The received wisdom is that it is important for students to acquire scientific literacy. Ability for explaining phenomena scientifically is one of main elements to construct scientific literacy. However, they have reported Japanese elementary school students have not sufficiently acquired the ability on the result of PISA 2012, TIMSS 2011, and National School Achievement Test 2012 and 2015 in Japan. They have also reported though many students write only evidence (S1 ), a few students write evidence and its interpretation (S2 ) when they write a reason and a basis for judging something. The purpose of this study is to obtain why S1 has cause of writing only evidence. They had two identical bowls of hot water at the same temperature. They only put a cover on A bowl and do not put it on B bowl (TIMSS 1995, fourth grade, X1). We make a question based on the X1 of why does the temperature of hot water in B bowl fall faster than that in A bowl. 88 5th grade Japanese elementary school students answer a questionnaire. We obtained the following results in this study: Students write texts under subject of question and their memory of evidence. Though S1 and S2 have the knowledge about the individual relations of cause and effect of a natural or experimental phenomenon, S1 does not understand what connection there are between the individual relations required to write evidence and its interpretation. Student compares his texts with correct texts writing evidence and its interpretation. After that, S1 misunderstands that sense-making of words of this two texts is almost the same. This student’s inappropriate of sense-making of words makes him depend on context of question, his existing experience, and questioner’s idea guessed from these, and they hence omit words, subject, predicate, modifier, needed for his texts.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine factors inhibiting elementary school teachers’ commitment to teaching physical education (PE). Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews of 12 elementary school teachers (10 males and 2 females) participated in a long-term training program at a university. Modified-Grounded Theory Approach was used to analyze the data in this study. Results indicated 2 categories including 5 sub-categories and 8 concepts following affecting elementary school teachers’ commitment to teaching PE. The categories were (1) internal factors ([prior experiences] such as inadequate experiences in teacher education programs and own PE experiences and [teaching skills and beliefs] such as lack of teaching skills, obscure beliefs on PE, and low confidence in teaching PE) and (2) external factors ([lack of leaning opportunities] and [workplace conditions] such as busy at work, and colleagues’ negative beliefs of PE). These results suggest the need of improving school contexts which consider complex factors and focus on reconstructing teachers’ beliefs in PE to enhance elementary school teachers’ commitment to teaching PE.

View full abstract

The “doing history” lessons as an alternative to the knowledge-centered approach often mean the lessons modeled on the disciplinary approach of history. In this paper, we show the difference in the phase of “doing history” and consider the difficulties of unifying this approach into the disciplinary approach of history through discussion on the methodology in History by Minoru Hokari and analysis of history education theory by L. Levstik & K. Barton. Both Hokari and Levstik & Barton appreciate the diverse historical practices in society. They discuss them in relation to the realization of ideal societies such as pluralistic societies and participatory democracy. They imply the difficulties to the unification of the disciplinary approach as follows: (1) it excludes the voices of people who are not considered as academic, which may go against the realization of the ideal societies. (2)it also makes history lessons difficult to satisfy the reason to learn history for children.

View full abstract

This study has two purposes, namely, to determine how the interest and motivation of learners can be prompted using manga as teaching materials in Japanese-language courses and to create a model of the educational effectiveness of manga in that context by using the results of the first endeavor. Second-year elementary school classes were planned and held using the manga The Forest Is Alive (Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon, volume 26, Shogakukan, 1983) as reading materials. The questions featured items on (1) the influence of the teaching materials on interest and motivation; (2) the differences between these lessons and those that dealt with stories and explanations; and (3) overall impressions of the classes—and responses were elicited using a multiple-choice format and descriptive comments. The modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA) was used for analysis, on the basis of which, a model of the interest and motivation prompted by manga use in teaching in Japanese-language courses was constructed. Findings of this study reveals that manga, as teaching materials, can, to a certain extent, aid in arousing interest and motivation among learners. Further, it appeared that the unique characteristics of manga were central to prompting this. Thus, manga-based instruction can make good use of the opportunities offered by established learning and transform the values associated with manga.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to theoretically classify interaction in physical education class while sharing the meaning and value of exercise and sports. Therefore, we used as an analytical framework consensus formation theory, which is based on the social-constructivism epistemology that the meaning and value of exercise and sports are generated and configured from interaction. Results showed that interactions in “consensus building” could be classified theoretically into “consensus” related to “mono (things, objects)” and “accommodation” related to “koto (events, human interpretation of objects and experiences).” These results suggest the possibility of a gap between “accommodation” in groups when “consensus” is aimed at excessively. To address this issue, we have presented an interaction method that consciously distinguishes two types of“ consensus formation” that have different natures.

