2020 Volume 61 Issue 2 Pages 361-371
The purpose of this study is to confirm that “recognition of the usefulness of learning science” mediates “interest in science” and “consciousness of scientific inquiry”, and ultimately affects “confidence in understanding scientific knowledge”. It assumes a causal model and examines its validity. In order to achieve this purpose, we first prepared a questionnaire consisting of 30 items, referring to Kusaba (2011) and Tachikawa (2013). Next, a questionnaire survey was conducted targeting 36 students in the 3rd grade of lower secondary school. The results of factor analysis were extracted based on the following six factors: 1, “understanding the meaning of experiments (R)”, 2, “verification of experimental methods”, 3, “visualization of experimental results”, 4, “recognizing the usefulness of learning science”, 5, “interest in science”, and 6, “confidence in understanding scientific knowledge”. Furthermore, from the results of multiple regression analysis and path analysis, factor 1, “understanding the meaning of the experiment (R)”, factor 3, “visualization of the experimental result,” and factor 5, “interest in science” were revealed to be covariant and positioned at the initial stage of a causal model. It is not only considered that these three factors are organically related, but the results also suggested the possibility of interdependence, that strengthening one factor improves the other factors. In addition, it became clear that these three factors mediate factor 4, “recognizing the usefulness of learning science”, and have direct and indirect influences on factor 6, “confidence in understanding scientific knowledge”. From the above, in order to give students “confidence in understanding scientific knowledge”, we should, at the introduction stage of any science lesson, evoke “interest in science” or “understanding the meaning of the experiment (R)” and “visualization of the experimental result”. We were thus able to obtain confirmation and suggestions that support the possibilities for instruction such as emphasizing the importance of science and “recognizing the usefulness of learning science”.
