THE PROCESS OF NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION: THE ASPECT OF CONCEPTS INTERIORIZATION

The article presents the results of the research in adoption of the content of the programme “Water” developed by the scientists from the University of Rostock. The sample of the research included school learners from the 2nd and 3rd forms. The data of three testings were analysed and the evaluated change in the school learners' knowledge development proved that application of the methodology of the programme “Water” significantly improved the respondents' knowledge of water, its structure, states, the water cycle, the mechanism of water treatment and self-cleaning. This knowledge includes and expands not only learning about the environment, but also develops school learners' ecological attitude to nature and natural resources. However, only well-established long-term knowledge (which is the focus of the programme under discussion) will ensure the application of this knowledge in the further process of natural science education. The article also presents the analysis of school learners' reflections on learning, which shows that the respondents, involved in the investigation of the discussed object (i.e. water in this case) demonstrated a better acquisition of the presented material since visual aids, motivation and active involvement of learners are as relevant as the presented information itself. The conducted research allowed to evaluate the role of the programme “Water” in long-term knowledge adoption, that is, learning and internalisation of concepts. The change in test results showed that information provided together with the concepts daily used by children, which gradually are changed into scientific ones, has a positive effect on formation of concepts of natural science education, their un-derstanding and learning.