A Reconsideration of the Student Research Program in Science Education : Its Meaning and Role in Kawasaki City Lower Secondary School Science Contests

Abstract

The student research program has spread in science classes across the country and contributed greatly to science education. It is related in many cases to science contests. As of 2006, there are thirteen kinds of nationwide science contests in Japan. Recently, there are also opportunities for high school students to introduce the student research program in English overseas, and it functions not only a science lesson, but also contributes to character formation. In Kawasaki City Lower Secondary School, the student research program developed rapidly, and 579 titles were registered in the ten years from 1997 to 2006. The number of registrants in physics, chemistry, biology and earth science were 204, 119, 205, and 51, respectively, and themes concerning the environment or energy have tended to increase in the last ten years. This research project considered the trend of the latest student research program, including the background of free study, positioning, the study method, and so on, describing the program in Kawasaki City Lower Secondary School. This research project utilized usual lessons, selective science and integrated study, and proposed a study model which uses the science contest as an extension of the student research program.