DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONTENT OF THE “BIOLOGY I” SET OF METHODOLOGICAL MATERIALS FOR A COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH TO SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY

Oct 15, 2026

The study addresses how Latvia’s competence-based education reform affects learning content for secondary school biology, focusing on the “Biology I” methodological materials set. With only 105 biology teaching hours at the optimal secondary level, the work maps learning outcomes and surveys biology teachers to determine how the approach is implemented in the Biology I curriculum (Skola2030). Identified issues include too few lessons, an illogical topic sequence, and insufficient teaching resources, which informed the developed materials.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Competence-based approach and curriculum content

Functions of education and risks of CBA

STEM and biology-specific benefits and challenges

Latvia’s CBA implementation context

Proceedings of the 6th International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education, BalticSTE2025 30 DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONTENT OF THE “BIOLOGY I” SET OF METHODOLOGICAL MATERIALS FOR A COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH TO SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY Rita Birzina, Daiga Kalnina, Sandra Kalnina University of Latvia, Latvia E-mail: [rita.birzina@lu.lv](rita.birzina@lu.lv), [daiga.kalnina@lu.lv](daiga.kalnina@lu.lv), [sandra.kalnina@lu.lv](sandra.kalnina@lu.lv) Abstract The competence-based approach has raised important questions in education regarding the content of learning, the way teachers teach and students learn, and the assessment of learning. General education in Latvia has been reformed, and the content of competence-based education was introduced in 2023. In STEM curricula, the content is developed in the context of the Big Ideas, and the number of teaching hours is restructured. Only 105 teaching hours are foreseen for biology at the optimal secondary level, which is twice less than before. So, it was important to learn how this approach is implemented in the biology content to achieve learning outcomes defined in the Latvian secondary education standard, what opinion of biology teachers is on the content of Biology I curriculum developed by Skola2030, and what the content of the biology methodological material should be. Through mapping of learning outcomes and the survey of biology teachers, the main problems were identified: insufficient number of lessons, illogical sequence of topics and subtopics, and lack of teaching resources. On this basis, a set of Biology I methodological materials was developed. Keywords: biology education, content of secondary school curriculum, integration of Big Ideas, set of methodological materials, competence-based approach Introduction The competence-based approach (hereafter in the text – CBA) to education changes traditional learning paradigms by emphasising the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes to deal with real-life situations (Biesta, 2009) . It aims not only at providing theoretical knowledge, but also at developing practical skills and attitudes needed in today’s society. The curriculum should focus on developing students’ skills and abilities, not just on imparting knowledge. The curriculum content is an essential component of education as it determines what knowledge and skills students will acquire, as without a conceptual base students cannot innovate (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), and the standardisation of content ensures equity between educational institutions by allowing for objective assessment of competency performance (Hattie, 2009; OECD, 2018) . Structured content guides educators by reducing the need to create materials themselves, which is particularly important for new teachers (Darling-Hammond et al., This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Proceedings of the 6th International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education, BalticSTE2025 31 2020) . However, ambiguity in the curriculum can hinder teachers’ work (Amadio et al., 2014), and a too rigid focus on content can lead to the mechanical reproduction of knowledge rather than its application. Biesta (2009), describing the three functions of education as qualification, socialisation, and subjectification, warns that the CBA can degrade education into functional skills training if the content is seen as an end in itself. The overload of new content elements without getting rid of old ones can increase the time spent learning topics, leaving less time for the practical application of competences (Voogt & Roblin, 2012; Priestley & Sinnema, 2014) . Curriculum content is essential for implementing a CBA in STEM subjects, providing theoretical foundations, practical skills, and interdisciplinary thinking (Bybee, 2013). In biology, it builds an understanding of life processes and their interrelationships. Teachers fac

FAQs

What motivates the development of “Biology I” methodological materials in this study?

Latvia’s competence-based reform introduced new curriculum content in 2023, alongside reduced biology teaching hours, making it necessary to clarify how the approach is implemented and what methodological content is needed for learning outcomes.

Which main problems were identified through mapping learning outcomes and surveying teachers?

The study reports an insufficient number of lessons, an illogical sequence of topics and subtopics, and a lack of teaching resources.

What advantages and challenges does the competence-based approach bring for biology teaching?

Advantages include applying knowledge in real-life situations and integrating related subjects. Challenges include increased teacher time and resources, added lab and experiment demands, and more complex competency assessment covering knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Oct 15, 2026

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