Journal of Science Education in Japan
Online ISSN : 2188-5338
Print ISSN : 0386-4553
ISSN-L : 0386-4553
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Volume 39, Issue 2
Displaying 1-16 of 16 articles from this issue
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Special Article
  • STEM Education through Outreach Programs in Collaboration between Universities and Industries
    Marie OSHIMA, Shio KAWAGOE, Kazuyuki ISHII
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 59-66
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.59
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    Science and technology have continued to become more diversified in recent years, leading to further promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and to advances that can be incorporated into science education. The Office for the Next Generation (ONG) was founded in 2011 at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), the University of Tokyo, to promote STEM education through outreach programs in collaboration with various industries. In this paper, we present several outreach programs designed and conducted by the ONG. The collaborative university/industry programs aim to encourage students in primary and secondary schools to deepen their understanding of STEM as well as the social roles and significance of science and technology. One of the goals of our outreach programs has been the development of a series of lectures by IIS professors and teaching materials such as experiment kits and visual materials based on the lectures. The visual materials will be provided as DVDs or YouTube videos. The materials will be provided with classroom instructions according to the curriculum of the related subjects, including social studies. We also describe the workshops developed jointly by ONG and industries. The outreach programs have been evaluated by questionnaire survey and by interviews of lecturers and people in industry. Lastly, we provide a summary of the challenges and the future prospects of the STEM education and outreach programs in university/industry collaboration.
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  • The Need to Reform Education toward an Innovative Country Driven by Sustainable Science and Technology: A Proposal for Integrated Promotion of Education, Science and Technology and Creation of Socio-economic Value
    Ayao TSUGE
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 67-76
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.67
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    The key for success of the Japan Comprehensive Science & Technology Innovation Strategy 2014, which is the base of The Japan Revival Strategy of the government, are the human resources who will take the role of the leaders challenging discovery and invention for creating new socio-economoc value. At the same time, the secret for Japan to remain a sustainable culturally rich and civilized country while developing into a science and technology-innovative country in 21st century, education needs to be promoted in coordination with promoting science and technology. Integrated promotion of “Education, Science and Technology and Innovation” is the key to revitalize Japan. This paper focuses on two center pins of the educational issues. First, how to reform post-graduate education. Second, how to brush up total education from elementary to higher education from the view point of “Science and Technology Liberal Arts”.
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Research Article
  • A Study on Cross-curricular Approaches for Fostering Decision-making Competencies in Science and Technology: Analysis of the Teaching and Learning Materials of COMPASS
    Keiichi NISHIMURA, Kenji MATSUBARA, Koushi UENO
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 77-85
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.77
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    The purpose of this study is to determine cross-curricular approaches to fostering decision-making competencies in science and technology. The teaching and learning materials of COMPASS are analyzed from the aspects of content, problem-solving, and inquiry process. This was done to identify the subject-specific approaches underlined in the materials.
    The study reveals that the provision of multiple subject-specific approaches could help learners to have several ways to see a contextual and holistic problem from different angles. The study summarizes the roles of subject-specific approaches to decision-making in science and technology, and proposes guidelines for future development of the teaching and learning materials of STEM.
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  • The Current State of the Educational Subjects of “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” from the View of Design and Technology
    Masataka ISOBE, Sadato YAMAZAKI
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 86-93
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.86
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    This is a study concerning the current state of the educational subjects of “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” from the view of Design and Technology by conducting a field survey. The results are summarized as follows:
    (1) Design and Technology in the National Curriculum 2014 is stressed to enhance coordination with the educational subjects of “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)” after a hearing investigation by Professor Stables, who works in the Design and Technology Department of Goldsmiths College in London University.
    (2) The National STEM Centre places great emphasis on developing subject matters through cooperation between STEM-related subjects and Design and Technology, and expanding the range of specialists as teachers by familiarizing them with such subjects to advance their continuing professional development.
    (3) The strategic groups of STEM, such as the Royal Academy of Engineering, worked to make Design and Technology part of the National Curriculum 2014 after a hearing investigation by Mr. Green, who is the chief executive of the Design and Technology Association (DATA).
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  • How High School Students and Adults in Japan and Germany Understand Science and Technology
    Ryoei YOSHIOKA, Takeshi FUJITA, Stefan KAISER, Yukihiro KOMATSU
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 94-103
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.94
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    In this paper, we analyzed survey results obtained thus far to consider how high school students and adults in Japan and Germany understand science and technology.
