The student research program has spread in science classes across the country and contributed greatly to science education. It is related in many cases to science contests. As of 2006, there are thirteen kinds of nationwide science contests in Japan. Recently, there are also opportunities for high school students to introduce the student research program in English overseas, and it functions not only a science lesson, but also contributes to character formation. In Kawasaki City Lower Secondary School, the student research program developed rapidly, and 579 titles were registered in the ten years from 1997 to 2006. The number of registrants in physics, chemistry, biology and earth science were 204, 119, 205, and 51, respectively, and themes concerning the environment or energy have tended to increase in the last ten years. This research project considered the trend of the latest student research program, including the background of free study, positioning, the study method, and so on, describing the program in Kawasaki City Lower Secondary School. This research project utilized usual lessons, selective science and integrated study, and proposed a study model which uses the science contest as an extension of the student research program.

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate teaching materials for the "Carbon Journey" of the carbon cycle for lower secondary school science students. Class tryouts using such materials produced the following results: 1. Almost all of the students were interested in these teaching materials and carried out the activities positively. 2. The students learned about the processes of the carbon cycle. 3. The students could grasp the carbon cycle in a concrete manner by comparing their own results with those of others. The teaching materials on the "Carbon Journey" developed in this study have a number of merits. We think that they are valid for teaching the circulation of materials and for environmental education as well.

The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate instructional strategies to develop metacognition among elementary school students in scientific observations and experiments. They included five instructional methods: (1) instruction of self-control strategies, (2) bulletining the learning plan, (3) improvement of questioning techniques, (4) utilization of flash cards, (5) devising worksheets. The lessons were conducted for 51 elementary school students (5th year) to examine the effects. The results of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of using these instructional strategies.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of "technology-supported externalization of student thinking" in order to activate "face-to-face promotive interaction," one of the five basic elements of cooperative learning advocated by Johnson et al. (1998). To achieve this purpose, we examined the following two points. First, to examine effective methods for activating "face-to-face promotive interaction" theoretically, we reviewed previous research related to support for student interaction in science teaching, and in other adjoining academic fields. As a result, we generated the theoretical hypothesis that "technology-supported externalization of student thinking" is able to activate "face-to-face promotive interaction." Second, to test this hypothesis, we conducted experimental lessons using both "technology supported externalization of student thinking" and "five basic elements of cooperative learning." The technology support used was the concept mapping software "Undo-kun," and lessons were conducted in three ninth-grade classes (120 students). The results of an analysis of student interaction while using the software and a questionnaire-based survey showed that using the software in cooperative learning is effective in activating student "face-to-face promotive interaction." We conclude that these result empirically prove the adequacy of our hypothesis.

This research report reexamines the importance of natural experience in childhood and its significance in the growth of the child. European and American educational thinkers have long advocated its importance in education and put it into practice. Japanese education researchers were influenced by this idea and developed an original education theory that formed the basis of today' s education. And they now recognize that natural experiences promote the versatile development of children. However, there is a tendency for the number of opportunities to have natural experience to decrease because of changes in the environment of children today. We feel uneasy about the present condition, and even though educators actively try to provide natural experiences for children, their efforts have not been entirely effective. Society as a whole recognizes the utility of natural experiences in childhood, and it is necessary to promote the maintenance of a rich natural environment and activities in the areas around the school and at home in the future.

The purpose of this study is to develop the topic of intergenerational ethics in science teaching in the lower secondary school. We stress that intergenerational ethics is the most important topic in environmental ethics. In order to cultivate the concept of our responsibilities to future generations, we based our teaching materials and learning programs on "the fundamental concept of intergenerational ethics." We then used our learning programs and teaching materials in a number of science classes. The teaching materials were based on historical facts, because it was essential for pupils to realize that the choices of earlier generations have had serious influences on succeeding generations. We obtained the following results through analysis of the practice classes: 1) Students understood "the fundamental concept of intergenerational ethics." 2) Students understood their responsibilities to future generations.

In this study, we devised and evaluated a new experiment for changing such naive concepts as "the force is acting in the direction of the motion" into scientific concepts. Our experiment was based on one of Galileo's thinking experiments. The experimental apparatus was simple, consisting of two connected "Dynamic Carts, small type teaching material," one side being three times the weight of the other, using a soft spring. This apparatus was used to produce constant velocity motion and uniformly accelerated linear motion down or up the slope. The experiment was successful by reappearing. We used a questionnaire for lower secondary school and university students in order to examine their ideas in regard to how the elastic condition of the soft spring would change when this apparatus moved on a horizontal plane at constant velocity. Prior to observation of the experiment, 70% of the students presumed that the soft spring would expand or contract, gaining "force" in relation to the respective weights of the carts. However, during observation, the university students recognized no change in the soft spring, and 40% of these students understood that the force of the cart in itself did not exist. We concluded that this experiment would be effective in changing such naive concepts as "Motion Implies a Force" into scientific concepts.

