In an era of unpredictability, it is important to foster an investigative perspective and way of thinking. There is a demand for teaching materials that enable students to experience applying knowledge to solve problems. In this study, we conducted an inquiry practice for junior high school students using a toy exploration material that moves on an eccentric wheel. Each student set their own exploration theme based on the questions that arose while moving and observing the toy. They built experimental models to match their inquiry themes and questions. They also participated in seminar activities with students who had explored different teaching materials. We analyzed students’ activities and worksheets to clarify their inquiry processes. Furthermore, we assessed the students’ awareness of the exploration activities through a post-class questionnaire. Finally, we examined the relationship between inquiry activities using the eccentric wheel model and the perspectives and ways of thinking within each subject area.

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This study focuses on the educational value of marionettes in fostering artistic expression and creativity. It explores the potential of using marionettes as teaching materials in elementary school arts and crafts, with consideration for continuity with junior high school technology education. A paper-based marionette, designed to be producible by elementary school students, was developed. To assess its educational effectiveness, a class was conducted with university students using the theme “Animal Human.” The results revealed that the freedom of design and theme setting encouraged learners’ autonomy and creativity, deepening their interest in craftsmanship and fostering attachment to their creations.

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This study aimed to evaluate the developmental progression of young children’s achievement in executive function tasks using a grip strength grading visualization system. The executive function task applied by this system involved comparing left- and right-colored images projected on a display screen to analyze and characterize the coordination of thoughts and actions at the following stages: (1) when the color of the image changes based on grip strength (perception), (2) when grip strength is adjusted (cognition), and (3) when one side has the same color (motion). Specifically, the developmental process of achieving an executive function task was initially investigated in a toddler from 2 years and 6 months to 3 years and 6 months of age, which suggested an increase in achievement over time. Subsequently, developmental change of the success rate of achieving executive function tasks was examined in 4 kindergarten children, indicating an increase in the success rate upon reaching the age of 3 years and 6 months. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to an understanding of social and emotional skills development by employing a grip strength grading that accurately adjusts the amount of force required in interactions with objects, which is essential for preschool skills support.

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The objective of this study is to contribute to middle school technology education through the development and implementation of teaching materials focused on information design. To inform this process, an awareness survey was conducted with 701 second- and third-year middle school students. An analysis of the responses led to the construction of a scale identifying four key factors: “convenience,” “visual appeal,” “simplicity,” and “environmental improvement.” Based on these findings, teaching materials on information design were developed and implemented in technology classes. A comparison of pre- and post-instruction survey results revealed significant improvements in “convenience,” “visual appeal,” and “environmental improvement,” while no significant change was observed in “simplicity.” This may be attributed to high initial awareness levels or insufficient instructional emphasis on that factor. Moving forward, it will be necessary to refine both the teaching materials and the awareness scale to further improve educational practices in information design within the field of technology education.

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This study aims to propose an instructional process for learning along the flow of AI development and to develop lessons and teaching materials that incorporate a technology historical perspective. We focused on the Perceptron and developed lessons and teaching materials that incorporate a technology-historical perspective and experiential learning activities to enable students to learn the mechanism of AI learning. The effectiveness of the developed lessons and teaching materials was verified by conducting trial lessons and surveys with junior high school students. The results showed that the lessons and materials were effective in helping junior high school students understand AI and its learning mechanism. In addition, the results indicated that the subjects in the trial class paid more attention to “scientific principles” and “technological historical background” when evaluating AI technology than those who did not participate in the trial class.

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This study discusses a method to grasp the temporal transition of students’ learning activities in the problem-solving learning of junior high school technology and home economics (technology field). It proposes a new method of teacher support by conducting a systematic study through classroom practice. Specifically, we conducted a straw bridge contest in the “Materials and Processing Technology” class, and the cultivation of bean seedlings in the “Bioprocessing Technology” class. For these problem-solving lessons, we used the teal organization structure as a measure to grasp the students' learning status, and organized the temporal changes in students' learning that could be grasped by the teacher. Next, for the method of support from the teacher considering the classification of these changes, we conducted a lesson using the Information Heritage Museum World Map in the “Technology of Information”. In this problem-solving learning, the study analyzed the teacher’s support moves by considering the changes in learners’ perspectives. To conclude, we propose an effective teacher support procedure for problem-solving learning.

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This study aims to develop a programming environment to support problem-based learning using Web APIs and the Japanese programming language “Nadeshiko” in the Contents “D Information Technology” (2) in Junior High School Technology Education. The developed programming environment “LONGIC” automatically inserts code snippets necessary for using Web APIs and allows users to write and run programs on a Web browser. “LONGIC” was developed to allow the created program to function independently as a single Web page to solve problems through programming interactive content using networks. A trial implementation was conducted with second-year junior high school students using LONGIC, and it received a certain level of positive evaluation regarding its usability. Furthermore, the results suggested that the usability of LONGIC may lead to positive emotions toward programming.

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Through the development of an arm wrestling interaction robot system using two remotely controlled robots, the author explored embodied communication, focusing on a sense of unity. This study aimed to investigate respiratory entrainment in understanding embodied communication through arm wrestling as a step toward problem-solving learning using robots. The analysis and evaluation show that in arm wrestling, where opponents enjoy interacting with each other while adjusting their strength, players change their own breathing rhythms and synchronize their breathing to induce entrainment. Respiratory entrainment for understanding embodied communication through arm wrestling can serve as a starting point for deepening our understanding of technology and communication in the field of rehabilitation at home?a step toward proposing and developing a home rehabilitation support system that utilizes an arm wrestling interaction robot system.

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