    The results indicate that high school students and adults alike do not have a clear understanding about the differences between science and technology, and what science is. Both adults and high school students are favorably disposed towards science and technology objectively, and understand correctly its impact on themselves and society. However, Germany has a higher awareness of science and technology than Japan.
    The tendency in Japan that science is increasingly disliked as school years go up is probably formed only in the school context.
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  • Analysis of Learning Ability in Junior High School Technology Education from the View of Development of Human Resources for Science and Technology Innovation
    Ryuichi IIDA, Tadashi OHTANI
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 104-113
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.104
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    Opinions on the development of human resources for science and technology innovation are analyzed in detail as a first step in order to consider the role of junior high school technology education for education policy, which is related to science and technology policy. Furthermore, we also aim to investigate the role of learning abilities for technology education in general education from the view of the development of human resources. The analyzed results showed that the abilities of “problem solving skills” and “communication skills” etc. were recommended in each field from the views of civil service, academic and industrial society, and are needed for human resources. Also, the above abilities for the development of human resources, such as “problem solving skills” and “communication skills”, were related to the learning abilities for general education in junior high school technology education. The results suggest that the learning ability in junior high school technology education, such as “problem solving skills”, which is meant to contain both “problem finding” and “problem solving” skills, was extracted as the most related skill for science and technology innovation, and that such skills are important for investigating the learning ability of junior high school technology education.
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Educational Issue
  • A Study of Research Trends in “Decline in Students’ Positive Attitude toward Science”: Focusing on Its Current Conditions and Causes
    Shotaro NAGANUMA
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 114-123
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.114
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    About 20 years have passed since a “Decline in students’ positive attitude toward science” was first pointed out in the late 1980s. Various efforts, including the Support for Super Science High Schools (SSHs), Science Partnership Program (SPP), science events and symposia have been made over these two decades. However, as the results of international comparative surveys such as IEA’s TIMSS and OECD’s PISA show, there are still many students who are not interested in science. Much research has been carried out concerning the current conditions and causes of the “Decline in students’ attitude toward science” phenomenon. Papers present a variety of data and discourses, but few give a broader overview. Returning to the starting point of the phenomenon, this paper clarifies the features of the “decline in students’ positive attitude toward science” phenomenon, and whether it is a problem to be addressed and solved or not. In addition, its main causes are also reviewed. In conclusion, it is emphasized that this problem should be solved in terms of higher education and adults’ scientific literacy, and that more attention should be paid to non-formal learning by researchers in order to solve this problem.
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Research Data
  • A Survey of Children’s and Students’ Recognition of “Science” and “Technology”
    Chikahiko YATA, Akinobu ANDO, Tadashi OTANI, Hidetoshi TAKENO, Koushi ...
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 124-133
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.124
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    We examined children’s and students’ recognition of the concepts of “science” and “technology.” A total of 3948 (947 elementary school children, 1,889 lower secondary school students and 1,112 upper secondary school students) were surveyed in order to obtain suggestions for the education system in the disciplines of science and technology, from the perspective of technology education. The results showed that the children and students easily recognized the term “science and technology” to mean something that is scientific. Industries related to food, clothing, and housing, such as “fiber,” “paper making,” “pottery,” and “architecture” were easily recognized as being technical. Manufacturing processes such as “product design,” “adjust and manage the machine,” and “maintenance and repair” were also easily recognized as technical. Junior high school students have come to recognize that the “machine,” “car,” and “information equipment and systems” industries, as well as jobs related to “manufacturing products,” are technical in scope.
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Note
General Article
Research Article
  • The Effects of Questioning on Problem-setting Processes in Learning as Knowledge-building: Examining the Educational Activity of Group Discussion in Graduate School
    Takaaki ITO, Tomohiro NABETA
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 137-147
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.137
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    This study investigated problem-setting processes in knowledge-building activities considered important in graduate school education. Six graduate school students and a teacher assistant participated in group discussions (GD) in which no theme or problem was set. Questions that participants posed in the GDs were categorized into four functions and were analyzed on the basis of the relation between the quality of questions and problem setting in GDs. The results showed that higher-order questions involving analyzing, comparing, integrating, etc. of other’s opinions were related to problem setting for discussion. At first, the teacher assistant, who took the role of facilitator, generated more questions than other members. Because of the GDs, participants could subsequently generate more questions, some of even higher order than the teacher assistant’s, and adopted a more positive stance in the discussions.
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  • A Study of Environment-conscious Behavior Intention and Factors Influencing This Intention among Secondary School Students in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China
    Akira OGIHARA, Tana BAI
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 148-160
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.148
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    The purpose of this study was to clarify the environmental consciousness of secondary school students in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. For this purpose we investigated students in three areas: a prairie area, a rural area and a city area, as based on the collective protection motivation model.
