Biological knowledge has a significant impact on many personal and social decisions. The purpose of biology education in general upper secondary schools is to understand basic biological concepts, while the success of the education largely depends on the teaching process. To gain insight into what is happening in biology classrooms, we conducted a qualitative analysis of students' written materials, which despite its great potential, is a rarely used method in the field of pedagogical research. We obtained the data based on the analysis of students' written materials, which we collected from biology students with previously completed general upper secondary school education. The written materials were analysed according to the biology curriculum, the data gathered was quantified and analysed by cross-analysis. Results show that the treatment of the subject matter is extremely detailed, the most when learning about the structure and functioning of the cell, and least detailed when learning about ecology. Most student work includes performing practical learning tasks and problem solving. Additional content, otherwise intended only for students who choose biology as a Matura examination subject, is often included into the subject matter. Due to the consideration of additional content, not all mandatory subject matter is covered, which means that students finish biology education with insufficient knowledge. The research provides an insight into the teaching of biology in general upper secondary schools in Slovenia, the current state of biological education, and provides possibilities for improvements in this area.
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