The purpose of this study was investigating the teacher’s psychological factors to science instruction in Elementary School. The participants were 488 teachers, completed a questionnaire relating to their anxiety, teacher ef f icacy and learning motivation for science instruction. The results from the data analysis were as follows: (a) anxiety about their science instruction tended to decrease as their experiences, (b) the mean value of anxiety about their knowledge of scientif ic contents was the highest in any stage of their experiences, (c) teacher ef f icacy in 4 to 6 years of experiences tended to decrease once, but then tended to increase with their experiences (d) intrinsic motivation may have a positive effect on teacher ef f icacy, while skill orientation may have a negative ef f ect on their ef f icacy.

View full abstract

We propose a probability of dropping out that changes every semester and make a dynamic pattern of university students until dropout by using the probability of dropping out that changes every semester. After that, by patterning the characteristics of the student until the dropout, we represent the process until dropping out. The probability of dropping out represents the probability of dropping out in that semester for each individual student by using logistic regression model. Dropout at university has a negative influence for university and for students， so there are many researches to predict and prevent dropout. However, in the study of dropout prediction， dropout is often predicted at only one time point, and few studies on what process a student take before dropping out. In this study, we use a logistic regression model to derive a dropout probability multiple times per semester and pattern the student’s characteristics before dropping out. By using the dropout probability for each individual, it was possible to extract five patterns of dropout students. We can judge at what stage the student who dropped out is about to drop out before actually dropping out.

View full abstract

This study evaluates the effects on social emotional competencies focusing on the relationship with personal characteristics of UWC ISAK Japan summer schools as a case of summer camp for junior high school students based on questionnaire survey of 47 students. Quantitative analysis showed the program cultivated students’ social emotional competencies, and some positive correlations with the improvement of the competencies and students’personal characteristics.

View full abstract

The purpose of this research was to find influential factors for enhancing Learning Experience (LX) level. Parrish and Wilson’s LX level (2008) was applied to measure the students’ engagement levels for the Japanese college students. The 156 students’ qualitative data about learning engagement was collected. The data were analyzed by applying document clustering. The main finding of this research was that the difference between enhancing and retarding LX level were influenced by (1) having interests, (2) realizing learning values, (3) obtaining confidence, (4) understanding lecture contents, and (5) lecture styles. In addition, LX level was decreased or retarded, especially when the students lost motivations and they got busy with other classes.

View full abstract

This study developed a scale to capture the conscious use of writing strategies that 5th-6th grade elementary students employ when they write argumentative essays. Study 1 (N = 426) indicated that the strategy use could be classified into five factors: Reader Awareness, Consideration of Opposing Views, Flow of Composition, Expressing One’s Position, and Proofreading. The content validity of this factor structure was examined by comparing strategy use between those with high and low subjective frequency for writing essays, as well as groups separated by high and low levels of self-efficacy in writing essays. The results showed that the score for each strategy was elevated for groups under both conditions for frequency and self-efficacy. This indicated a degree of content validity for the scale. Study 2 examined the relationship between the conscious use of strategies and the evaluation of essay by graduate students with teaching licenses. Strategy use scores were elevated in the high essay quality group rather than the low essay quality group for 3 of the 5 strategies: Reader Awareness, Flow of Composition, and Expressing One’s Position supporting preliminary practical applicability. This suggests that assisting learners to adopt and consciously use these strategies may improve the quality of argumentative essays. Future validation steps for the scale should examine whether the quality of argumentative essays can be improved by implementing the scale as a tool to support novice writers and raise metacognitive awareness in the argumentative essay writing process.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of training that aim to promote the use of mathematics textbooks for deepening understanding on mathematics terms, especially the use of mathematics textbooks in the face of an impasse, belief in understanding, and the ability to read and explain mathematics focusing on mathematical terms and examples. In the training, students were given demonstration experiments on the benefit of explaining and instructions on how to use textbooks, after which they explained definitions and examples of terms with a partner. The results show that the number of students in the experimental class who reported using textbooks as a resolution to an impasse increased compared to before the training, as well as the number of students who rated their understanding of the content highly because they were able to explain it. However, there was no difference between groups in the delayed questionnaire. Besides, the result of a delayed test conducted after reading the textbooks showed significantly higher scores in the experimental class where term explanation problems were used than in the control class.

View full abstract

This study assessed the severity and frequency of internet risks related to using information devices for children from fourth grade elementary school to third year high school (n = 6229). The students answered 36 case items on 3 different levels about the use of the information devices and their experiences in the past year. It was found that “long time use” was the most frequent risk for all school grades but particularly for the elementary school grades. It was also found that different factors influenced the degree of risk severity and occurrence frequencies and that these also depended on the types of risks. “Usage time” and “highness of grade” were found to be the factors that increased the severity of ten types of risks. From these results, the implications for moral education were discussed.

