The purpose of this study is to clarify the process of elimination and revision in the science textbooks used at elementary schools (National Schools) after the Second World War. Until recently, due to the lack of materials, studies on the elimination and revision of textbooks used at National Schools have been limited to Japanese Language Textbooks (Shotoka Kokugo) and Mathematics Textbooks (Shotoka Sansu) at elementary schools. But it has been shown from Nakamura's papers and Oshima's documents that science textbooks or others used at National Schools were also eliminated and revised. In this study, through the consideration of the Nakamura papers and Oshima documents, it will be made clear who eliminated and revised the science textbooks (Shotoka Rika and Kotoka Rika) and when the work was done. In consequence, these matters will be made clear: (1) That the elimination and revision of science textbooks used at National Schools was carried out by Genjiro Oka and Takamitsu Taniguchi. (2) That this work was done from about the middle of October till early in November of 1946. (3) A similarity between revised writings in the stop-gap textbooks of science (revised by the Ministry of Education) and in the measure issued by the educational authorities in Tokyo Metropolis, as there should have been contacts and reciprocal actions between the two. (4) That there was a difference between the measures of the prefectures and Metropolis, due to a difference of understanding of the measures issued by the Ministry of Education.

By the use of the lever task as a SRT developed by the CSMS, a study was conducted in order to survey the distribution of the level of cognitive development of pupils in each grade of elementary and lower secondary schools in Japan, and major findings thereof are as follows: (1) A variation was found among pupils in each grade as regards the level of development. However, 6th graders in elementary schools and 1st and 2nd graders in lower secondary schools, (namely, those in 7th and 8th grades) showed a similar tendency of variation in terms of the four different levels of development, i.e., 3B, 3A, 2B and 2A ratings in he task. Therefore, it seems difficult for a Science teacher to make all pupils understand the task in teaching in an ordinary class; accordingly, individualized instruction or some other measure that meets the difference in individual ability is needed. (2) In comparing the difference between Japan and the U.K. in terms of the level of development of the same age groups, more pupils who are at the stage of formal operations at the level of development are found in Japan than in the U.K. the result might derive from the difference of the education systems or might be heavily concerned in the different structures of Science or Mathematics in both countries. (3) Several problems of mismatch could be pointed out between the level of development achieved by pupils in each grade and the current Science curriculum of Japanese lower secondary school. (4) By the use of the SRTs, distribution of the level of development among pupils in a particular grade or class is relatively easily obtained; therefore, the SRTs would be a useful help for a Science teacher when he designs a teaching plan of Science.

It is generally thought that the concept of macroscopic time is extremely difficult to understand. There are two possibilities as the reasons why the concept of macroscopic time is difficult to understand; One of them is that the figures of large unit such as 1 million or 1 billion are dealt with. The other is that the comparatively long-term time intervals are treated. If the problem is the figures of a large unit, it can be solved by the presentation of the unit conversion to students, as in the use of "light year" in astronomy. If the time intervals are a problem, it can be solved by using the word which is different from "year." In this study, a pair of figures was presented as the subject. Three types of figures were adopted; number, money and year. The subject was done by selecting bigger or smaller ones. Then the response time required for selection was measured. They were analyzed accord and the magnitude. As a result, it was decided that the cause of difficulty was the types of figures. In other words, the meaning of "billion years" is difficult for students to recognize, so the cause of difficulty was not because of its magnitude but because of its meaning of "year.'' With these results, the method of expressing by using money as the concept of macroscopic time unit was suggested at the early stage of learning. To be more concrete, it should be expressed in the case of some students about the lives of their grandfathers and grandmothers with 1-yen coins, 5-yen coins, 10-yen coins and 50-yen coins, and moreover, to express human being's history with 10,000-yen bank notes, and bundles of 1 million yen packed with newspapers. In the case of the mesozoic or the palaeozoic, they should be expressed by trunks filled with bank notes. It can be thought that it may be effective in the early stage oflearning to present the concept of macroscopic time to the students with other concrete units such as the bundle of bank notes.

The interrelation between pupils' sensibilities and science learning has two aspects. One is the good use of the sensibilities for science learning. The other is the training of the acuter sensibilities in science learning. The former was investigated, but the latter was not. So, my study has been concerned with how to train pupils' sensibilities in science learning and improve the learning of the relations between plants. After the advance inquiry into familiar plants was improved by the method of plant ecology, the learning of the relations between the plants was started mainly depending on the use of pupils' 'notice.' And it has been improved and continued for four years. The results acquired are as follows: (1) Using the methods of plant ecology is effective in teaching plants and activating pupils. (2) Much of pupils' 'notice reaches a higher level than the Course of Study requires. Therefore, science learning by the good use of pupils' 'notice' is effective and lively. (3) Sensibilities are trained not only in science learning but also in much everyday learning.

