An interview survey was conducted with principals having no prior experience in practicing learner-centered classes using information terminals in the GIGA school initiative. The survey aimed to clarify the advice, difficulties in promoting classroom practice, and ways to overcome these difficulties. The survey was designed with reference to a double-loop learning process. The findings of the analysis suggested: 1) Although the principals actively provided guidance and advice, they experienced difficulties in school research and in using one information terminal per student; 2) to overcome these difficulties, the principals used others’ experiences and provided opportunities to acquire new experiences in addition to their daily efforts; 3) the experience and knowledge of ICT usage during the teaching years were partly dismissed, partly unlearned, and reinterpreted; and 4) the principals transformed their awareness through unlearning, and consequently, they experienced that some of their experiences as a teacher were effective in providing guidance and advice.

This study examined the effects of “writing” improvement strategies after receiving feedback(FB) on speech performance in terms of the interaction with the aptitude of regulatory focus. The speech performance effects were compared under two conditions. In experimental condition(n = 22), the participants were asked to write all of their improvement strategies based on FB. In control condition(n = 22), such writing was prohibited. The results showed that participants with high promotion focus aptitude performed better in the experimental condition than in the control condition. In other words, they improved performance when the problem-solving process was encouraged by “writing” improvement strategies after receiving FB. On the other hand, participants with high prevention focus aptitude did not show difference between the conditions. This suggests that they are less likely to improve their performance with FB because they are oriented toward maintaining their original performance.

Educational settings have increasingly emphasized cooperative learning over competitive approaches among students. However, it is important to utilize both competition and cooperation effectively. Therefore, this study examined how individual views of rivalry and combinations of such perceptions within pairs influence task performance in competitive and cooperative contexts. University and graduate students were assessed using a view-of-rivalry scale, and those with high levels of either “competitive” or “reciprocal” orientation were selected to form pairs. The pairs performed the 2-4-6 task under instructions that manipulated the situation as either competitive or cooperative. The results showed that in cooperative situations, pairs composed of two individuals with high competitive orientation achieved a higher performance than heterogeneous pairs with differing views of rivalry. This finding suggests that the optimal emphasis on competition or cooperation depends on the combination of the individual cognitive frameworks within a pair.

This study aims to clarify how the interaction between activities within a research seminar and boundary crossing experiences outside the seminar contributes to the formation of interdisciplinary thinking among undergraduate students in interdisciplinary departments during their graduation research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate students planning to pursue graduate studies and analyzed the data using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA). The results revealed that students linked "activities within the seminar community," aimed at deepening specific disciplinary expertise, with "boundary crossing into external communities," undertaken to address problems unsolvable within their home community. Triggered by these boundary crossing experiences, students developed a "recognition of diverse disciplines" relevant to their research issue and proceeded to the "acquisition of knowledge and methods in a second discipline." Building on these changes, students encountered a "fluctuation of disciplinary expertise," wherein their academic standing was destabilized. Subsequently, while sustaining this fluctuation, they achieved the "adoption and utilization of disciplinary expertise" by constructing personally convincing solutions. This trajectory reveals the process by which interdisciplinary thinking is cultivated.

This study examined the potential of familiar commercial films as educational materials for social and emotional learning (SEL). It investigated what kind of SEL can be achieved by examining self-monitoring (SM) and modeling (MD) that appeared during film viewing from the perspectives of "emotionality," which seeks to resonate without boundaries between self and others, and "observant attitudes," which seeks to calmly observe while maintaining as much distance as possible from others. The results of a survey of 12 working women with film-watching experience indicated that observant attitudes-driven SM broadens perspectives, while emotionality-driven SM can provide an opportunity to discover unknown aspects of oneself while simultaneously gaining confidence in known aspects of oneself. Furthermore, it was suggested that emotionality-driven MD can be an imitative learning that can be shaped immediately, while observant attitudes-driven MD may be imitative learning that takes time and effort to shape. In other words, film viewing can be an opportunity to improve skills that are fundamental to self-understanding and self-control. These findings indicate, although limited, the potential of commercial films as educational materials for SEL.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between high school English teachers’ perceptions of acquisition, application, and inquiry in instructional and assessment practices and their use of portfolios. A survey was conducted with 228 English teachers from national, public, and private high schools in Prefecture A. The results revealed that, in teaching and assessment, teachers placed greater emphasis on acquisition, followed by application, and then inquiry. Moreover, a very weak to weak positive correlation was found between teachers’ emphasis on application and inquiry and the frequency of portfolio use. In addition, follow-up interviews with 9 teachers indicated that, while teachers were conscious of fostering diverse competencies such as communication skills in addition to the acquisition of knowledge and skills, there were temporal and institutional constraints on practicing and assessing application and inquiry. The findings further suggested that issues such as ambiguity in how portfolios should be used and teachers’ attitudes toward engaging in new initiatives may also present challenges.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the difficulties that practitioners of theater workshops face in school settings. Interviews with six practitioners revealed that these workshops emphasize values such as [pursuit of expressive objectives], [construction of meaning-generating spaces] and [tolerance of uncertainty], orienting toward a “Rashomon Approach” which values multiple interpretations and improvisation. Such values often conflicted with a “Technological Approach” frequently emphasized in school education, which prioritizes clear, pre-defined goals. Practitioners addressed these conflicts by employing adaptive strategies such as [delineation of instructional roles and theatrical expertise]. The results show that bridging these two paradigms is not an easy task, leading to structural difficulties under the “Technological Approach,” seen in patterns such as [difficulties in classroom practice] and [difficulties in collaboration].

