The purpose of this study was to clarify how children’s perspectives of science (verifiability, reproducibility, and objectivity) change through lesson design, based on the “Assessment as Learning” theory. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, we used the action research method to observe the change in children’s views of science in each phase, as well as to refine and improve upon the lessons. As a follow-up survey, semi-structured interviews were conducted to confirm the validity of the results of the qualitative analysis of the teaching practices. The results of the action research revealed (1) differences in the difficulty and changing nature of concept formation of science perspectives (positivity, reproducibility, and objectivity) among pupils, (2) complex relationships among perspectives, and (3) the degree of dependence on the learning context. The results of the post-survey confirmed individual differences in the pupils’ conceptual formation of these perspectives and the validity of the interpretations obtained from the aforementioned teaching practices.

In Science education in Japan, there has been a great deal of interest and research on what kinds of teaching practices can best develop the qualities and abilities of students. However, it is difficult to compare and examine the findings of these practice studies based on the same scale, and there are few findings of meta-analysis on science education practices. Although educational activities are based on the content set out in the Courses of Study, each municipality implements a variety of its own educational policies (Tanaka, 2020). In this study, meta-analysis was conducted on research articles on Science educational practices in Ibaraki Prefecture. The mean effect size was estimated to be g=0.640 overall, g=0.780 for binary data, and g=0.617 for multilevel data, respectively. These values were similar to, or slightly larger than, the g values found in the survey of Nakamura et al. (2020), which was a meta-analysis for a nationwide scale. The effect size differed significantly depending on the survey used to measure the qualities and abilities, especially when “thinking skills” were measured by descriptive analysis (estimated to be g=1.272). Integrating the effect sizes of educational practices through meta-analysis can provide important insights into which educational practices are most effective in developing students’ qualities and abilities, as well as which practices lead to improvements in teaching methods.

In this study, considering the cultivation of “zest for life” in the age of VUCA, we reexamined the contents and methods of learning about volcanic activity in elementary and junior high school science education in Japan. Since the Meiji era, study on this topic has focused on natural phenomena such as the types and properties of igneous rocks in conventional science education, from the perspective of current trends in the educational world. In the case of volcanic disasters caused by sudden eruptions in recent years, knowledge linked to disaster prevention, such as awareness of the meaning of eruption warning levels, is required, even while taking into account the limitations of prediction. Technical and engineering aspects are also indispensable to understand the disaster prevention systems for predicting volcanic eruptions. Furthermore, educational activities related to volcanoes are expected to be conducted from the perspective of ESD including perspectives such as religious and cultural backgrounds, and from the SDGs, which aim to leave no one behind in the face of disasters. Geoparks with regional uniqueness and volcano museums linked to geoparks can serve as venues that provide scientific learning with respect to ESD and the SDGs. Based on the Course of Study, there is a possibility of creating new learning opportunities to foster a “zest for life” outside of school. This discussion suggests that volcanoes can serve as specific educational content that can be handled from the viewpoint of curriculum management and as cross-curricular educational content related to various contemporary issues. At the same time, from the perspective of integrating the humanities and sciences in STEAM education, we have shown that volcanic activities can contribute to cultivating a “zest for life” a from the compulsory education stage in the age of VUCA.

The purpose of this study was to clarify organize, re-present, and outline the subject of research on the teaching of argumentation in science education conducted in Japan to date, and to clarify the trends and prospects for future study. Fifty articles published in Journal of Research in Science Education, Journal of Science Education in Japan, The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, Research Journal of Teaching and Learning Materials, Journal of Energy and Environmental Education were included in the search up to and including September 2023, as well as university bulletins, center bulletins, and bulletin of affiliated schools during all periods. Of these, thirty-four studies on instructional practices of the argument were classified according to whether they targeted products or processes, and, further, were typified according to whether they were written or oral. The trends in the numbers and content of the studies were examined. It was clarified that 60% of the studies were on written arguments as production consisting of claim, evidence, and reasoning. From these, the necessity of step-by-step instruction structured by the components of arguments was derived. On the other hand, the number of studies on oral and writing argumentation as a process is currently few, suggesting that future research in this area is required. For the sixteen studies other than those on instructional practices, we categorized them in terms of teachers’ beliefs, learners’ attitudes, and analysis of previous research. Since the teacher’s beliefs in teaching the argument and the learners’ argument structures and awareness influence each other, it was suggested that activities that allow practical confirmation of the significance of argumentation skills and their teaching methods be actively incorporated into teacher education.

