A questionnaire survey was conducted with junior high students to determine those factors that may affect whether they notice dependent and independent variables related to changes in natural phenomena. The following two findings were obtained: (1) The following seven factors were extracted that may affect "noticing of variables" related to natural phenomena: (a) an experience regarding familiar natural phenomena (b) a good impression towards mathematics (c) self-confidence in natural science (d) intellectual culriosity about nature, science and technology (e) experience with scientific investigation (f) a good impression towards natural science (g) experience creating things (2) The group of students who obtained high scores for "noticing of variables" related to natural phenomena showed a significantly higher average for all the above factors (a) through (g) than did those whe got lower scores. This finding suggests that "noticing of variables" is an anility that is nurtured by connecting these seven factors in a complicated way.

Measures called intervention programs to encourage girls to learn science have already been developed and carried out in foreign countries over the last thirty years, In this study, characteristics of nine "intervention programs" were found and are describe din the following four points. 1 ) There were four viewpoints relevant to improvement: (a) teachers' in-service education and (b) the strength of teaching strategies and learning environment, while (c) the science curriculum and (d) career education were supplementary according to the criticality of the intervention of each program. 2) The key factors relevant to improvement were varied when initiating intervention programs, These were focused, for example, on the physics curriculum and group activity structure during development of intervention programs; that is, the emphasis on intervention changed as time went by. 3) The common results of the programs can be summarized in three points: (a) changing the gender stereotype of students and teachers toward science. (b) arousing the interest of girls in science, and (c) encouraging boys and girls to learn science in single-sex educational settings. 4) The number of girls who have continued to take optional science courses did not increase and the gender differences in learning science were not resolved by carrying out intervention programs. It appears there is a limit to the effectiveness of such programs.

High school students' interpretations of metaphors and their teacher's use of explanatory metaphors were analyzed and compared in identifying the key processes in metaphorical understanding. After instruction, three classes of students were interviewed; one class was taught metaphorically, the other two were not. The teaching metaphor likened the transfer of electrons in a Daniell's Cell to the transfer of money. Most of the students in the first class were able to understand the concepts with actual feelings, at least to some extent. Some students as a result became interested in the cell and were motivated. Some students, however, understood the correlation between the base (metaphor) and the target of the teaching metaphor as follows. When the metaphor worked as a structural metaphor, the base itself was interpreted metaphorically (ontologiocal, orientational metaphors) and metonomically. The shared properties and the unshared properties placed in subordinate categories of the base were then mapped onto the target uncriticalIy. As a result, they misunderstood the concept. The use of metaphors generated by the students themselves was ebserved; their misunderstandings also infiuenced those metaphors.

We first clarified positioning of the particle concept in the study of matter. The point of studying the particle concept is to make use of the concept in scientific explanations in terms of the phenomenon of matter. From this view, we studied how well the particle concept is accepted by students from the second year of lower secondary school to the third year of upper secondary school, and if they can use the particle concept to interpret a basic phenomenon of matter. The change in the volumes of water and air by pressure was chosen as the basic phenomenon of matter; we focused on the difference between water and air. Our results demonstrated that the correct answer rate was very low (less than 10%), indicating that students could not explain this sort of basic idea using the particle concept. We also determined that many students had yet not acquired a fundamental knowledge of basic particles (atomic or molecular) or a clear picture of gas and liquid states. Based on these findings, we discussed a curriculum concerning the study of matter, and proposed a plan for improvement.

Gowin’s Epistemological Vee map showed a connection between scientific conception and methodology. The learner is made to do the meta-cognition of the learning by describing a method of science that corresponds to a process of development in scientific conception. By using Gowin’s Epistemological Vee map, we developed a viewpoint on authentic assessment that matches the learning context of the student; a component of this authentic assessment matches the Epistemological Vee map. In this study, a science class was designed and presented to students so that teachers could create an Epistemological Vee map. Teachers constructed this map, which had arrows indicating classroom learning flow and in which descriptions representing student ideas and opinions were integrated. Analyzing a classroom using the Epistemological Vee map provided teachers with a progression of student understanding and reasons why students were able to understand the content being taught. As a result, when we obtain critical informatien that shows how students understand natural phenomenon, a structure can be established through viewing the whole picture of the classroom in which teaching and evaluation can be done by considering how students learn.

The goal of this study was to illustrate how students gain acquisition of scientific concepts and how the nature of the interaction between students is influenced by whether an experiment is carried out by a group of students or by an individual student. The results indicated that students working in pairs could complete experiments faster than those working alone. The results also indicated that student experimenters working in pairs could remember the experiment methodology for longer periods. Students working in pairs demonstrated much more communication during the experiments than students working alone.