This study examines how implicit theories are related to university students’ responses to difficulties in learning English. In Study 1,262 undergraduates completed a survey assessing implicit theories of intelligence and English ability, English self-efficacy, and responses to hypothetical failures. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that implicit theories of English ability and English self-efficacy were associated with positive strategies toward failure. The interaction between implicit theories of English ability and English self-efficacy indicated that, among students with low English self-efficacy, a more fixed theory of English ability was associated with higher levels of helpless attributions, whereas this pattern was not observed among students with high English self-efficacy. Based on these findings, Study 2 implemented an intervention to promote an incremental theory of English ability with 15 students in a remedial course. The intervention increased incremental and effort beliefs, enhanced positive strategies, and reduced talent attributions. Implications for research on implicit theories and English education are also discussed.

Enhancing early childhood learning experiences through the integration of ICT, strengthening teachers’ competencies in curriculum management to address emerging challenges, and fostering collaborative and organizational problem‑solving abilities constitute key objectives in contemporary early childhood teacher education. This study examined the educational impact of an active learning activity designed to enhance early childhood teacher education through the integration of ICT. A flower‑themed quiz rally utilizing AR and two‑dimensional codes was implemented with university students enrolled in a teacher training program. Analysis of students’ reflections indicated that the activity promoted (1) increased awareness and knowledge of familiar flowers, (2) deeper understanding of AR and two‑dimensional codes and their pedagogical applications, (3) recognition of the importance of direct observation in early childhood contexts, (4) awareness of the possibilities and limitations of group‑based learning, and (5) insights into essential considerations for early childhood educational practice. These findings suggest that ICT‑based active learning can effectively support prospective teachers in appreciating the value of ICT for enriching early childhood experiences, while simultaneously fostering competencies in curriculum management and collaborative problem‑solving.

The development of problem-solving skills is becoming more important, and in recent years teaching about illstructured problems, which appear in daily life, has been required. Students often have difficulties with such problems, and prompts are attracting attention as a way to support them. In the high school subject Information I, instruction on ill-structured problems is also needed, but effective support methods have not yet been established. This study investigated the effectiveness of prompts in problem solving with 115 high school students. We compared groups with and without prompts during group problem-solving activities. The results showed that the prompt group was able to monitor their problem-solving process more often and also generated more ideas than the group without prompts.

While the number of nationally certified career consultants is increasing, maintaining and improving the quality of their expertise is an issue.　In this study, we developed and evaluated the usefulness of educational materials for career consultants to improve the quality of career consultants. The educational materials were designed to help career consultants reflect on their individual career consulting sessions, recognize their own growth issues, and set action goals to overcome them. The teaching materials were developed using a reflective cycle so that they could be verified through self-completion. Twenty-three nationally certified career consultants participated in the evaluation. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to assess self-assessment and behavioral goal setting before and after the use of the materials. As a result, we confirmed the usefulness of the self-reflective cycle in identifying growth issues and setting behavioral goals.

