Whereas Piaget established a conservation task to assess children's understanding of extensive quantity, this study aimed at establishing another kind of conservation task to assess children's understanding of the concept of intensive quantity, e.g. the thickness of paint on a board. The following study examined children's misconception by using our conservation task. Subjects were sixth graders and undergraduates. A typical question was asked in the conservation task : Which is thicker, the large part of a board or the small part, when it is painted uniformly? Although Subjects were taught in advance that the thickness of paint was given by its volume per unit area (1 cm^2) , commonly explained in school education, two-thirds of sixth graders and one-fourth of undergraduates failed to answer the question, suggesting they did not understand the concept of intensive quantity through the commonly given explanation. Results were discussed from the viewpoint of the method employed to teach the concept of intensive quantity.

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The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a concept mapping software to reconstruct learning processes. This software supports that a learner externalizes and reflects his/her thinking processes as creation processes of a concept map. The functional features of software are as follows : a learner can (a) play back all the creation processes of his/her concept map, (b) improve his/her concept map anytime. 20 primary school teachers were asked to evaluate the convenience of the user interface, the effectiveness of the functions, and the usability in lessons in the questionnaire. Analysis of their responses reveal that most teachers evaluate the software highly from all viewpoints.

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Students' alternative conceptions in science have been reported based on the constructivist learning theory. This entails the next step of research, to explore how to change the students' science concept, that is, what would be a better way of teaching appropriate to bring about students' conceptual change. Then, using the hypothetical-deductive learning cycle as a conceptual change instructional model, its effectiveness was tested in a junior high school chemistry class on "the states of matter and its change". Qualitative research methods, that is, student reports and videotaped lessons, were used for analysis in this study. These data indicated the following conclusions concerning the changing patterns of students' conceptions, a concept difficult to change, effective instructional methods for changing their conceptions, and the process of scientific inquiry which the students did. 1 ) Most students were able to conceive the particle model of matter, but they sometimes return to the previous and inadequate conception. 2 ) Some students held fast to the idea of "increase in volume of a particle consisting of matter", while having a new conception. Thus, the coexistence of two different conceptions was identified. 3 ) Students' experience of some experiences and observations, and the use of analogies and models increased their commitment to new conceptions, when they became dissatisfied with a conception. 4 ) Students could use the process of deductive scientific inquiry as a matter of form, but several inadequate reasoning patterns were identified. The reasons for this and more effective teaching methods were examined.

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To study the curricula of science education, we first investigated the trends of outlooks on education in Japan and other nations, and identified the problems by surveying and analyzing the competitive potential and the number of Nobel prize winners in Japan, the abilities and volition of students, and the views of fathers on education. We then analyzed the characteristics of society in which science education is possible in terms of 1 ) globalization and differentiation, which are global trends, and 2 ) society of intensive knowledge and diversified society, which Japan is likely to experience. The paper also discusses the essence of science and changes in scientific studies, describes the relationship between science technology and society, and outlines the theory of science. Methods are discussed for organizing the curricula of science education to respond to science technologies, which are advancing with increasing speed, by analyzing the development and learning abilities of students, understanding the limits of restricting the curricula to school education, considering science as socialized culture, and analyzing science in terms the culture-based learning theory as a new concept. Finally, methods are proposed for organizing the curricula of science education based on "the system of inquiry".

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In this article, what the new mathematics education of Japan should be in a high information-technology and lifelong-learning society is discussed. Firstly, characteristics and problems of the pre-sent Japanese mathematics education are identified based on TIMSS results. Secondly, change of emphasis from content-oriented to competency-oriented is discussed as a new direction of mathematics education in Japan as well as the world. Thirdly, balance between theory-oriented and practice-oriented, balance between proving and finding, balance between non-use and use of technology, between societal need and personal need, and balance between results and opportunity of learning are discussed as new directions intrinsic to Japanese mathematics education. Fourthly, emphasis on algebraic and geometrical experiences, meaning of whole class teaching and position of lesson study are discussed as a wealth that should be inherited and developed. Lastly, school based continuing cycle of research - development - practlce - assessment is emphasized for building new mathematics education.

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The Government has laid out the Second Science and Technology Basic Plan this year. In addition. the recent announcement by the Minister of MEXT (Monbu-Kagaku-Sho) regarding the reformatory plan upset most Japanese universities. These situations more or less affect the science and technology education in the universities. According to these changes of the circumstance, curriculum of the science education of the senior high school should be reformed as well. Proposed in the present report is creation of the new science as a subject by restructuring the present framework consisting of physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science. Making effective use of the so-called science and mathematics course of high school, which has been currently established in only a restricted number of school, is also suggested.

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The purpose of the study was to inquire what a science curriculum should be if it is based on the new theory of science. First, we reviewed the new theory of science from the perspectives of the nature of science. Next, we analyzed the nature of science in terms of scientific theories, concepts and facts and their changes over times. Based on the results of the analysis, we suggested several concrete strategies to foster learners' competencies to construct scientific knowledge.

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Developing thinking ability is one of the most important tasks in education. The course of study, the national curriculum in Japan, however, does not state the structure of thinking ability to be developed and levels of attainment according to students' school level. In England and the United States, a national curriculum or standard of education was introduced in the 1990s, which clearly showed the structure of the science learning outcome and the level of attainment for every school level. This paper reports some cases in the United States which provide valuable information for building a science curriculum which enhances thinking ability. In order to effectively develop students' thinking ability, the author suggests the need to clearly show the structure of the learning outcome throughout the twelve years' science and science-related education, update the contents from the view of scientific literacy for the Japanese, and have a rational standard for a criterion-referenced evaluation of students' outcome in science learning.

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