This research was designed to clarify the relationship between the reply ratio and the mean value of а student’s consciousness that ideas deepen/change are high and the mean value of the divergence of consciousness that the idea deepened/ changed between members of the group is low and the width of standard deviation is narrow in collaborative learning scenes by group. In the following, the student’s consciousness that the idea deepened/changed was abbreviated as consciousness. And the divergence of consciousness that the idea deepened/ changed between members of the group was abbreviated as divergence of consciousness. A questionnaire incorporating eighteen learning scenes was created and fourth grade students in an elementary school were surveyed. Individual learning scenes, collaborative learning scenes by groups and collaborative learning scenes by the entire class were developed into a questionnaire as a learning activity method. The reply ratio and the mean value of consciousness of the individual learning scenes, collaborative learning scenes by group and collaborative learning scenes by the entire class were analyzed. The mean value and standard deviation of the divergence of consciousness of collaborative learning scenes by group were analyzed. After the social interactions. it is preferable that the reply ratio and the mean value of consciousness be high, the mean value of the divergence of consciousness be low and the width of standard deviation be narrow in collaborative learning scenes by group. Asаresult of this analysis, necessarily obtaining neither the reply ratio and the mean value of consciousness are high nor the mean value of the divergence of consciousness is low and the width of standard deviation is narrow at the same time was shown. The following are possible causes. The effect of social interaction which raises consciousness and the effect of social interaction which reduces the divergence of consciousness were not necessarily simultaneously obtained in collaborative learning scenes by a group.

The number of conversations between a gatekeeper and an end user in students with differing degrees of achievement was analyzed and the number of conversation incidents between gatekeeper and end user in students with the same degree of achievement was analyzed. In this research, we observed second level lower secondary school science class students who had made microphones and speakers. The following points were noted. 1. There were more conversations between gatekeepers and end users among students with different levels of achievement than students with the same level of achievement. 2. The number of conversations between gatekeepers and end users among students with different degrees of achievement was not different; the differences between gatekeepers with relatively higher achievement and end users with a relatively lower levels of achievement, and the differences between gatekeepers with relatively lower levels of achievement and end users with relatively higher levels of achievement were not significant.

The main reasons that teachers conduct few earth science field study programs among nature experience-based nature study programs in schools are twofold: the shortness of study time and insufficient expertise of teaching staff. I first patternized earth science field study programs based on the relationship between these two problems. defined the direction of the goals and evaluated instruction methodology, and provided study models on the basis of each pattern. Earth science field study programs in schools can be divided into four patterns (patterns A-D) by two factors : (1) the time that each school can take for earth science field study programs and (2) teacher expertise. I also defined a case in which teacher expertise is insufficient and no field study programs were adopted (pattern NL) and a case in which teachers have no field study programs though they have sufficient expertise (pattern NH). I indicated that many schools can conduct earth science field study programs in cooperation with study supporters in the process from patterns NL to A and from patterns A/B to C/D. I then described the current situation and problems of study support for science nature experienced-based study programs as examples of earth science field study programs.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of 1.7 hours of lessons using "Circulatory styled question-and-answer criticism learning" in teaching the basic operation of filtration in the 5th grade of elementary 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 one month after the study project. In this case, the results were as follows. Using "Circulatory styled question-and-answer criticism learning" encourages students to acquire the operational skill of filtration; many students can do this. Using this teaching method encourages students to acquire knowledge about filtration methods. The level of this knowledge is demonstrated when students explain in writing what they have learned and is clearly understandable to other students. When learning the basic operation of complicated labware that has many steps for 5th grade elementary school students, the students symbolize the process of all operations as a necessary and minimum operational process, and memorize and forget other operation as time goes on. Elementary school students are behind the first year lower secondary school students in development, and hence elementary level students face a more difficult learning curve than the lower secondary school students.

The ability to interpret and construct scientific graphs by secondary school science studentsin Japan was investigated and the results compared with student abilities in the UAE and Brunei. Based on this result. Japanese students were found to be a little weaker in describing interpretations of scientific graphs. However, Japanese students were found to have a higher ability in constructing scientific graphs. The correlation between this result and science evaluation in one term was investigated. The coefficient correlation was 0.40, showing a high correlation.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the development of a scale measuring idea of life by achieving a means to understand the development of the concept. Moreover, analysis of the results of previous studies within Japan and abroad showed that within idea of life there are two subdivisions: biological concepts and life concepts. These can be further sub-categorized into the concepts of mechanism, conjecture, objective knowledge, animism, personification, vitalism, value and life. Based on these subordinate concepts a subordinate scale was remade from the original and reliability and validity were presumed for sixth-grade elementary school students. It became clear that reliability can be assessed according to internal consistency and construct validity can be assessed according to factorial validity.