This study investigated differences in subjective affective evaluations between participation modes in synchronous hybrid learning, in which on-site and online students learn simultaneously. A lecture-style experiment was conducted with sixty-five university sophomores, who were randomly assigned to either mode. Post-class measurements, including student engagement, a class evaluation scale based on Basic Psychological Needs, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), were analyzed. Contrary to previous findings, no significant difference in emotional engagement was observed between the two groups. However, online participants reported significantly lower satisfaction and autonomy and showed a tendency toward a lower sense of relatedness with the instructor compared to on-site participants. These results demonstrate that the participation mode itself can be a factor in lowering autonomy and satisfaction, even under conditions where interest and prior knowledge were equivalent across groups and differences in interaction were minimized. This study highlights the necessity of designing learning environments that incorporate intentional support for autonomy and relatedness for online participants, while acknowledging the high orchestration load placed on instructors.

The purpose of this study was to clarify how differences in school types and practicum supervision formats relate to the mentor teachers’ learning and professional development through coaching student teachers in practice teaching. The study targeted elementary and junior high school teachers with experience in coaching student teachers. For junior high school teachers, the focus was on whether they supervised only as subject teachers, only as homeroom teachers, or in both roles. Major findings of the questionnaire survey were as follows: (a) Although there were differences in learning and professional development scores between elementary and junior high schools, these differences may be limited. (b) When practicum supervision formats in junior high school was conducted exclusively by either subject teachers or homeroom teachers, the recognition of learning and professional development was as high as in elementary schools. This effect was particularly pronounced regarding professional development related factors in the subject teacher only group. (c) Junior high school teachers who supervised only as subject teachers had no relationship between factor of teaching practice instruction and sense of burden, suggesting that coaching student teachers in practice teaching may not be linked to a sense of burden.

The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for the multifaceted assessment of students’ information literacy in a one-device-per-student environment and to examine its reliability and validity. A survey was conducted among 2,200 elementary and junior high school students, and factor analysis confirmed a five-factor structure comprising “Inquiry,” “Programming,” “Information Ethics,” “Media Literacy,” and “Generative AI.” Furthermore, the scale demonstrated sufficient internal consistency for each factor, as well as criterion-related validity against external reference variables (such as proactive learning attitudes). Additionally, comparisons across grade levels revealed skill development associated with learning experience and unique developmental trends in media literacy, suggesting that this scale is a useful tool for assessing current educational challenges.

In this study, we conducted an exploratory investigation through interviews with four practitioners to examine how they design learning environments, focusing on their methods for integrating four aspects of learning environment design and the processes involved in perceiving and designing these environments. The results revealed that practitioners possess a “basic point” for design linked to their own educational beliefs, while simultaneously establishing a “starting point” for designing based on the specific context, such as the field setting. Furthermore, it was found that practitioners possess a clear perspective and gradually adjust (redesign and expand) the learning environment while conducting continuous observation and analysis. As a future direction, this study indicated that, building on its findings, further research is needed to generate advanced insights through investigations regarding collaborative learning environment design contexts and professional development connected to the design of the learning environment.

This paper, based on the activities of the Second Term of the Learning Assessment Working Group in the Priority Research Area, discusses the theoretical foundations and design principles of learning assessment, centering on the core question of how learner autonomy can be supported. First, the theoretical foundations of learner-centered assessment were organized from the perspectives of evaluative expertise, self-regulated learning, and feedback literacy. Next, a “structure of learning assessment” was proposed by combining the purposes of assessment (AoL/AfL/AaL) with the subjects of assessment (teacher, peer, and self), and the teachers' “practical wisdom of reflection” necessary for integrating these elements in practice was examined. Furthermore, visualization and feedback utilizing learning analytics and generative AI were positioned as scaffolded support for bridging the transition from Assessment for Learning (AfL) to Assessment as Learning (AaL). Based on these discussions, three research agendas were presented as future directions: empirical investigation of the transition process toward AaL, the development of technology-enhanced assessment support, and the cultivation of teachers' assessment competencies and environmental design for learning assessment.

The “Cutting-Edge Science and Technology and ELSI” committee, Priority Research Area of the Japan Society for Educational Technology, was established in response to the rapid proliferation of science and technology, including generative AI, and has been working to provide pioneering insights into cutting-edge science and technology and ELSI (ethical, legal, and social issues). This paper focuses on the use of educational data and summarizes key ELSI issues in educational technology. Based on the committee's survey results, this paper highlights the diversity of public perceptions on the use of educational data and identifies future areas for discussion. Given that ELSI perspectives vary depending on one’s standpoint, the importance of consensus-building was reaffirmed. Furthermore, the paper underscored the importance of purpose-driven data collection in this process, as well as the need for mechanisms for explanation and consent that stakeholders can understand and accept.