2016 Volume 56 Issue 4 Pages 421-434
According to the PISA and TIMSS international assessments of skills and knowledge, Japanese students were found to be lacking in reading and communication skills. However, the first of the seven main goals of the new course of study implemented in 2009 is the “enhancement of reading and communication skills” by integrating their acquisition into the study of all subjects. In this study, the effect of using video data on students’ reflective learning was examined. Students in upper secondary school investigated various topics in the subject of biology, and prepared poster presentations, which were recorded. Students assessed the effectiveness of their own presentations with a questionnaire immediately after completing their presentations, and again after watching the video recording of their presentations. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed utilizing t-test and the Measurement Text Analysis. The results showed that viewing the videos had an impact on the students’ perception of their abilities. Students not only reflected on their quality of content, but also their presentation skills including language used, presentation manners, volume of speaking, and poster attributes such as text and figure size and graph presentation. This paper shows that, in accordance with the goals of the program of studies, there is high educational value in using video to prompt student reflection and enhance their awareness of their reading and communication skills.