The aim of this research was to examine the influence of perception of utility value for entrance examination on “proactive, interactive and deep learning”. The results show that the teacher evaluated children with high perception of utility value for entrance examination as “proactive, interactive and deep” learners even if adjusted for the effect of interest value and utility value for practice. As indicated by the result of research 2, critical thinking mediated the effect of utility value perception for entrance examination on “proactive, interactive and deep learning” as evaluated by teachers. On the other hand, it was shown that high perception of utility value for entrance examination also promotes class participation behaviors due to a concern about being evaluated by teachers. Based on the above results, it was concluded that high perception of utility value for entrance examination can promote “proactive, interactive and deep learning” in science classes, and the large size of this variable should not be denied as a motivating factor for science learning.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the roles of stakeholders (such as teachers or researchers) in the development of competency of high school students through a case study of school science club activities.

For this purpose, we investigated students and their teacher at a high school science club based on the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. Analysis of the results clarified the following points.

1. The teacher set up a framework, but made students think about the detailed plan by themselves.

2. The teacher imposed strict guidelines about adopting a sincere attitude and rigorous methodology toward research as well as encouraging students to select methods that met the purpose of the research.

3. The teacher provided an opportunity for students to communicate with researchers and enlighten the public.

4. Researchers provided research guidance and helped to motivate the students.

5. Students of other schools served as good models for the students.

6. Outreach activities offered a chance for students to enrich their knowledge and devise means of communication.

With the rapid development of information and communication technology and globalization in recent years, active use of ICT is required also in education.

This includes not only ICT but also the Internet, in the form of LMS (Learning Management System) and SNS (Social Networking Service) for education. In this study, from the point of view of gender, biology classes with plant cultivation learning through PBL (Project Based Learning) were carried out in high school science class, and students observed the botanies utilizing Instagram on SNS.

The results indicate that observation records using Instagram were more actively used by girls than boys. It may be thought from this practice that observation records using Instagram, which can record photographs and comments and send information at the same time can be expected to be used especially by girls, but also by boys. On the other hand, with boys, the number of Instagram posts was less than with girls, but the number of comments per post was shown to be greater than that of girls.

From these results, it is suggested that Instagram is an effective educational means for recording observation in science class.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of learning in science classes at junior high school level that included operational thinking tasks within the framework of “direct application of knowledge,” “operational application of knowledge,” and “controlled application of knowledge.” Two different types of classes were delivered; one included thirty-five students, the other included thirty-seven students. The aforementioned operational thinking tasks were used in one of the classes, whose participants were classified as the operational group, while participants in the other were classified as the recollecting group.

First, before the class, students were tested on a retention task and a transfer task. Not many students from both groups gave correct answers. Therefore, both groups had the same level of prior knowledge. Second, after the class, students were tested on a retention task, transfer task, and false premise task. Many students from both groups answered correctly in the retention task. However, more students from the operational group gave correct answers in the transfer task and false premise task than those from the recollecting group.

The results suggest that operational thinking tasks facilitated learners’ understanding of relating scientific concepts and transformed the structure of scientific knowledge.

We developed and evaluated animation-based learning contents for supporting scientific observations of animals in zoos. The contents provide the viewpoints of scientific observation. In order to evaluate whether the contents support observation, we developed cases of contents for observable features and behaviors of the hind flippers, noses, and claws of seals, and implemented a workshop for parents and children. The participants of the workshop were 15 parent-child pairs. Their average age was 7.0 years (SD = 2.0). We analyzed the video data of these 15 parent-child pairs’ observations using the contents. The results show that most parent-child pairs were able to observe the seals’ features and/or behavior using animation-based learning contents.

The reaction of two compounds, hypochlorous acid and a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid, was investigated by applying them to the surface of copper plates, respectively. Hypochlorous acid was produced using two methods. The first hypochlorous acid was prepared by adding one drop of hydrochloric acid to a bleach solution containing sodium hypochlorite. The second hypochlorous acid was prepared through chlorine gas. Through X-ray analysis, the black substance produced by adding one drop to a bleach solution was identified as copper(II) oxide, whereas copper(I) chloride was also found on the copper. The black substance found on the copper plate from the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid was assumed to be copper(II) oxide by chemical analysis.

This study examined how Japanese lower secondary science teachers improve their teaching competencies through lesson study, especially by giving a research lesson. We administered a questionnaire to science teachers via e-mail in 2016 in a government-designated city and a prefecture in which the city was located, and received answers from 177 teachers. The data was analysed by the qualitative method of Fukushi and Nago (2011) applying SCAT (Steps for Coding and Theorization: Otani, 2008b; 2011). The result was summarised into three phases: preparation of a research lesson; giving a research lesson; and reflective meeting/conference, and discussed from the viewpoints of teacher knowledge using the model of Gess-Newsome (2015) and didactic transposition theory (Chevallard, 1989; Chevallard & Bosch, 2014). Consequently, we identified three points as follows: (1) giving a research lesson can enable teachers to learn strategies to clarify the purpose/goal of the lesson by conducting research and developing teaching materials over time; (2) a research lesson is given aiming to achieve the purpose/goal of the lesson; (3) critiques from others at a reflective meeting/conference prompt their own reflection.

The focus of this paper is on learning science by reading scientific texts or scientific reading. While differences and transition between learn to read and read to learn processes have been demonstrated by research in text comprehension and developmental models of reading, Shanahan & Shanahan (2008) propose a multilayered model of reading, which consists of Basic Literacy, Intermediate Literacy and Disciplinary Literacy, corresponding to the read-to-learn process. Though generic strategy instruction has been mainly used to enhance the read-to-learn process irrespective of subjects, four limitations such as text type, readers’ prior knowledge, deep understanding, and the situation and purpose of reading, are presented against its application to learning science by reading scientific texts or scientific reading.

This study investigated material related to radiation in lower secondary school science textbooks published in Japan in the seven decades since World War II. The assessment revealed that the volume of this material has changed with the times in at least eight different ways. Overall, the number of items related to radiation reached a maximum in the 1970s and then decreased until the 2000s. However, the authors’ detailed analysis revealed that there was substantial variation in how the number of items changed in relation to the contents — e.g. material discussing “nuclear power” has increased continuously since World War II.