Radiation-Related Content Changes in Lower Secondary School Science Textbooks in Post-War Japan

Abstract

This study investigated material related to radiation in lower secondary school science textbooks published in Japan in the seven decades since World War II. The assessment revealed that the volume of this material has changed with the times in at least eight different ways. Overall, the number of items related to radiation reached a maximum in the 1970s and then decreased until the 2000s. However, the authors’ detailed analysis revealed that there was substantial variation in how the number of items changed in relation to the contents — e.g. material discussing “nuclear power” has increased continuously since World War II.