The purpose of this study was to assess how the use of binocular stereomicroscopes and polarized light microscopes in the observation of igneous rocks affects the students’ learning. The results of the classroom practice with 219 junior high school students in this study revealed the following three points, the first being the effect on pupils’ ‘interest’. Comparing binocular stereomicroscopy and polarized light microscopy, it was found that the students’ interest in microscopic observation of igneous rocks was comparable when using both types of microscopes. The second point clarified in the study was the students’ awareness of the ‘relationship between naked eye observation and microscopic observation’. In this lesson, the students felt that both microscopes provided information that could not be obtained by naked eye observation. The third point revealed from the results was the influence on pupils’ ‘comprehension level of naked eye observation’. The results of the classroom practice demonstrated that the students were more likely to focus on the microstructure in classifying volcanic and plutonic rocks when using the binocular stereomicroscope than the polarized light microscope.

In this study, a cluster analysis was conducted on all the observations and experiments in the lower secondary school science textbooks of Company X and Company Z, which were approved by the Ministry of Education in Japan in 2020. The purpose of the cluster analysis was to clarify the exploratory characteristics of each group, which were derived by classifying them based on the trend in the content rate of “skills of inquiry” developed by Hasegawa et al. (2013). Comparisons were also made among the textbooks published by three companies, including Company Y, which was analyzed and interpreted by Yamada et al. (2021). The results of our analysis revealed the following. (1) Observations and Experiments in the lower secondary school science textbooks published by “Company X” and “Company Z”, which were approved by MEXT in 2020, could be classified by the tendency of “skills of inquiry into five or six categories, respectively. (2) Based on the exploratory characteristics of each cluster of the “Company X” and “Company Z” textbooks, we were able to clarify the characteristics of each grade level by analyzing and interpreting the trends of observations and experiments within each respective grade level. (3) Comparisons among the three companies revealed that the science textbooks published by “Company X” and “Company Z” showed significantly higher “hypothesis setting” tendencies than those of “Company Y”.

In this study, we developed teaching materials to enhance students’ understanding of the regularity of images produced by convex lenses in junior high school science classes, and to improve upon their ability to find the position and size of the actual image by drawing the path of light. The first part utilized a device to observe the path of light changing according to the position of the light source. The students were thus able to observe the path of light, which could not be observed in the optical table experiment. The second part employed a simulation of changes in the path of light. Emphasis was placed on the fact that the system could be operated via the student’s devices and could be changed by the teacher. By using these two materials in the lesson, the students’ understanding of the rules improved and, further, their drawing skills were enhanced. Indeed, the device that allows students to see the path of light was particularly effective in improving their drawing skills.

The purpose of this study was to design a science class that incorporated explanatory activities in the “Chemical Changes and Ions” unit for the third grade of junior high school, and to verify its educational effectiveness through practice. To achieve this objective, we first designed and implemented a science teaching strategy that introduced dialogic activities by explaining and sharing ideas with other students in the third grade junior high school unit on “Chemical Changes and Ions”. We then analyzed the effects of explanation-based dialogue activities on the students’ understanding the concepts of acids and alkalis, based on the content of their descriptions of the true nature of acids and alkalis. We also analyzed the records of explanatory dialogue activities and students’ impressions of the lessons, and considered what kind of learning was developed during the explanatory dialogue activities. The results clarified the following characteristics of the method utilizing dialogue activities based on explanations and discussion: (1) By explaining to others, learners are encouraged to express evidence and construct contexts that relate them to arguments and results. (2) Through dialogue activities, learners are encouraged to use evidence that cannot be called scientific. This has the effect of making students aware of ambiguous parts of their own understanding, as well as encouraging students to review their own explanations by listening to others’ explanations, and, further, to encourage them to construct logic based on more valid evidence. (3) The activity encourages students to explain the true nature of acids and alkalis based on claims, evidence, and results, and effectively leads to sound conceptual understanding.

