The existence and identification of functions of mathematical concepts reasoning schemata in problem solving processes are proposed in this paper. Firstly, the existence of reasoning schemata that are based on characteristics of mathematical concepts in simple reasoning problems is pointed out. Problem space of mathematical problem solving processes is not only defined by simple operators like chess, but also include rich mathematical concepts. The existence and the role of such mathematical concepts reasoning schemata have been discussed in three research papers understanding of generalized arithmetic. These are (1) student-professor problem (Clement 1982), (2) CSMS algebra test problems (Kuchemann 1981), and (3) "conceptual entity" in problem solving processes (Greeno 1982). Secondly, functions of mathematical concepts reasoning schemata in problem solving processes are identified through several concrete problems. The results show that, mathematical concepts reasoning schemata (1) help using mathematical structures in problem solving processes, (2) connect different knowledge in problem solving processes as cognitive glue (Lesgold 1988), and (3) produce elegant methods in problem solving. These results are applied to research into task analysis of nonroutine problems and task sequencing.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify how preconceptions toward the instructional media effect pupils' motivation and achievement, and then to point out how the effects work according to pupils' characteristics (sex, congnitive style, ability). The subjects were 182 eighth-graders who received small group computer-assisted instruction, and were encouraged to cooperate with a partner. The results are as follows: (1) The preconceptions of high level groups make for higher motivation and achievement than of their counterparts. Thus, preconceptions can be considered to be an important factor in enhancing pupils' motivation and achievement. (2) The effects of preconceptions on their motivation and achievement varied according to sex, cognitive style, and ability. These facts will provide teachers with a method for promoting the effects of preconceptions on the motivation and achievement in an actual situation, namely a science class using computers.

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In this article, we argue that learner's conceptual changes before and after science instruction are influenced by the process of instructions. For this purpose, we used concept mapping which had been suggested by Novak for this investigation because it is a method for representing a learner's concepts. The concept maps were constructed by learners before and after instruction in high school. On the concept maps, it is possible to show objectively the existence of links between concept labels. Therefore, the links were added to get total matrixes and were analyzed from three points of view. The first point is whether there are significant differences between pre-concept maps and post-concept maps; the second view point concerns changes in the structures of concept labels; the third is the analysis of mislinks which were defined as incorrect by the teacher. The results showed firstly that there were significant differences between pre- and post-concept maps in terms of the number of the links. The links on the teacher model tended to increase while the links which were not found on theteacher's model tended to decrease after the instruction. Secondly, the results of MDS (multidimensional scaling) and cluster analysis showed that the structures of concept labels had changed after the instruction. Thirdly, a few mislinks increased because a few learners constructed them. It is therefore suggested that learner's concepts had changed after the instruction because they were influenced by the instruction; however, there was one case where learners constructed mislinks due to the process of instruction which was not well designed. The results of this study show that concept maps are a good tool for teachers to evaluate their instruction, and that it offers information for development of instructional designs.

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The development of chicken embryos involves many basic phenomena of morphogenesis in vertebrates and provides potential teaching material for Biology classes in Senior High Schools. By the usual method, it is a little difficult to microscopically observe chicken embryos immediately after spawning. However by using the polyethylene-wrap method, it becomes easy to observe the developing embryo after the definitive streak stage (about 18 hrs after incubation at 38℃). In our experiment, we carried out a modification of the polyethylene-wrap method for chicken embryo cultures without shell. We observed developing embryos continuously during the 3 to 18 days after the start of incubation at 38℃. With this modified polyethylene-wrap method, the various developmental stages of embryos, primitive knot (Henzen's node), notochord, neural tube, somites, tail bud, fore-limb for wing bud, hind-limb bud and other basic organ rudiments of the embryo were easily observable. The observation of the development of chicken embryos has the potential to be a useful teaching material for Biology classes in Senior High Schools and for in-service programs for science teachers.

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The purpose of this study is to determine high school teacher's awareness of students' naive conceptions about inertia. The students were asked to solve the "space ship problem". All of them had learned Newton's laws. Seven physics teachers were asked to predict the students' answers. "MIF" conceptions was included in students' answers. The teachers, as a group, identified the students' conceptions. But each teacher missed some conceptions. And they generally tended to estimate student's level of understanding of inertia too high.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of students' prejudice on performance in practical work on pendulum motion. In this study, 142 subjects ranging from kindergartners up to undergraduate students responded to interviews, utilizing actual objects and employing the Prediction-Observation-Explanation Method. Subjects were first asked to predict how far the pendulum bob will swing. Then, doing the actual experiment, they observed the phenomenon. Finally they were asked to explain various matters concerning pendulum motion. The following results were obtained from the investigation: 1) With regard to practical work concerning pendulum motion, adding the pole to the setup was found effective in inducing falsification among the notion that the starting point is lower than the final point. (2) Subjects who had exposure to school science tend to congregate on providing specific and scientific types of responses in practical work, while those who had no exposure gave random responses. (3) The ability to extract a scientific conclusion from practical work depends on the subjects' prior scientific knowledge on the matter. In the final section of this paper, the implications of these results for science education are briefly discussed.

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This paper deal with a student-centered lesson on soil education in upper secondary biological science classes. In this paper the writer will report on the active problem-solving approach to the curriculum studying soil respiration. Students observed soil and its construction, and measured the quantity of soil respiration at each site in their field studies near the school. Most of students became interested in studying active soil. They learned that each soil had its own consistency, earth animals, plants, and was subject to its own artificial effects etc. They investigated the relationship between soil and respiration.

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