    Analysis of the results yielded the following points. :
    1. In general, although the level of environmental consciousness was high in all three areas, it was highest in secondary school students in the prairie area, followed by those in the rural area and the city area.
    2. Students in the prairie area thought that many people do not necessarily display pro-environmental behavior, and these students had a more negative attitude to pasturage restrictions than students in other areas.
    3. Students in the city area had a higher cost-perception of pro-environmental behavior than the students in other areas.
    4. Norm-perception and responsibility-perception were central factors that elicited pro-environmental behavior in all three areas. For the students living in the prairie area, the influence of responsibility-perception was greater than the influence of norm-perception, whereas for city students the trend was opposite.
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  • Development of Dynamic Geometry Software GC/html5 Based upon HTML5 and JavaScript
    Yasuyuki IIJIMA
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 161-175
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.161
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    The emergence of tablet devices such as the iPad has created a new task for software development. To develop a new version of Geometric Constructor (one of the dynamic geometry software) solving this problem, I made four requirements; (1) that it is a software which is used in multi-devices such as PC, iPad, Android tablets, (2) that it can be used as a web application on-line and that it can be used as a stand alone application off-line, (3) that it can be used with multi-touch interface to investigate figures mathematically, and (4) that it contains almost all features of GC/Win. In order to meet these requirements, the new version of GC (GC/html5) was developed based upon HTML5 and JavaScript. Development of GC/html5 and its use in many lessons shows that it meets these four requirements. From this, we can infer that (1) we can develop educational software like GC/html5 (which is over 400kb in size), which can be used with multi-devices, based upon HTML5 and JavaScript, and (2) the concept of combined file is important in order to clear the requirement of on-line and off-line use.
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  • Instruction of Data Interpretation Ability Based on an Examination of the Literature on Science Process Skills Teaching in Elementary and Lower Secondary School Science
    Naoki MIYAMOTO
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 176-185
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.176
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    With the aim of instruction of data interpretation ability through the employment of science process skills, this study examined in detail the literature in this field. The following four points were identified: (1) Showing case examples of data interpretation to students, (2) Showing the steps involved in data interpretation based on such case examples, (3) Interpreting data using independent and dependent variables, (4) Teaching data interpretation methods using worksheets.
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  • Tasks for the National Curriculum Organization for Developing Literacy of Science and Technology: Through a Comparison of Teaching Contents in Junior High School Science and Technology Education
    Tadashi OHTANI, Koji WATATSU
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 186-194
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.186
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    The teaching contents of junior high school science and technology textbooks, which were published based on the current and past curriculum design, were analyzed and compared, and tasks for curriculum design for developing scientific and technology literacy were investigated. The results show that teaching contents that are related to science in the current technology textbook increased, whereas the total teaching contents decreased in comparison with the past, while the relative teaching contents of science textbooks increased, as the total contents of science increased. The relevance of the teaching contents was also recognized in the increase of the fields contained in the textbooks; the increasing tendency was especially remarkable in the textbooks published in 2012 corresponding to the current curriculum. Furthermore, the analyzed features showed that the teaching contents related to technology in the science textbooks increased in two steps from basic to applied, owing to curriculum revision from past to current. From above results, tasks for developing scientific and technology literacy consist of considering the direction of the science and technology curriculum design, and investigating the unique aspects of the teaching contents.
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  • Pupils’ Interpretations of a Problem Situation in Mathematical Modeling: The Case of Unproportional Relation
    Mai HIRABAYASHI
    2015 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 195-206
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 30, 2015
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14935/jssej.39.195
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    Previous studies on mathematical modeling have focused mainly on the educational stages above middle school. However, pupils in elementary school may also be able to interpret a situation mathematically to some extent, if not better than students in middle school. The purpose of this paper is to explore how pupils in elementary school interpret a problem situation. To achieve the purpose, this paper views mathematical modeling as a process of interpreting a situation mathematically based on the ‘Models-and-Modeling Perspective on problem solving’, which focuses on the process of interpreting a situation mathematically in problem solving. The current study developed a set of problems, including the one with unproportional relation, which asks pupils to explain why the cost of 6 cans of juice of 80 yen each is 460 yen, and analyzed pupils’ responses. The results reveals that pupils are able to interpret the situation in several different ways: i) making sense of the situation based on the original givens, ii) making sense of the situation by creating a new realistic given, iii) making sense of the situation mathematically.
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