividing into groups.
1 Teacher: You will each draw a slip of paper with a word on it, and based on that word, you will go to your group.
2 Teacher: The word will be in English, and you may not know what it means at first, but you will find your friends based on your word.Groups will consist of 2 or 3 students.
1 Teacher: Each group will receive a slip of paper.
The students begin to form groups, with each student naming their word, clarifying its meaning in Lithuanian and English, and arranging themselves into teams.
The teacher presents a hint for the lesson to encourage students to think about what the lesson might be about.The students provide various and different answers.
It is important to note that the teacher acknowledges all the answers and does not dismiss any of them, but rather extracts the essence from each response.However, the teacher clarifies the opinion expressed by student B2 and explains that they meant whether the fire was extinguished or not, and the concepts expressed by the student are clarified.
The teacher clearly formulates the lesson's topic, what activities will take place, and what will be studied during the lesson.
The grouping was done randomly.Each student drew a piece of paper, and those who got the same word formed a group.The grouping was organized while learning new English words, i.e. the names of the materials that will be studied during the investigation.Each student named the material they drew in both English and Lithuanian.Information and communication tools provide students with additional educational support.By using these tools, students can perform more complex activities than they would without them.Compared to traditional (non-electronic) tools, ICT tools are advantageous in visualizing educational material (e.g.moving images), exploring and explaining concepts, interaction with various objects, conducting experiments, consolidating knowledge, developing skills, searching for information, and creatively expressing their thoughts and opinions.
The 21st century is associated with the era of information technology, where ICT is widely applied and used in all aspects of education.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital transformation process has accelerated, and the need for digital content usage in schools has increased.The application of digital content is also associated with a certain level of teacher competence in this field.Therefore, teachers are encouraged to improve their skills in creating and using digital content, while also maintaining a positive attitude towards it.These technologies change the role of the teacher in the classroom, from the sole provider of information and knowledge to an advisor on how to obtain them (Haleem et al., 2022;Szyszka et al., 2022).

Demonstration part of the study
Since materials were being burned, students did not perform this experiment themselves for safety reasons.The teacher ignited each material separately, and the students observed.The teacher allowed several minutes for the students to fill in a combustion test sheet after each material was burned.They started with paper burning.Since the class was divided into groups based on the materials' names, the teacher approached the team that was investigating that particular material.Students' reasoning while observing the combustion process is described in Figure 7.

Quality work in a group
In groups, students divide tasks among themselves.Some write, others search for information.Students work politely, communicating and cooperating with each other.

Sections of the group to be improved
Although they were in groups, students worked a lot individually: When a question arises, the student seeks help from the teacher rather than a friend in the group.The teacher notices this and directs and encourages the student to seek help from a groupmate first (10:06 minute) From the inclined bodies and engagement in the activity, we can see that the children are negotiating and collaborating with each other.Most collaboration occurred while creating the poster.Here, they needed to divide tasks, search for information, and arrange it appropriately on the poster.
Although the work was done in groups, the students also worked individually.When they encountered difficulties, they first turned to the teacher for help.While working in groups, the teacher reminded the students more than once to distribute the work among the team members.
Some students did not know the English language concepts, making it harder for them to search for information.

Figure 5. Examples of student group work.
We can observe from the expressions of the thoughts of the students presented in Figure 7 that the activity was useful and interesting for them, as the children listened with interest to the teacher explaining how to evaluate the flames visible during the combustion of various materials, analyzed and tried to describe the smell, summarized and distinguished the materials that burned well and those that barely smoldered.Such activities are memorable because the students participated in the process, not only seeing but also smelling and observing what remained of certain materials, so this experience will stay in the children's memory for a long time.It is important that the research sheets were filled out in two languages.After filling out the research sheet in Lithuanian, the students filled out the research description in English.

