Scientific Competencies and Research Skills as Common Threads in Science Learning

The research focused on determining the results of a research skills program in the strengthening of cognitive-conceptual scientific competence in high school students of an educational unit in Quito, Ecuador. The methodology of quantitative approach, and quasi-experimental design, a questionnaire of scientific competencies was used as an instrument and had a non-probabilistic sample, for convenience of 85 students, distributed equally between the experimental group (43 students) and the control group (42 students) belonging to the third year of high school. With the implementation of the learning sessions, a significant improvement was observed in the experimental group, evidenced by an increase in the "Achieved" category and a reduction to zero in the "Start" category. Inferential analysis showed that the program had a significant impact compared to the control group, with a significance level of 0.001. In conclusion, the program has proven to be an effective tool to strengthen the cognitive and conceptual dimension in high school students, thus contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal number 4, focused on quality education.