In general, regarding the teaching of "How water is heated" in the fourth grade elementary school science, observations of temperature change in test tubes, using thermo-tape, or observations of convection in beakers, adding sawdust or tealeaves, are commonly adopted. These methods, however, might not establish correct concept of convection. In this study, the actual condition of students' understandings about convection is revealed by means of concept examination; the fourth grade students who have not studied the unit are selected as pre-sample participants, and junior high school students who have studied the unit are sampled as post. The result shows that many junior high school students possess a misconception about convection; furthermore, the misconception can be seen in the textbooks and study aids in the commercial market, and it is feared that even teachers teach in accordance with this wrong concept. In addition, this study utilizes newly developed 'THERMOINK' as a teaching material and attempts to compare lessons with this new material and with the former 'thermo-tape and sawdust'. In consequence. it is revealed that the new lessons with 'THERMOINK' have enabled the students to learn the correct concept of convection. and the efficiency of 'THERMOINK' as a teaching material has been proved in this study.

The learning of heredity was again being taught in lower secondary school students after an interval of about ten years, a course of study that was notified in March 2008. To reexamine suitable animals and plants for learning of heredity in lower secondary schools from the teaching material side, the teaching materials that used monogenic hybrids in the past were reviewed. Fast plants (Brassica rapa) were chosen as a teaching material of the genetic experimentation, and the teaching practice was done in two lower secondary schools attached to the Fukuoka University of Education. Moreover, the student's consideration to learning of heredity was investigated before and after the lessons. As a result, consideration on which it tried to work affirmatively and positively was admitted in learning of heredity though there was recognition of a little difficulty. In addition, there was a significant difference in the desire that the students wanting a more in-depth study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a "slanted slope particle model" aiding elementary school children when acquiring the concept of electric current when they learn the science study. We proposed a new "slanted slope particle model" considering the characteristics of so-far proposed models. This "slanted slope particle model" was developed to help the school children easily visualize the concept of electric current and understand it intuitively when manipulating the teaching materials. We also conducted research lessons on electric current for the 4th grade elementary school children using the "slanted slope particle model", and analyzed the process of the children's acquiring the concept of electric current in terms of the "flow" and the "direction and amount" of the electric current. We concluded the following three points, and showed clearly the validity of this "slanted slope particle model"; 1) The children were able to think new ideas by themselves utilizing the acquired concept of the electric current when they encountered a new situation of occasion. 2) They were firmly convinced of the scientific concept of electric current, and are aware of the idea of "flow". 3) They could acquire the correct scientific concept of electric current and are aware of the idea of "direction and amount".

To find out how lesson studies and lesson study discussions are carried out as a part of training in the field of school, we analyzed questionnaires and actual lesson study discussions in science. Though lesson studies are carried out two or three times a year and they feel difficulties with lesson study discussions, in few schools the discussions are improved or devised. We showed that, in lesson study discussions, active exchange of opinions was made about "Learning method" and "teaching material." on which observers easily share opinion, but discussions to examine learning of "learner" from various viewpoints were not made.

In order to identify the characteristics of "applied science"-related teaching materials in Japan's secondary science curriculum, the author analyzed upper secondary chemistry textbooks and teachers' guides published between 1951 and 2003. In these educational resources, he focused on the descriptions of "medical supplies": one of the emerging sciences. According to the results of the analysis, the proportion of "medical supplies" descriptions in relation to all of the descriptions in the textbooks had decreased from 1951, and begun to increase in 1999. "Medical supplies"-related teaching materials in the abovementioned past sixty-two year period have varied; however, the same materials have frequently been used. Further, textbook editors and authors might have selected teaching materials related to "medical supplies" to explain medicinal action, the development of organic chemistry, the history of the chemical industry, and the relevance of chemistry learned at schools to real life situations. Moreover, descriptions of "medical supplies" in upper secondary chemistry textbooks could be divided into seven types, including chemotherapy, chemical structure, and the effectiveness of medical supplies.