Creating posters
After conducting the research and observing the different combustion processes of various materials, the students returned to their groups and created a poster about the studied material.The teacher provided the students with reminders of what information should be included in the poster and discussed it with them.The students were given only 7-10 minutes for this task, as the lesson was coming to an end.The results of what the students were able to achieve when creating posters are presented in Figure 8.
It is important to mention that creating a high-quality poster requires time, so it is natural that the allocated time for the first activity was not enough for this student's work (see Figure 8).The students continued to refine the poster during the next lesson.It is important that the students understood that the poster should present the most important information about the material, i.e. description of the material, indicating whether it is flammable, as well as emphasizing the properties of the material.We present an example of a poster created by students about wood (Figure 9).In the second activity, out of five groups, two groups used tablets for information search.
It is important that the students used tablets purposefully to search for information.Information search was conducted not only in Lithuanian, but also in English language.
However, the students encountered a barrier when they did not know the English language terms.They asked the teacher for help.
While creating a poster, the teacher reminded the students that they have tablets and can use them.
Deep skills in searching for information on the internet and using it to perform tasks are visible.

Figure 6. Examples of students' information search activities using information technologies.
It is important that the teacher explains the procedure for filling out the research sheet before starting the investigation by asking the children what they need to do and how.The students are tasked with reviewing and answering the teacher's question about the task.By actively questioning, the teacher encourages students to find answers to the task on the research sheet and record them.
During the investigation, the students showed their emotions by cheering and being interested.This indicates that this activity was very interesting for them.The students discussed this among themselves because opinions about the flame differed among many groups.Therefore, the teacher had to help the students find the correct answer.
During the English lesson, the teacher constantly reminds the students of the names of the materials and asks questions in English so that the students can remember the material and the English language.
students had to draw conclusions about which materials burned the fastest, which burned weakly, and which did not burn at all.They also had to identify which material produced the most smoke and which material had the strongest odor when burned.When making conclusions, the students' opinions differed.B1: Wool burned weakly.B2: Rubber burned weakly as well.
In summarizing the investigation, the students were able to express their observations and discuss them.As there were several materials that did not burn, such as plastic and sand, it was important that the students actively expressed their observations, opinions, and discussed them among themselves.In Figure 9, we can see that not only did the third-grade students describe the properties of wood in English text, but they also visually and accurately showed where people use wood and what wood properties are related to the combustion process.The drawing of the log shows that wood is flammable and produces a large fire when burned.
During a semi-structured interview with the class teacher, the researchers were interested in what the teacher would do differently if they were to repeat the activity.I think it would be possible to take breaks between activities so that students could rest.If possible, letting the students themselves perform an experiment and ignite the material next to them would have an even greater impact and spark their thoughts.We positively evaluate the fact that the teacher would like to delegate even very careful and responsible activities to the students, such as igniting the material and observing the process even more closely.Such thoughts from the teacher show that they are able to analyze their activities and are willing to assign even complex tasks to students to perform independently.

Analysis of the material monitoring sheet
The students analyzed and recorded the results of the material combustion test based on the specified criteria and documented them on the provided Material monitoring sheet (Figure 3).The students had three tasks to complete on the monitoring sheet: (1) Recorded results according to the provided criteria during the material combustion test.
(2) Derived conclusions from the obtained data based on the specified criteria.
(3) Express their opinion on what combustion is.
The analysis of the tasks performed by the students is presented in Table 1 and Table 2. From the data in the table, it can be observed that students recorded the observed results of material combustion, analyzed the flames based on three criteria, determined the presence of smoke, and whether the material emitted an odor.All students (N = 15) noted that rubber and sand do not produce flames while burning paper emitted both smoke and odor.

