2022 Volume 63 Issue 2 Pages 399-414
The purpose of this study was to clarify the development of scientific expression in learners’ considerations by practicing a junior high school science class that incorporates instruction on formulation of consideration descriptions while utilizing a peer evaluation activity. To achieve this goal, we analyzed the learners’ responses to the investigation questions and lesson text content in three groups: a group with the peer evaluation activity only, a group with instruction on formulation of consideration descriptions only, and a group with both instruction on formulation of consideration descriptions and the peer evaluation activity. From the results of our analysis, we found that learning to incorporate instruction on formulation of consideration descriptions under the peer evaluation activity had the effect of promoting the improvement of students’ consideration descriptions including evidence (reason) that constitute scientific expression, as compared to incorporating only one or the other. One of the reasons for this was that, by incorporating instruction on formulation of consideration description in conjunction with the peer evaluation activity, the learners came to understand how to write more descriptive considerations through collaborative learning. Such collaborative learning included group discussions as well as reflection on the process of inquiry in the course of self-assessment and peer evaluations. Furthermore, by receiving instruction from their teacher on how to write effectively, they became conscious of including results, claim, and evidence in their considerations.
