Typification and Classification of Questions in Elementary School Science Textbooks: Comparison and Analysis of Three Publishers’ Lower Secondary School Textbooks

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify “questions” and their characteristics suitable for science learning objectives and problem-solving activities in accordance with the Courses of Study for Elementary Schools published in 2017 by three companies, including X and Z, in addition to Company Y, which was also the subject of a study by Honda et al. (2022). The results of the analysis clarified the following four points regarding the “questions” suitable for the goals of science learning and problem-solving activities. (1) “How” questions tend to be more common in the study of energy and particles among the domains, and are suitable for having students focus on the operation and control of experiments. “Where” questions tend to be more frequent in life sciences and is a question suitable for capturing the commonality and diversity of living organisms. (2) Among grades, questions of “meanings” tend to be more common in the sixth grade and are suitable for applying the thinking of the sixth grade in line with the revision of the Courses of Study. (3) No significant differences were found among the publishers surveyed, indicating that the same questions are reflected in all textbooks in accordance with the revised Courses of Study. (4) In comparison with Yanase et al., (2023), there was a tendency for more “yes/no” questions in primary schools’ textbooks, indicating that the questions are developmentally appropriate, encouraging students to solve problems in a scientific manner.