This article examines the essence of the research abilities of students formed in elective classes in biology as a category and factor of personal development. The content of the curriculum in biology is also considered, and activities aimed at achieving learning goals that are related to the development of skills are included.

In modern secondary education of Kazakhstan, modernization processes successfully implemented in recent years, is carried out with the aim of its integration into the world educational space and approximation to international educational standards on the approval of standard rules of activity by types of general education organizations for the purposeful formation of research skills of students, which is determined at the legislative level "Research competence in the classification of A.V. Khutorsky is considered as an integral part of cognitive competence, which includes elements of methodological, supra-subject, logical activities, methods of organizing goal-setting, planning, analysis, reflection.