The purpose of this study is to suggest the method of the instructional analysis evaluating the construction of the scientific prototype of the cognition of nature by holistic processing. The outlines of the research carried out through the following example. In the experiment, the lower left corner of the metal plate was heated in the class. The investigation to judge the right or wrong of the figures represented the images of the conduction and confidence to answer immediately was executed to the fourth grade elementary school student. As a result of the analysis, the following things were shown: there were no students to whom the scientific prototype was constructed before the class. After the class, 52.8% of the students constructed the scientific prototype (Level 1). In addition, the scientific prototype (Level 1) is a prototype of the part of the metal plate observed by the experiment. Moreover, after the class, 16.7% of the students constructed the scientific prototype (Level 2). In addition, the scientific prototype (Level 2) was a prototype including the part of the metal plate not observed by the experiment. The effectiveness of the strategy for which it repeatedly appealed to senses (the sense of sight) of students was guessed. However, it is necessary to inquire into the implementation method of that strategy. It is thought that the instructional analysis to evaluate by the construction of the scientific prototype of the cognition of nature by holistic processing is enabled by utilizing the investigation method carried out in this study.

The debris flow of the gravels from the Plio-Pleistocene Kobiwako Group distributed over southern Shiga prefecture were used in the observation lesson practice in high school science classes. During the observation, students compared the gravels of the debris flow with the gravels of a river, and they discussed how the shapes of gravels were formed. I examined changes of the understanding of students by Concept Mapping and protocol in discussion. As a result, understandings about the formation process of debris flow deepened further, and revealed that this observation lesson was effective for understanding the debris flow.

Twenty-two lower secondary school science teachers and their 637 third grade students answered a questionnaire about the operational skill of experimental tools at the end of the 2007 school year. The collected data have been statistically analyzed and useful information have been extracted on the teaching method of the skill. Main results are as follows. 1. Teacher's awareness that to wear the ability of student on problem-solving through the experiment are important, has a good influence on the teaching style when they teach the operational skills of 12 experimental tools (e.g., pipettes and spuits) except 11 tools (e.g., gas burners and pan scales) that many teachers have instructed all students to operate the tools. 2. Three to five students cooperatively learn the operational skills of the voltmeter, ammeter, and pan scales, which scene have attended the factors that impede the desirable teaching one another. 3. Teachers have lower awareness that "Students can not understand the skills because a gas burner has many skills and is complicated" than students. This is caused by teachers have so vividly awareness "Students fear a fire, can not set fire, and forget the distinction of the screws and the direction of turning the screws halfway operating it." The serious situation badly influence that students acquire the operational skill and knowledge about the operation. 4. Female students complain about difficulty of the operational skills of the ammeter, voltmeter. pan scales, gas burners, and the microscope more than male, which has been obvious. We also obtained that female students complain about the operational skill difficulty of the match, power supply, putting gas on water, electric striking timer, and heating the test tube with the gas burner flame by tightly grasping it with a nipper more strongly than male and that the operational skill of dry-cleaning glassware is the other way.

The purpose of this study is to improve the question items of the mechanism in the scale measuring the idea of life that Yamaya et al. developed, and to clarify the realities on how to grasp the idea of life by the sixth-grade elementary school students and the second-grade lower secondary school students. The improved standard was executed within the wide domestic range for both the sixth-graders and the second-graders. As a result, there was no significant difference between school years in the biological concepts to compose the idea of life. However, objective knowledge was intentionally low oppositely though the score mean value of the second-grade lower secondary school students was intentionally higher in conjecture of the subordinate position concept. Moreover, it is clear that the second-graders grasping the concept that a living thing to be a machine have not completely disappeared. On the other hand, the life concepts to compose the idea of life was significant, higher the numerical value of the sixth-grade elementary school students, and lower the second-grade lower secondary school students while reversing it. As for catching animism, personification, value, and life that were the subordinate position concept, the second-grade lower secondary school students were intentionally lower. In addition, animism's not having disappeared even by the second-grade lower secondary school students became clear. It became clear there was a big problem in how to child student's idea of life to catch from these results.

The purposes of this study are: 1) to make the teaching materials on the visible ray that the sun radiates. for enhancement of the elementary school graders' scientific literacy; and 2) to examine whether or not the instruction by utilizing those materials can improve the elementary school graders' recognition on the visible ray. The findings of this study were as follows: 1) we could make the teaching materials which were divided into 7 steps (STEP1: 2 ways in which we can see the objects: STEP2: The reasons why we can see the sun; STEP3: which solar part does the visible ray come out of?, and so on); and 2) by the instruction using those materials. most elementary school graders could improve their science literacy (in other words. most of them had a scientifically correct understanding of the visible ray).