In this paper, we study the effectiveness of formative peer evaluation among groups in a class to facilitate reflection on collaborative and exploratory problem solving activities, comparing with third-party's comments. This research was designed as a design experiment through three years. At interim and final presentation, the learners were given comments from teaching assistants (TA) in the first year, however in the second and third years, the learners evaluated each other group. As a result, formative peer evaluation among groups tends to be more effective than TAs' comments, and about half of the groups reflected and reconsidered their research objects, styles of presentation, methods, and viewpoints by appropriating evaluation of the other groups.

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This study aims at developing a new subjective assessment index by simply evaluating the effect of work duration on the VDT worker's Psycho-physiological state. The method of this study was to examine how the effects of continuous work sessions for 100, 200 and 400 minutes on workers, who were reflected in the results of text writing works prepared based on mental fatigues tests using a simplified check questions. The check questions were selected by factor analysis to the students by the preliminary research. The test tasks were the text writing for twenty minutes work continually a total of five times, nine times and 17 times at a cycle of 20 minutes per cycle following a timetable. The subjects were total of 38 female and male, who were university students and high school students. As a result, it was found that subjective symptoms that develop during the work can be evaluated from three different factors. The factors are 1) drowsiness and fatigue, 2) effort to overcome strain and 3) weariness and difficulty of concentration. To evaluate the accumulated work strain that develops during the work, it is effective to evaluate the drowsiness and fatigue or weariness and difficult of concentration. To evaluate the attention and effort to cope with the work stress, the effort to overcome strain is an effective measure. Based on this result, a new subjective assessment index has been developed with six items representing each of the three factors, which is easily applicable to field surveys.

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In this research, we proposed an equating method under the common examinees design in case one test is on a latent scale and another test is on an original rating score scale. This method is useful when the number of examinees of either test is not sufficient to apply latent trait model such as item response theory. This situation above is not new in Japan, for example, national center test for university admissions, and so on. In addition, the accuracy of this method was examined by simulation studies, and we showed the procedure for creating a score conversion table through real data analysis.

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Aiming to promote students spontaneous learning and to improve education quality and level for mass education at college level in Japan, an educational method named the Spontaneous Learning Activation Spiral Education Method is proposed. The proposed method exploits the advantages of the web-based coordinated education activation system CEAS, which supports teachers' classroom teaching and students' preparation and review studies in an integrated way. The proposed method requires the spiral repetitions of the learning cycle of preparation study, classroom teaching and review study during the school term where assignment materials are deployed for preparation and review studies synchronizing with class instruction progress so that students are forced to study at classroom as well as at home. The contents to be taught in the courses are classified into declarable and procedural knowledge. They are assigned to preparation and review assignments respectively, and the learning hierarchy of the course contents is formed within and across a class teaching. The proposed method is applied to the engineering course for the advanced programming with more than one hundred attendants, and its effectiveness in enhancing students ability in logical thinking is demonstrated by analyzing the final examination scores as well as questionnaire results.

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In this study, we considered the effect of the visual approach by the graphing calculator for teaching mathematics at school for the deaf. In order to do this, we established two experiment classes. One class used the graphing calculator, and another class used the textbook only. We then analyzed the performance of these classes and made a comparison. Consequently we learned the following three points. (1) The visual approach had an effect not only on increasing deaf student's concern, willingness and attitude, but also on promotion of a mathematical view and thinking. (2) IT had an effect on promotion of deaf student's understanding and utilizing a mathematical meaning. (3) The deaf student's capability of writing a graph and calculating a value of a function do not decline in this instruction by visual approach. However we need to consider instruction of deaf student's operating a graphing calculator.

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The authors of this paper have conducted research into Web-based collaborative learning, using a bulletin board system enhanced with a knowledge map we created, known as 'NakSun'. The knowledge map was demonstrated to be useful for collaborative learning, and was further improved when combined with feedback based on formative evaluation. This also had the intended effect of increasing the enthusiasm for learning and discussion among students. As experts of pedagogy evaluated the notes submitted by students favorably, nodes on the knowledge map increased in size to reflect this. Experimental subjects of junior high school students and primary school PC club students undertook collaborative learning sessions in three mathematics classes and two PC club activities, respectively. The results showed that after formative evaluation, the number of words per note and the importance of notes increased in the primary school groups, and the junior high school group frequently referred to notes evaluated favorably by the evaluator. For both groups, learner's incentive for learning was increased. This research was placed as research on educational practices and had been conducted through discussing the methodology.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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