During the last decade the Czech educational system has undergone a curricular reform. One of the most important changes it introduced was the emphasis on pupils’ key competencies. Our research focuses on one of the most important of them – the problem-solving competence, specifically in the area of Science education. We believe that as primary Science lessons focus mostly on pupil's close surroundings, they are especially suitable for including problem-solving tasks (PST) and thus developing problem-solving competence. That is why our study concentrates on problem-solving tasks in primary Science instruction.

There is a lot of research showing that Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as an educational approach can effectively develop problem-solving competence (e.g. Dochy et al., 2003). That is why when identifying PSTs among other learning tasks in instruction, we follow the PBL approach. We define a PST that develops a problem-solving competence as a task which is student-centred ,requires activation of prior (usually multidisciplinary) knowledge, contains an ill-defined problem connected with real life, has more than one possible solution, supports transfer of knowledge and skills into new contexts, and develops communicative skills. Furthermore, the teacher should be just a facilitator and a guide. Pupils usually work in small groups and must choose essential information without teacher’s scaffolding (see Barrows, 1996; Delisle, 1997; Dolmans et al., 2005; Hung, 2011 etc.).

Even though PBL promotes pupils’ autonomy, the learners should be taught some basic steps in solving problem-solving tasks. Based on available studies (cp. Delisle, 1997; Schmidt, 1983; Torp & Sage, 2002 etc.), we distinguish 8 phases of the process of solving a PST. These phases provide an analytical frame for a more detail investigation of PSTs and their use in primary Science education. When analysing the tasks, we must see them in the broader context of the learning situation as a whole, i.e. consider also pupils’ and teacher’s previous knowledge, experience and skills (external situational conditions) and other observable characteristics of the classroom situation (why, how and when a task is posed, how it is solved etc.; internal situational conditions).

Phase 0 – Problem structuring – Teacher judges external and internal situational conditions and designs the problem.

Phase 1 – Initiation – Teacher poses preparatory tasks connected to the issue developed in PST and motivates pupils.

Phase 2 – Analysing the problem

Phase 3 – Searching for information

Phase 4 – Synthesizing findings

Phase 5 – Summarizing the solution

Phase 6 – Presenting the solution

Phase 7 – Reflecting on the solving process

(According to Delisle (1997), Hung, Jonassen, & Liu (2007), Maňák, & Švec (2003), Schmidt (1983), Segers (1997), Torp, & Sage (2002), Zumbach, Kumpf, & Koch (2004).

These phases form the theoretical model which provides a didactic application of classical problem-solving cycle. The paper will present its elaboration.

The aim of our research is to describe how PSTs that develop the problem-solving competence in primary Science education are used in real instruction as captured by a video study. The presented paper focuses on the phases of the process of solving PST and describes them on two levels: level of individual lessons and for the research sample as a whole (10 lessons). The research question is as follows: What is the frequency and length of the PST phases implemented in primary Science lessons (as documented in the individual lessons and in the whole research sample)?

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