Since the "gakusei," which gave the total educational law and regulations as a modern nation, was promulgated in 1872 till the "shougakkorei" (the educational law and regulations for elementary school) was promulgated in 1886, the science education was no better than a reading lesson. But there were some people who argued for their way of the science education and recognized a necessity to introduce some experiments into lessons. The annual report of Hiroshima National Teacher Training School (Hiroshima Shihan Gakko) in 1874 gave an account of the necessity to introduce some experiments into lessons for future teachers. On the other hand, the educational affairs section of Tokyo Prefecture inquired of the Bureau of Educational Management (Tokugakukyoku) in the Ministry of Education about the importation of a set of physical instruments in 1876. Next year, Tokyo Prefecture bought a home-manufactured physical instrument set, but borrowed some physical instruments from Tokyo National Women's Teachers' School (Tokyo Joshi Shihan Gakko). It was suggested to be considered that introducing some experiments into lessons is important and urgent. The Ministry of Education decided to abolish some national teachers' schools for budgetary cutbacks in 1877. At this time, it was planned that some physical and chemical instruments were transplanted from a national school to a prefectural school. Furthermore, due to the increase of the duty of a prefectural school for training teachers the Ministry of Education delivered a set of physical instruments at each prefectural school all over the country as assistance. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education granted a subsidy for teacher training schools. But when educational law and regulation (Kyouiku Rei) was revised totally in 1880, the subsidy was abolished. The Ministry of Education that was apprehensive about the decline of local education established a regulation of the encouragement goods (Gakuji-shoureihin) as assistance of local education in 1882 and granted some chemical and physical instruments as the encouragement goods over a period of two years (1883 and 1884).

"Gymnasium," which was considered the main stream in secondary school system in Germany in the 19th century, emphasized the humanistic educational goals. Therefore, in order to make natural science similar in status to Greek, literature, history and the other subjects, researchers in science education had to clarify the humanistic values as well as the realistic values of natural science. Their theories were shown in their publications, e.g., "Die humanischen Aufgaben des physikalischen Unterrichts" by A. Höfler. He summarized the humanistic themes of physics education as follows: "In physics education, by getting involved in its processes, the pupils could find the most valuable reasons of knowledge in this field. Therefore, there are peculiar humanistic themes available in physics education. If such education would be brought into operation in schools like "Gymnasium," then it would bring wider humanistic educational goals on these schools." He further developed more explanations about these themes from the following viewpoints. 1. Logic of physics and the humanistic effects 2. Characteristics of the logic 3. Combination of theory and practice in the logic 4. Advancement of physics and the necessity of teaching physics from the cultural point of view 5. Importance of the psychological aspect of physics education 6. Educational value of history, literature and physics and the necessity of the harmonious treatment of those subjects Höfler's theoretical studies along the lines stated above offered the basic guiding principles in the revolutionary movement in modern secondary school science education in Germany.

In the USSR, the science subjects, such as biology, physics, chemistry, and astronomy, are compulsory to every pupil at the secondary school level, and they can choose their favorite studies from the 7th grade onwards. This optional study was adopted in the curriculum of 'the single labour school' just after the Revolution. But the present system of compulsory learning of all science subjects in the USSR was established to guarantee the unity of school education and to give every pupil the systematic and firm knowledge of science during the reform in the 1930's. And the optional study was removed from the school curriculum at the same time. In the Khruschev's reform, the optional studies were resumed in the school curriculum. The optional study of science in that era was considered to be a supplemental part of the school curriculum for the purpose of strengthening the vocational and labour education. And in the reform of 1966, along with the advancement of the universal secondary education and the modernization of the contents of education, the optional studies were further expanded and changed in quality into the present style of optional studies. The development of the optional system in the secondary science education in the USSR had been conditioned by the social -and economic elements as well as the academic demand of science. This general trend was a little different in the case of the 1966 reform of curriculum: the reform was intended to cater for the education with emphasis on individual ability and aptitude, a fresh concept of education resulted from the psychological study of children which was actively carried out since the late 1950's.