Students' and teacher's activities
Researchers' comments 2021-11-11, Grade 3, 15 students.Students form groups and create a poster.The teacher reminds them that they can use tablets and research sheets as help for creating the poster and writing down information.After the allocated time for the activity has passed, it was decided that the students will finish preparing and presenting the posters the next day.
2021-11-11, Grade 3, 15 students.The next day, the students themselves decided to further improve the posters and presented them to all the students in the class.
It is important to note that the teacher announced the information that had to be included in the poster.She provided clear criteria and discussed them with the students.The lesson lasted for over an hour, so the teacher purposefully stopped the lesson and decided to finish creating and presenting the posters the next day with the students.
The students seemed tired.However, since the students improved their posters the next day, we can see that they were very interested in this activity and wanted to continue it further.
Figure 8.The process of creating a student poster about the material.
Looking at the other provided responses, it's evident that students' observations varied.The most distinct opinions among students were regarding the smell of burning plastic: 9 students noticed that burning plastic emitted an odor, while 6 students indicated that it had no smell.Differences in students' research results could be attributed to variations in their sensitivity to odors.Furthermore, students indicated different flame colors.While burning materials, students identified orange and red colors.However, when burning wool, five colors were noted: orange (N = 8), black (N = 4), red (N = 1), yellow (N = 1), and grey (N = 1).The color differences may arise from variations in wool's chemical composition and students' perception of colors, as orange, red, and yellow are closely related to the color palette.
Analyzing the data on the scent of burning materials, we observed that only one student performed this task according to the given criteria.Students were asked to indicate the strength of the smell they detected (strong − 3 points, average − 2 points, weak − 1 point, no smell − 0 points).However, 14 students simply marked "Yes" or "No."Upon reviewing the recorded lesson segments repeatedly to understand why the task was not carried out as instructed, it became clear that the teacher inadequately emphasized and explained the conditions of the task when presenting it.Additionally, while students presented their research results, the teacher did not ask them to specify the strength of the odor or the score but instead endorsed the answers provided by the students.
In the data table, students were required to record their conclusions based on observed characteristics during combustion.Five criteria were provided to students, and they had to associate materials with the specified criteria according to their observations.From the provided data, it is evident that all students observed that paper burns the fastest (N = 15), and sand does not burn (N = 15).This aligns with the data in Table 1.Two students identified three materials that do not burn (sand, rubber, plastic), while one student noted two non-burning materials (sand, rubber).Student opinions varied concerning the detectable odor.Eight students noted that burning wool had the strongest smell, whereas seven students identified the odor of burning paper.Comparing the data in Tables 1 and 2, students noted the presence of odor when burning rubber and wood, with the most distinct odors being associated with wool and paper combustion.
In conclusion, the advancement of science education is closely tied to fostering the development of students' scientific thinking skills, which enable them to grasp the evolving nature of scientific knowledge.The active participation of students in scientific experiments, coupled with their critical contemplation of procedural and epistemic aspects, as emphasized by Sannert and Krell (2023), is paramount.The third task, requiring students to complete the sentence "Burning is a. ..", underscores the significance of this approach.It challenges students to employ critical and creative thinking in utilizing available data, organizing and dissecting facts, assessing and interpreting outcomes, forming substantiated conclusions, and envisaging prospective implications.
The analysis of students' responses unveiled that the majority (N = 13) perceived burning as a process wherein the material transforms.Notably, one student discerned the altered form resulting from burning, while another characterized it as a transformative process giving rise to fire.This showcases the diverse interpretations and insights derived from engaging students in such experiential and reflective practices.As science educators, it becomes essential to continue honing these approaches to empower students with the skills necessary for comprehending and contributing to the dynamic world of scientific understanding.

