The article deals with the problem of forming students ' research competence in extracurricular activities in biology. The school has a new task-the education of a citizen of modern society, a person for whom education is a constant and natural process throughout his life, which is the setting of new goals and the implementation of their achievements in their activities. The student's activity is recognized as the basis for achieving developmental learning goals-knowledge is not transmitted in a ready-made form but is built by the students themselves in the process of cognitive and research activities. Teaching is no longer seen as a simple transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the students, but as a collaboration – the joint work of the teacher and students in the course of learning and solving problems. Due to the fact that currently the most successful people are those who can create a unique product or service in a limited time, rebuild and master new methods of work, offer an extraordinary way out of a problematic situation, the use of techniques and methods in training that form the ability to independently extract new knowledge, collect the necessary information, put forward hypotheses, draw conclusions and conclusions becomes more and more relevant in the educational process. During the formation of research competence, there is a conscious assimilation of the material, a clearer identification of the features of the main concepts, an expansion of the volume of knowledge, the formation of various skills, and ensuring continuity with other academic disciplines.

Objective: The authors provide justifications for changing the current education system, updating the teaching and methodological approach in school specialised education. The paper investigates the issue of fashioning students' research competence through the technology of project activities.Background: Project activity has become widely used since it combines the theoretical and practical parts of the science under study, which allows to set up a connection between its components. Research competence is an integral feature of a student's personality, which manifests itself in a willingness to take an active research position. Method:The authors conducted an experiment to study the problem of improving the quality of students' knowledge upon studying biology in senior school. The participants in the experiment were 120 students of the 10th and 11th years of a specialised school for children with psychological disorders. Results:The authors developed a methodology for the fashioning of research competence. The results of the conducted pedagogical experiment confirmed the validity of the initial assumptions regarding the influence of the use of research teaching methods in biology lessons aimed at improving the quality of biological education. Conclusion:Through project activities, students with intellectual disabilities learn to work in a team. Despite the fact that teamwork is uniting, each of the students learns to independently set the purpose and tasks of the study, analyse the sources presented, present the results of their activities to others. The main signs of project activity include the fact that students learn the technique and technology of working with the project. Project activity allows for the fashioning of students' research competence during the lesson, thereby enabling students to unleash their potential.

One of the main conditions for inclusive education is the professional competence of teachers. The professional competence of the teacher ensures the education, upbringing and development of children with disabilities. In the context of inclusive education, special attention should be paid to the training of teachers to work with children with disabilities. The peculiarity of the organization of educational and correctional work with children with developmental disabilities requires special training of a teacher who provides integrated education. The teacher of an educational institution must know the basics of correctional pedagogy and special psychology. They should also have a clear understanding of the peculiarities of the psychophysical development of children with disabilities, the methods and technologies of organizing the educational and rehabilitation process of such children. People who have not received special education cannot successfully work with children with developmental disabilities.