We have argued that the typical use of the term "yousu" (appearance or situation) in documents of the course of study in Japan represents one characteristic of Japanese school science, "Rika." In this study, we analyzed the transcripts of science lessons of junior high schools in Japan in order to examine this characteristic of the science lesson. The term "yousu" was used in 29 out of 95 science lessons, that is, almost one third. Moreover, "yousu" was often used to mean looking at or observing natural phenomena. So the term "yousu" seems to distinguish Japanese school science, "Rika," from that of other countries.

The objectives of this study were to examine the method and effect of continuous self-evaluation and to develop computer software to analyze it. A line graph which represented the learning situation was used in continuous self-evaluation. 160 junior high school students evaluated their thinking process in science classes. The students were then asked about the effects of continuous self-evaluation, and their responses were positive. As for the analysis of the continuous self-evaluation, two types of software were developed. One type created a data set by using a tablet. Another type categorized the students by using a self-organization map, so that their self-evaluations could then be classified. The validity of analysis by software was shown. The understanding gained of the student's self-evaluation by means of the methods in this study was useful to support the students and improve classes.

This research report aims to discuss science education under the Akashi Plan (1948-1949), which was a core curriculum, composed of Core Studies and Basic Studies. This topic has already been discussed at the planning level in the research of Mizobe and Inagaki (2005). This report shows how science education was carried out at the practice level, by analyzing the teaching plans of the time, which were published in a 100th anniversary magazine, as well as through investigation by questionnaires and interviews with students and a teacher from the time. The results were as follows: 1. Science education was related to the Core Studies. 2. Science education was related also to the Basic Studies, and they were both closely related to four types of Basic Studies. The above results support the conclusions obtained from the research of Mizobe and Inagaki (2005).

Rehearsal of symbolic representation was useful for replay has been evaluated. However, a workable model for students to practice operating a gas burner at home has not been invented. The first author invented "A Gas Burner Model." The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of 3.4 lessons using "A Gas Burner Model: Making and Using One" in teaching the basic operation of a gas burner in the first grade of lower secondary school. The teaching method was evaluated by analyzing the results of a performance test and a written examination administered immediately afterwards and then once again nearly 3.5 months after the lessons, provided that students operated a gas burner three times in lessons during nearly 1.5 months after the study project. In this case, the results were as follows. Using "A Gas Burner Model: Making and Using One" encourages students to adjust to the differences between real operation and their memory of its symbolic representation, linking linguistic representation and imaginable representation concerned with the operational skill and the method of operating a gas burner. Using the teaching method encourages students to acquire this skill, and therefore many students do. Using the teaching method also encourages students, especially male students, to acquire knowledge about the method of operation. The level of this knowledge is demonstrated by the fact that students can explain what they have learned in writing that is clearly understandable to other students.

Teachers' educational research reports that were presented at educational research forums in Chiba since 1986 were examined. Three hundred and eighty-three reports were compared in terms of title, hypothesis, and methodology in order to determine their common characteristics. As a result of this research project, the following four points became clear: 1) The word "kyouzaika" (standardization of teaching materials) and "kentou" (discussion) were used in the 1980s, the word "arikata" (the way things should be) was being used more and more frequently at the end of titles since 1996. 2) The word "chousa" (examination) was used in the 1980s, the word "learning" was being used more often, and the word "teaching" was being used less often as a keyword in titles since 1991. 3) Descriptions of hypotheses increased in number since 1994. 4) The phrase "pre- and post-test" appeared frequently since 2000.

In order to build a science classroom based on constructivism, a dialogue-based teaching-learning model is indispensable. In this study, a science-learning program for upper secondary school students was developed based on the following three tenets: (1) An interactive science-learning program can be developed from the teaching-learning elements of instructional design. This is based on the concept of See-Plan-Do, as well as on Scott's (2004) work in teaching interventions. (2) Evaluation of the individual ideas of students is necessary in order to promote the instructional design. (3) The characteristics of the electric blackboard as a teaching media are vital for promoting dialogue among students and between them and the teacher. In conclusion, the program proved to be an effective teaching-learning method in that students improved their ability to construct and acquire scientific concepts.