This research investigated the relationship between Japanese high school students` perceptions and their academic performance in learning science through English. A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was used, combining survey answers from students with analysis of their science class test scores. Data collected were analyzed thematically and quantitative scores were summarized for comparison. The result of this study revealed that the students are facing challenges in science contents in English despite Japan`s high ranking in global science literacy such as objective test scores declined, indicating difficulties in recalling facts and science terminologies. On the other hand, findings also showed that students demonstrated strong conceptual understanding, valued science and saw its importance in real-world applications. The author hopes that this paper can help guide the development of a more effective English-based science curriculum to better prepare Japanese students for global academic and professional opportunities.

The participation of female researchers in Japan remains low, with only 18.5% of all researchers and 29.2% of university researchers in 2024. Despite policy measures supporting work–family balance, structural and cultural barriers persist, reflecting assumptions of male-dominated career models and marginalising women’s experiences. Family circumstances, including unequal childcare burdens and employment instability, constrain women’s ability to combine research with parenting, while generational differences shape attitudes toward career–family balance. Networks based solely on gender are often insufficient; meaningful support arises when shared life stages and values inform professional connections. Barriers to voicing concerns are reinforced by post-feminist discourses, which frame gender equality as achieved, and by entrenched academic norms that privilege individual merit and private separation of family matters. Survivor bias among women who continue research careers risks creating unrealistic role models. Structural transformation of academic institutions is essential to enable women to pursue research careers with dignity and flexibility.

Intellectual curiosity plays an important role in "problem creation." Intellectual curiosity is a very active behavior in early childhood (around age 3), but in school education, intellectual curiosity fades into the background due to the emphasis on absorbing new knowledge. It is thought to be difficult to regain intellectual curiosity once one becomes an adult. However, in the age of AI, this adult intellectual curiosity is required as an essential activity for "problem creation." By demonstrating scientifically-backed intellectual curiosity in contrast to the emotional intellectual curiosity of early childhood, the necessity of the "science of problem creation" becomes clear. As we enter the age of AI, intellectual curiosity will become a more central perspective of learning than ever before.

Gifted education in the Philippines faces persistent systemic challenges despite STEM initiatives, including curriculum congestion and insufficient professional development opportunities. Using open-ended questionnaires and international benchmarking, this study explored the perspectives of Filipino Senior High School STEM teachers and one teacher from Kids Academia, Japan. The analysis revealed that cognitive excellence, creativity, and socioemotional as well as leadership skills are the core themes of giftedness in the Philippines. Thematic insights together with benchmarked Kids Academia practices informed the development of an STS-inspired curriculum framework. This pilot test was conducted online during the Kids Academia Summer School 2025, with six participating gifted children. The results indicated strong engagement, creativity, and critical thinking skills. However, the findings also revealed a lack of systematic experimental design and ethical awareness. Future improvements should include providing more structured templates for experiments, modeling of procedures, data collection, explicit teaching of research ethics, and real-time teacher feedback to strengthen the curriculum framework.

This study analyzes U.S. science education from four perspectives:(1) the institutional structure of science education in the United States, (2) the vision of K–12 science education (its goals, methods of achievement, and limitations),(3) the position of the concept of policy within the American educational system, and (4) the implementation of the curriculum. Drawing on A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the NGSS, the study elucidates the structure of the “policy cascade” and illustrates how a national-level vision is translated into local practices through state and district processes. Through a comparative analysis of two school districts in New York State—Williamsville (discipline-specific) and Buffalo (integrated)—the study clarifies how local autonomy produces diversity under a shared foundation. In the discussion, the structural challenge connecting ideas and implementation is identified as the “balance between diversity and coherence.” The study argues that the NGSS should not be regarded merely as a standard, but as a policy instrument that translates educational ideals into institutional and practical forms.

Nigeria's science education faces significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited teacher preparation, and outdated pedagogical approaches that hinder effective learning outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) presents potential solutions for personalized learning, adaptive instruction, and enhanced educational delivery. This study investigates AI awareness, usage patterns, and implementation perspectives among Nigerian secondary school science educators to inform integration strategies. A cross-sectional survey was administered to collect data from 53 educators (43 teachers and 10 administrators) across secondary schools in Nigeria from May to June 2025. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations via SPSS software. Teachers showed moderate AI familiarity (62.8%) with a strong preference for blended instruction (69.8%), suggesting recognition of AI as a complementary tool. Significant correlations were observed between AI knowledge-teaching preference (r = .613, p < .01) and AI knowledge-perceived assistance (r = .587, p < .01). Administrators demonstrated high AI awareness (60%) and implementation readiness (60%) but identified critical barriers including infrastructure limitations (78%), budget constraints (71%), and limited professional development (69%). Nigerian science educators demonstrate AI integration readiness despite infrastructure challenges. Success requires coordinated infrastructure development, comprehensive training programs, supportive policy frameworks, and context-appropriate implementation strategies.

