2004 Volume 43 Issue 230 Pages 74-82
In Japan, education in modern Western science started with the Meiji era (1868-1912). Midway through the Meiji era, a change occurred in the science curriculum in Japan. During the early Meiji years, individual subjects, such as physics and chemistry, had been taught in elementary schools. However, a new and comprehensive subject, termed "rika " in Japanese, was then instituted. So far, evaluations of this change have been carried out from mainly a national perspective, based on analyses of educational statutes enacted by the Japanese government and the contents of the widely used textbooks of those days. For a deeper understanding of the significance of the change, however, it is essential to examine it at the level of prefecture, or district, and individual elementary school, as well. We report on the process of this change in science education in Gunma Prefecture. We draw on sources from the archives of Gunma Prefecture and also examine the teaching materials (tests and text books) actually used at the elementary schools of Gunma Prefecture in those days in order to paint a detailed picture of the change. The change in science education in Gunma Prefecture was accomplished considerably later than its official announcement in national statutes. The Normal School of Gunma Prefecture had an overwhelming influence on education in Gunma Prefecture in the Meiji era. Thus, we also discuss the Normal School's views on science education, based on Meiji - era archives kept in the Gunma Prefectural Archives and at Gunma University. These archives suggest that the Normal School regarded the subject physics as playing an important role in the acceptance of Western scientific thought, and that the school was critical of the new comprehensive science subject, "rika ".