View full abstract

Until now, most of class research has been conducted under vague themes. Along with this, school management in elementary school tends to target less specified class improvement. This school is characterized by focusing on developing elementary school students’ abilities to think, which is the foundation of school management in our school. Therefore, the characteristics of school management are described first, and then the characteristics of class research to develop elementary school students’ thinking abilities are discussed in this paper.

View full abstract

It is difficult for junior high school students to continue to steadily and overcome small problems because their abilities and motivations are extreme in this school. Truant and foreign students have increased recently and these problems have grown more complicated. Instead of thinking that various students are in trouble, making the difference makes each student a hero. Therefore, we are concerned with a learning plan through which students can be adjusted to individual differences. As a beginning, we tried to make all lessons follow“ to set up subject,”“ learning opportunity” and “looking back.” And also, we focused on cooperative learning towards improving classroom competencies. The findings of this study reveal that student’s study motivation improves gradually and they are able to do something in a tenacious manner.

View full abstract

The new National curriculum included “independent and interactive deep learning” and new evaluation is implemented. The role given to affiliated schools is to become big venues for class making and teacher education in fields of education which are still in confusion. However, when judging from the angle whether study results could be returned to public schools in the area, affiliated schools aren’t achieving their function. A new study is desired of schools affiliated to university from such comments of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Nagoya primary school affiliated to Aichi University of Education improved the method of teaching study. As a result, we abandoned our standardized study style at school. We converted to a study style through which children emphasized essential investigation by themselves based on the respective learning contents of a subject. We have to make this conversion meaningful. Deep cooperation between the teachers at school and the coursework science researchers who advance study through the same problem awareness as the schoolteachers is necessary for this realization.

View full abstract

This paper aims at discussing practices of integrating the academic autonomy of the curriculum research and teacher education. The paper points out the importance of connecting “research” with “development”, by reporting for example practices at Okayama University. Also, this study reveals that fundamental research plays an essential role for quality improvement of “development”in practical study.

View full abstract

In this presentation, in order to consider a future model for mathematics education research in graduate schools of teacher education (professional degree program), research in the field of mathematics education conducted by the author for about ten years will be given as a typical example. That research has been developed mainly in the “School Support Project”, which is part of the core curriculum of graduate school of teacher education in Joetsu University of Education. In this paper, the author will try to clarify the characteristics of the research process in that course in comparison with research process that the author had followed in the master’s program until more than ten years ago. As the result of this consideration, the characteristics of mathematics education research in graduate school of teacher education, especially that conducted in the author’s laboratory are summarized in the following five points: (1) The research theme must always be conscious and set from practical issues at local school sites. (2) It is a collaborative work centered on graduate students (in-service teachers). (3) It is based on research methodology in action research and design research. (4) The research results are mainly theoretical viewpoints or frameworks and teaching design supporting local schools. (5) The theoretical viewpoints and teaching design developed by graduate students, in-service teachers, serves to develop their own perspectives for interpreting, evaluating, and improving and developing their educational practices. The above points are related each other, and have been gradually established and developed in the process of adapting to the professional degree course curriculum of Joetsu University of Education called the “School Support Project”. Among others, focusing on the first of the points above, and if “starting from the researcher’s awareness of the problem, setting the research theme after the overview and examination of the previous research, and conducting verification in local school sites” is a typical feature of the research process in master’s programs, the characteristic of mathematics education research in graduate schools of teacher education, in particular the research process done in the author’s laboratory would be the opposite direction, in contrast to the research process in master’s programs.

View full abstract

The Professional Graduate Schools for Teacher Education are intended to (1) offer advanced learning and practical experience for those who graduate universities to apply the advanced knowledge and skills, and to (2) prepare the in-service teachers to take leadership roles in both schools and community. The important thing for teachers is to conduct classes in order to achieve these goals. Therefore, this paper proposes that it is essential to provide common educational knowledge and skills in the field of practical subject education for students with different specialties.

View full abstract