This study used the S-STEM survey and SPSS 26.0 to analyze middle school students’ perceptions of STEM disciplines. Data were collected from 184 students in grades 6–10, primarily from private schools (55.4% female, 44.6% male). The results indicate that students’ interest in STEM was generally moderate, with the most positive attitudes toward engineering and technology, followed by science and mathematics. Male students showed a stronger preference for engineering, while female students reported slightly higher confidence in mathematics. Except for engineering (p = .000) and mathematics (p = .026), the independent samples t-test revealed no significant gender differences among STEM fields. Additionally, female students expressed greater confidence in their ability to learn independently.

This paper investigates pedagogical practices of science teachers during the implementation of the existing curriculum at the basic school level in Nepal through STEAM framework. The STEAM framework was developed by the author and validated through focus group discussions with experts from relevant fields. The framework comprises five pedagogical themes: scientific inquiry, technology integration, design challenge, arts integration, and mathematics integration, all closely aligned with constructivist and transformative learning theories. Data were collected through class observation and interview with six purposively selected basic school-level science teachers. Findings indicate that while teachers hold positive attitudes toward STEAM pedagogy, their classroom practices provide limited opportunities for students to ask questions, utilize technological tools, engage in design challenges, participate in arts-based activities, or develop logical reasoning skills; however, school D-a private school implementing IB program-demonstrated remarkably better practices aligned with STEAM pedagogy. These results underscore the need for systematic professional development and structured curriculum strategies to support teachers in effectively implementing STEAM pedagogy in science education.

This paper presents a part of the results of an intervention made in five schools in El Salvador. The study focuses on grade 5, and the main goal is to identify how a set of computational thinking activities can be developed at this level to improve students' computational thinking and mathematics skills. A quasi-experimental method is applied, with four schools serving as the Control Group (CG) and five schools as the Experimental Group (EG). The intervention in the EG consisted of five 45-minute activities (two paper-based and three computer-based activities, using Scratch). In addition, in the CG, the teacher developed two mathematics worksheets to ensure a level playing field between the groups. Before the intervention, the CG performed better, but after the intervention, both groups performed similarly.

School science education poses potential risk of cognitively and culturally distorting children’s perspectives and ways of thinking on a large scale. The Fukushima nuclear accident revealed that experts do not always possess sufficient scientific literacy to meet societal expectations. From the perspective of civilian control of science and technology, the author utilized fire science to examine the Earth’s heat balance, identified flaws in climate models used for climate change countermeasures, and argued that learning overly simplistic models used for social consensus building in science classes hinders the development of children’s scientific literacy. Within science education content, microscopic phenomena at the atomic and molecular levels are considered effective in developing the ability to critically evaluate empirical scientific knowledge used in consensus building, and stepwise refinement of the overly simplistic greenhouse model was conducted. This paper introduces the results of these studies and proposes an earth science education that accounts for human-generated heat release during the Anthropocene.

This study examines the impact of textbook utilization and inquiry-based learning (IBL) approaches on primary science and technology education in El Salvador by conducting weekly lesson style and daily lesson style. Drawing on survey data from 583 teachers, lesson observations, and experimental teaching interventions, the research explores teacher perceptions, challenges in lesson planning, and student learning outcomes under weekly versus daily lesson methodologies. Findings indicate that while textbooks are widely used in lesson planning, teachers face significant barriers related to material access and time constraints. The implementation of IBL models, especially with daily lesson structures, demonstrates a marked improvement in student comprehension of the topic compared to control group.

This study investigates the impact of activity-based gamification on Junior High School students’ motivation and achievement in solving mathematical word problems in Ghana. A quasi-experimental design was implemented at Manhean Naval Base Junior High School, involving two intact JHS2 classes: an experimental group taught using the Math Quest - Word Problem Challenge and a control group taught using traditional methods. Quantitative data were obtained from pre- and post-tests and a motivation questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher gains in both test performance (M gain = 19.85, p < .001, d = 2.22) and motivation (M gain = 1.47, p < .001, d = 2.19) compared to the control group. The results demonstrate that low-cost, non-digital gamification can substantially improve engagement, confidence, and learning outcomes in mathematics classrooms. The study contributes practical insights for implementing effective, learner-centered pedagogies in resource-constrained educational contexts.

This paper investigated the difficulties faced by elementary school teachers in teaching observations and how they deal with them through semi-structured interviews with elementary school teachers. The results revealed that the difficulties and the ways of dealing differ depending on the teachers’ years of experience and whether they have science teacher certification licenses. Particularly, there were difficulties about balancing children’s activities and teachers’ instruction according to content of science when working on tasks such as sketching observations, deriving questions, and handling the processes of problem-solving/inquiry, and these difficulties were not adequately dealt with. The paper argues that to resolve these difficulties, it is necessary to discuss the actual state of children’s free activities in observations and setting objectives from scientific and educational perspectives that focus on the developmental stage of elementary school.

This paper quantitatively analyses the extent to which various educational phenomena and biological content areas have been addressed in biology education research in Japan. This analysis is based on a literature review of articles published in the Japanese Journal of Biological Education between 1980 and 2024. As a result, among the 501 papers analyzed, it was found that while “Teaching Materials and Equipment” was the most frequently addressed educational phenomena, research on “Value, Objectives, and Goals” was notably scarce. Regarding biological content areas, “Ecology” was the most frequently studied area, while research on topics such as “Evolution” received comparatively limited attention.