This study examined the collaboration effect of Fast Plants, Brassica raga, and Medaka fish, Oryzias latipes, as biological teaching materials for the unit of hereditary law and gene. Following the observation of eye color of two types of adult mutant Medaka, white mutant (W) and albino mutant (A) in order to recognize the only remarkable difference, black eye for W Medaka and colorless eye for A Medaka., lower secondary school students observed the first filial generations, F_1 embryo, of W mutant Medaka to confirm the heredity of the dominant black eye color. Also, the F_1 colorless eye of A mutant Medaka was observed as a recessive phenotype. After a prediction of possible eye color for the hybrid F_1 between W Medaka male and A Medaka female was made by the students, the eye color was in fact confirmed as black under the microscopic observation of all F_1 embryos. For the prediction of eye color of F_2 Medaka, the seeds of Fast Plants were utilized in two types of parent, P, dominant purple stem and recessive non-purple (green) stem, the hybrid F_1, and the F_2. After confirmation of the purple stem color of hybrid F_1, a result similar to the observation of hybrid F_1 Medaka, the phenotype was observed, and the purple and non-purple colored hypocotyls were counted in the F_2 Fast Plants. The result showed that the ratio of purple stem against non-purple stem was approximately 3:1. The students could apply this result to their prediction of phenotypes of Medaka F_2 as 3 (black eye) to 1 (colorless eye). These results indicate that the scientific ability of the students was much fostered through the observation and experiments using both plant and animal as hereditary teaching materials. Fast Plants, from whose seeds up to several hundred cultivations can be prepared in only one week, are less familiar to the students than animals. Medaka is a much familiar animal to the students, although the preparation of numerous fish embryos may be difficult. Thus the simultaneous utilization of both plant and animal should cancel out each others' defects. In conclusion, simultaneous use of Fast Plants and Medaka can make class on heredity and gene can become more practical and cultivable for lower secondary school students.

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The aim of this study was to develop a series of high-school lessons that increase students' awareness of scientific competencies and make them realize the benefits of utilizing these competencies, which are related to scientific literacy in OECD-PISA. The following prerequisites were adopted for designing the lessons: (1) the lessons can be conducted in conformity with the Japanese course of study, and (2) they include "debate", which has been reported to have some educational effects. Genetically modified organisms, a topic in the biotechnology unit in high-school biology, was selected as the target topic. The developed lessons comprised lectures, individual research, group work, debates, and reflection. Each component included some learning activities. All learning activities required the use of scientific competencies that reflect literacy. Concretely, the students expressed the following competencies: reading, writing, opining about scientific issues/phenomena, applying scientific knowledge and solving problems scientifically. The results of the investigations based on their responses indicated that most of the students were aware of scientific competencies and recognized the benefits of utilizing these competencies. In conclusion, the developed lessons may be effective in inculcating awareness about scientific competencies among high-school students and making them realize the benefits of utilizing these competencies.

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660 children of grades 4 through 6, attending 3 different elementary schools in Tokyo, participated in this study,. They were asked to show the fractions indicated by drawing equally divided figures, and to solve fraction problems including comparisons of the size of fractions and calculations, all of which were chosen as appropriate for their grade curriculum. The results of drawing figures showing the fractions indicated revealed that circles were more difficult to divide equally to show the fractions, especially when the denominators were multiples of three. In 4^<th> grade, those who got higher scores for drawing fraction figures showed significantly better scores for the fraction problems. However, no statistically significant difference was found for students in 5^<th> and 6^<th> grade. As 4^<th> grade students in this survey were just beginning to learn fractions, drawing figures seemed to have a linkage to calculations and understanding of fractions. However, for higher grade students, the performance of calculations did not seem to depend on the ability of drawing figures of fractions. This may be due to the students' depending more on arithmetic algorithm to calculate the fractions, and not their inner scheme of fraction.

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The purpose of this research on 159 high school students is to investigate the background of context dependency that may exist between mathematics and science tests. We confirmed the existence of context dependency, and investigated the problem-solving process. Words were extracted from free answers by using a text-mining approach to investigate what kind of consciousness each student has about the relationship between mathematics and science. As a result, 23 words were extracted, and it became clear that problems were solved by the frequent use of tables and proportion in science, whereas in mathematics functions were used. It is suggested through correspondence analysis that each student in a high-ranking group in both mathematics and science was associating words such as "Calculation", "Formula", and "Substitute".

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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of including the concept of angular distance and differing inference methods for students' understanding of lunar phases. In this study, four classes (120 students) in a public primary school were divided into two groups, one for working on deductive learning and another for working on inductive learning. Both groups were divided again; one was given a lesson which included the concept of angular distance, and the other was not. After the classes, students' understanding of lunar phases was examined, and re-examined again three months later. The results of the examination showed that deductive learning was an effective approach for acquiring the concept of lunar phases. In addition, when including the concept of angular distance in the process of learning phases of the moon, it was more effective to position it in the process of deductive rather than inductive learning.

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In this study, we developed a hands-on project for students to expand their understanding and ability to apply scientific knowledge, especially that of mechanics, through experimentation and the manufacturing of real products. Mechanics is a fundamental discipline of science and engineering education. The hands-on project used for this study is mainly a "Walking Model." Through the development of this project as a specific objective, students can learn about mechanics, mainly oscillation, and use this knowledge in the classroom without any special equipment. The project was introduced in lecture format to first-year university students. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the learning process of this project showed that the students obtained a greater understanding of mechanics using the walking model. A concept map showed that the students had improved their ability to apply scientific knowledge through their practical experiences in the experimental investigations and manufacturing processes of the walking model. Moreover, questionnaire survey results suggest an improvement in students' attitudes about using their knowledge of science and technology in daily life throughout the class.

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