The results of the students' poster creation
As a summarizing and comprehensive activity reflecting the entire content of the lesson, students were engaged in creating posters based on the covered material.Prior to poster creation, criteria for developing the content of the poster were discussed and agreed upon with the students.These criteria included that the poster should include an illustration of the material, a description of material combustibility, composition, environmental prevalence, examples of objects made from the material.Students worked in small groups (in pairs or threes).The results of the students' poster creation are shown in Table 3: From the data presented in the table, we can see that the children successfully drew an illustration of the material (they drew from 3 to 6 illustrations).Additionally, the students accurately answered the question about material combustibility, as all groups provided correct responses.The most challenging question was about the composition of the material, as two groups did not answer this question, while one group, which was researching paper, identified wood as the primary source of paper.Regarding the question about the prevalence of the material in the environment, all groups essentially answered correctly, also providing several examples of objects that are made using the material.The prevalence of plastic is evident from the students' answers, as they mentioned 11 items made from plastic.The group that researched wool provided the fewest examples of objects made from that material.
When analyzing the works of other researchers on the topic of poster creation, it's noteworthy that such studies are not abundant.Allan et al. (2008) emphasize the importance of the ability to systematize and visualize information when creating posters.According to these authors, this skill needs to be taught not only to students but also to learners at the university level, enabling them to present information more comprehensibly and clearly to both themselves and others.Moreover, poster creation enhances students' reading and text comprehension skills (Ahmad, 2019).This is because when creating posters, students have to gather information and select relevant content from it.
Activities like poster creation motivate students to learn, making it easier for them to grasp the material; the educational process becomes engaging, and students willingly work independently, delving deeper into the content (Kartika Sari et al., 2020).In conclusion, it can be stated that students have created posters of high quality, highlighting essential analyzed material characteristics and providing specific examples.Furthermore, this work demonstrates not only the students' academic knowledge but also their ability to collaborate, as they had to negotiate, allocate roles, and distill the essence from informational texts.

Discussion and conclusions
The discourse among students in discussing the content of education and reflecting on activities is one way to gain a deeper understanding of the content of education, its learning reasons, and contexts.Looking at the educational process through the prism of descriptive interactions, without preconceived opinions and evaluations, allows for a more objective reflection and consideration of the educational process through the analysis of video recordings of educational activities (Baker & Däumer, 2015a, 2015b;Baker & Green, 2007;Baker et al., 2008).Video material allows for the analysis of the discursive interactions of students, not only for researchers but also for teachers.It is possible to return several times to certain discussion areas, which the teacher may not notice in real-time due to the rapid changes in information.By using a recording and capturing a certain sequence of student discussions and the use of concepts, ideas can be traced and the understanding of certain phenomena can develop (Baker & Däumer, 2015a, 2015b;Baker & Green, 2007;Baker et al., 2008).The analysis of the study by the two researchers, involving multiple viewings of the videos, facilitated an in-depth examination of various elements of the educational process.The assessment of students' outcomes revealed that they acquired a solid understanding of the science content, particularly evident in the case of the poster assignment, where the students thoroughly analyzed the material properties through small-group discussions.Poster preparation, being a more intricate task, demands prior preparation.
Furthermore, it holds value to scrutinize existing student posters, discerning which criteria for poster creation were closely aligned with the material and which might have diverged from the contextual analysis.Such an evaluation aids students in producing higher-quality work in the future (Barak, 2017;Oyama, 2017).Additionally, the act of crafting a poster inherently cultivates subject-specific skills (as observed in our study, students gathered information about the properties of science education materials) and various general competence domains (for instance, they needed to address challenges when selecting pertinent material information, choosing and illustrating practical examples, and effectively communicating with peers).
The findings of this study are consistent with those of other researchers.Students enhanced their competencies through discussions and exploration of meaningful concepts related to material flammability in both Lithuanian and English.Discussion, especially based on observed or analysed material explored in the educational process, helps students to develop communicative competence, build positive relationships and ask questions of each other (Barak, 2017;Oyama, 2017).In this way, conditions are created for students not only to learn subject content but also to express their opinions.
When analyzing a recording of the research activity, it was noticed that students mostly asked questions to the teacher when they had to perform tasks that were not clear to everyone in terms of content.Students asked questions to the teacher that were like a search for help in performing the task correctly.The questions were formulated as follows: what does <. ..> mean, how to understand <. ..>, can we write down that <. ..>, what is this?Another part of students' questions were related to the unclear form of performing the task and the further course of the lesson: do we need to write in English?Do we need to write everything down?What to do when we have already written it down?From the abundance of questions, it can be seen that there is a favorable emotional microclimate in the classroom, good teacher-student relationships based on trust, and assistance in mutual relationships, where students can confidently ask teachers for help.Such a context of educational environment shows a learning culture where there is no fear of making mistakes and looking for the right solution (Bacon, 2018;Bramante & Colby, 2012;Chevalier & Deschamps, 2019;Reverdy, 2019;Sakho, 2017).Additionally, such an environment fosters conducive conditions for learning and a positive experience throughout the educational process, which is crucial for ensuring enduring educational outcomes.