View full abstract

An explanatory activity using concept maps was conducted in order to correlate knowledge and deepen understanding among learners. Free maps with freely arranged nodes were used for this activity. This exercise suggested that a structure needs to be developed that would make it easier to understand the differences between the learners involved in the explanatory activity. Therefore, quadrants were added to the concept map to develop a “quadrant map,” which was used to perform the exercise. A comparison of the two practices showed that the number of nodes in quadrant maps increased as compared to free maps. The number of learners who thought that they had fewer nodes than other learners notably increased. Upon investigating the factors for importing new nodes, it was suggested that explanatory activities using quadrant maps promote active speech and thinking by making it easier to understand the differences between oneself and other learners. This study used the change in the number of nodes on a concept map as the indicator, but further studies considering other factors also need to be conducted.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the “eye-tracking” patterns and related practical thinking styles of teachers while they conducted classroom instruction. For experienced teacher and teacher trainee, wearable camera was used to track and record motion images of teachers’ gazes, and stimulus interviews were conducted using recorded video playback. Results showed that teacher trainee looked indeterminately at all classroom children and speaking child numerous times, etc. The trend for trainee was passive perception of the events occurring in the classroom. Conversely, experienced teacher turned their respective gazes onto groups or individual children, obtained with specific intention, and had a high percentage of proactive perception. This study clarified the following about this differential distribution of gazes. Specifically, the teacher trainee was thinking about such things as the degree of progress in the classroom lesson, etc. Meanwhile, experienced teacher was thinking about developing a deeper understanding of their students at lower achievement levels and learning abilities: experienced teacher was conscious of points requiring their attention, attempted to organize these points, and so on.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of feedback and ref lection on the Need for Cognition. Junior high school students were divided into an experimental group and a control group, and the effect was examined through comparison. We conducted two lessons in the historical f ield of social studies and analyzed responses to the Need for Cognition scale before and after. As a result, the group who gave the feedback of the evaluation result for the report task and wrote the ref lection tended to have higher the Need for Cognition. And, we also analyzed ref lections in the experimental group. As a result, it became clear that students who were able to write in detail increased their Need for Cognition. Through research, it was suggested that the Need for Cognition could be increased by returning evaluation results to learners and having them write their reflections concretely.

View full abstract

The purpose of this research is to clarify the structure of critical thinking attitude of statistical literacy and what critical thinking skills are related to statistical literacy skills. Firstly, questionnaire surveys were conducted, and developed the scale of attitudes composed of three factors: "interest in numbers and data," "skeptic / multiple eyes," and "interaction with others." Next, the questionnaire surveys that include the test to measure the skills of statistical literacy, Cornell Critical Thinking Tests, and the scale mentioned above were conducted and examined their correlation. The results showed a positive correlation between the scores of statistical literacy and the scores of all critical thinking skills. However, there was no significant correlation between the scores of statistical literacy and the scales' scores. Therefore, it's considered that even if we have critical thinking attitude of statistical literacy, we cannot always interpret properly statistical information.

View full abstract

This research clarifies what kind of factors and personality traits influenced the sense of achievement during “the period for integrated studies” in an elementary school. As a result of conducting a questionnaire survey of 239 fifth and sixth graders of an elementary school and by performing a covariance structure analysis, it has been found that teacher's “appropriateness of support” was an important factor that directly and indirectly increased “sense of achievement”. Among the Big Five on personality traits, “Agreeableness” influence on “appropriateness of support”, while “Conscientiousness” influence on “appropriateness of support”, “specificity / consistency” and “activity to information gathering”. It was shown that teachers need to provide appropriate advice and learning support in order to enhance implement the sense of achievement during “the period for integrated studies”. In addition, it was suggested a possibility of enhancing the sense of achievement by developing children's “Agreeableness” and “Conscientiousness” in other subjects and school life.

View full abstract

This paper reports that how public kindergarten in Shenzhen (CHINA) introduces Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to its education. Shenzhen is one of the high-tech industrial cities in the world today， and the efforts of this kindergarten are progressing. All children have their wearable device on their arms, and vital signs are recorded from them. And the classroom has the smart speakers, the large monitor with camera and microphone, small robot equipped with AI and the programming educational toys. Although they are in the process of improving, these are significant efforts in introducing ICT to early childhood education.

View full abstract

We analyzed the structure of skilled teachers’ individual attitudes on promoting elementary school programming education. Considering the similarities and differences between the three teachers who are skilled and enlightened colleagues in information education, we examined specific measures for solving problems to promote programming education. The results of a PAC (Personal Attitude Construct) analysis showed that the three teachers were aware of the necessity of elementary school programming education as well as its goals, and were conscious of the objectives and content of the lessons so that they could understand the surroundings. It also became clear that instead of requesting other teachers for programming education lessons, the three teachers would begin their lessons based on their own practices and work with teachers around them.

View full abstract