The Rika-Daisuki School Project introduced at an elementary school (under the assumed name of H Shogakko) in Osaka prefecture, adopted team teaching and the small group learning process to encourage students to like science. To evaluate the project. attitudes towards science were assessed for lower secondary school (S Chugakko) students that had graduated from H Shogakko. The results follow: (1) The number of lower secondary school students with an interest in science (about 40% of students) decreased remarkably when compared with their elementary school years (77%), while those who found science difficult increased twofold. (2) However, there were more students who liked science, or experiments and observations within the group of graduates from the H Shogakko (9-23% points) than in the group of graduates from other elementary schools where they did not participate in the Rika-Daisuki School Project. (3) There were also more students who liked science in the fifth- and sixth-years of elementary school within the group of graduates from the H Shogakko (20% points or more). During the elementary school years, the Rika-Daisuki School Project produced good effects on students, continuing through lower secondary school experience in science education.

Methods for sampling and preparing, and a pictorial key to freshwater Amphipod (Arthropoda: Crustacea) were given. To date, nine species of freshwater amphipods from Hokkaido have been recorded. Amphipods are thought to be useful as an educational tool in the assessment of freshwater environments in Hokkaido. An example of an observation on the assessment of freshwater environments was presented.

In order to introduce the observation of pollination mutualism between Ficus erecta and Blastophaga nipponica as a teaching material for biological education in upper secondary schools, we developed a teaching program and tested its effectiveness in a class of the Faculty of Education, Mie University, using a questionnaire form. The teaching program consisted of observations of the male syconia of F. erecta and B. nipponica living in the syconia. Twenty students from Mie University participated in the survey. Seven students (35%) responded that the teaching material was "effective" for biological education and 11 students (55%) responded "effective if improved". For this study, however, we had no data on effectiveness based on actual classroom research in upper secondary schools. Therefore, future research should focus on teaching material to be evaluated in upper secondary schools by utilizing more detailed analyses and a larger population. Symbiosis and mutualism have been little described or even ignored in biology textbooks in the upper secondary schools. even though these concepts illustrate very important interactions between organisms. In the present study, the potential for observing pollination mutualism as a teaching material for biological education was confirmed.

We studied the effective use of a guest speaker in career education in regular science education. On two occasions, we conducted classes with the aid of a guest speaker working in a science-based profession. We then investigated the effects of the experiment. During the first class, it was clear that students were able to understand the contents of the lecture and see some connection with their studies. These ties, however, were somewhat limited. Prior to the initial meeting, students had prepared a "concept map", detailing their expectations for the lesson. Before the next class, we discussed the "map" with our guest and informed him of the general structure and content of our course. Once both parties were aware of the other's knowledge base and regular practices, productive interaction was achieved. By the end of the second class, the students were able to place their new found knowledge within the context of the curriculum and understand the relevance and practical application of their studies in professional life.

A method using an experimental teaching material to illustrate enzymatic digestion of protein to amino acids was verified. Experimental teaching materials and a method were developed to explain digestion of protein to students. Dried bonito shavings (no-processing, powdered and extracted once), boiled egg albumen, tofu and confectionery gelatin were chosen as substrates. A pack of "Balancer-Ichoyaku granules" was dissolved in 100 mL of purified water and used as a digestive fluid. (1) Ninhydrin reactions were positive and amino acids were detected in 24-h incubated samples of dried bonito shavings (no-processing and extracted once}. egg albumen, tofu and gelatin. (2) Visible changes of protein were confirmed only in the tofu and gelatin. (3) In the gelatin only, the biuret reaction became negative with digestion. According to these results. gelatin is the best protein for use as a substrate. Comparable results to those of Balancer-Ichoyaku were obtained by substituting other digestive agents. In addition, results were confirmed in which an inactivated digestive solution was incapable of digesting gelatin. Students can thereby understand protein digestion using the following series of experimental methods. (1) Weigh 2.0 g of confectionery gelatin and then was dissolved in 50 mL of running 80 ℃ water. A test tube containing 2.0 mL of this gelatin solution was refrigerated. (2) Into the test tube 10.0 mL of artificial digestive solution prepared from the digestive agents was poured, and kept for 24-h at 40 ℃. After incubation, it was refrigerated for at least 1-h. (3) In the refrigerated samples, in which gelatin gel had not solidified, the biuret reaction was negative and the ninhydrin reaction was positive, confirming that the protein has been digested and changed to amino acids. (4) By using an inactivated digestive solution, it was confirmed that the gelatin gel had solidified and was not digested.