Recommendations
The ability to collaborate, listen to others' ideas, think critically, be creative and take initiative, solve problems, assess risks, make decisions, and manage emotions constructively are interrelated skills, as a fundamental part of competencies that should be developed during the educational process.The focus should be on knowledge-and skills-based practice, for example, preference should be given to activities that provide an in-depth understanding of specific content that students can apply in their lives.Poster-making allowed both teachers and students to assess how deeply they understood the content on material combustion and where they could apply it.
When students have a clearer understanding of learning objectives, they assume greater responsibility for their learning processes and gain increased opportunities to choose or initiate what to learn and how to demonstrate it.In our study, students requested additional time to finalize and present their posters.Consequently, there is enhanced collaboration between teachers and students, with students assisting teachers in clarifying the necessary components for effective learning.Students who comprehend their tasks and learning objectives can actively cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, along with honing communication, cooperation, and socio-emotional skills such as empathy.All of these proficiencies are not only pertinent during the educational journey but also extend beyond the school environment.

Limitations and directions for future research
This study has the following limitation: the findings of the study do not apply to the general set as a whole because the study is qualitative.The aspects of educational organisation identified and analysed in the study will help other researchers and teachers to organise integrated education for subject and general competences.A separate quantitative study would be needed to apply the survey data to the whole general population.
Figure1gives illustration that competency development in subjects is related to a life context, emerging situations, and tasks that lead to active student activities.All problematic situations have a practical aspect(Champy-Remoussenard & Starck, 2018;Cristol, 2022;Jonnaert et al., 2020;Pastré, 2010).It is important that problem-solving is related to a certain cognitive subject knowledge.The task is usually associated with predefined external conditions that need to be met.This is defined in the textbook, activity plan, teacher's instructions, situation description, and so on.By completing tasks, the student learns to master a certain subject matter.However, for the learner to be able to apply this knowledge practically when solving problems, they should use this subject knowledge in certain active activities.Activity is understood as an active part of the student's learning, in which the child actively participates, constructs, solves, proposes, that is, what the person actually does; taking into account the goal and implementation conditions.During the activity, the teacher can observe the student's activity, draw conclusions based on their behavior, provide assistance, advice, and consult(Brochu & Villemure, 2022).How often such activities will be implemented in schools depends only on the willingness, involvement, and responsibilities of school communities to change educational practices, analyze their benefits, changes, effectiveness, and make decisions to make innovations the driving force behind both teachers' and students' work(OCDE, 2022).Of course, a holistic approach in this area is particularly important, requiring not only the internal willingness of the pedagogical community, but also a certain economic base, resources, and methodological material, which determine the quality of activities and student practice.We present the links between the main elements of the educational process, which show how competency can be developed during pedagogical activities (see Figure2):Developing competences in the subject

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Example of an integrated activity monitoring sheet (created by teachers and research authors).

Figure
Figure 4. Students' reflections at the beginning of the lesson, anticipating the content of the activity.
You should search on the internet whether the material burns or not.2Activity with a tablet. 2 Teacher: I remind you that you have tablets that you can use.(64min.)

Figure
Figure 7. Students' thoughts when observing and analyzing (according to agreed criteria) the combustion process of different materials.

Figure 9 .
Figure 9. Example of a poster about wood created by students.
1.1.Ethics of the study.The study was conducted in accordance with ethical research principles.Children's parents gave individual consent for the activities to be filmed and analyzed, and confidentiality requirements were observed.The students were informed about the purpose of the study and the procedure, and they could refuse to participate without any consequences.The research was approved by the researchers of the Didactics Research Cluster in November 2021 in accordance with the procedures of the Vytautas Magnus University Academy of Education.This study was conducted in Lithuania.The data are presented after translating the participants' responses into English.