This study developed energy conversion teaching materials that directly convert kinetic energy into thermal energy, and verified the usefulness of the teaching materials through verification classes. The results, clarified the following three points. 1) When Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) springs are pulled, martensitic transformation occurs, and heat is generated due to the different loading and unloading processes. 2) Through the verification class, the students were able to gain a realistic understanding of energy conversion, and ,further,this understanding remained with the students after one month. 3) The students considered the SMA spring as a teaching material that allowed them to devise experiments and to make new discoveries. These results suggest that the pull-back teaching material using SMA springs is useful as a teaching material for learning about energy conversion through hands-on experience.

Elementary school science is oriented toward a problem-solving style of learning, and in the first phase of this learning, children form representations as they interact with objects. In this case, it is thought that activities are generated by children’s perceptions of affordances of the objective, and representations are formed in response to the activities. In this study, we focused on the process in which children perceive the affordances of the objective and the activity is motivated, utilizing the study of the “properties of magnets” in the third grade of elementary school, and aimed to clarify the actual process by which representations are formed in problem solving. We focused on the model of formation and transformation of representations through activities in problem solving proposed by Suzuki et al. (2022). Furthermore, in order to assess how children perceive affordances, we extended the model in terms of distributed cognition. The results of the case study analysis showed that children’s affordance perceptions were classified into four patterns, and that the representations formed differed according to the affordances perceived. All four patterns were attributed to the perceived permissible activities, which ware made possible by the pupils’ attenuation toward the objective.

Many prior studies in the field of science education addressing Critical Thinking (CT) have implemented classroom practices that demand the activation of CT to foster a Critical Thinking Attitude (CTA). However, considering the definition of CTA as an inclination or attitude towards activating CT, questions arise about whether learners who exert more effort in such classes might already have a high CTA. In this study, the causal relationship between CTA and effort towards science learning scenarios was examined using the Cross-Lagged Effects Model (CLEM). Analysis revealed positive cross-lagged effects from CTA to each learning scenario, and vice versa. These results causally indicate that learners with a higher initial CTA tend to exert more effort in each learning scenario. Additionally, these findings this supports the notion that pedagogical interventions by teachers can influence a student’s CTA, while further expanding insights into individual differences among students.

The purpose of this research is to develop a learning program that incorporates a critical thinking process into lessons in order to develop students’ verification planning skills. Through this approach, we obtained knowledge about the relationship among the five factors of critical thinking and the four factors of verification planning ability. Out of the five factors of critical thinking, we focused on 1. “Critical awareness through interaction with others”, 2. “Exploratory/rational thinking”, and 4. “Reflective thinking”, which were all promoted during the lessons. Analysis of the results suggested that the four elements of verification planning ability were successfully acquired or enhanced by the students: I. “Ability to set variables,” II. “Ability to set hypotheses,” III. “Ability to plan experimental methods,” and IV. “Ability to set expectations for results.” In addition, the results demonstrated a strong correspondence between 2. “Exploratory/rational thinking” and III. “Ability to plan experimental methods,” as well as improvements in I. “Ability to set variables” and “II. Ability to set hypotheses.” Analysis further suggested that, in this case, pupils’ 2. “Exploratory/rational thinking” skills may not have been enhanced as much as desired, but 4. “Reflective thinking” was enhanced via the devised learning program, which seemed to work well overall.

The purpose of this study was to devise and verify the effectiveness of a teaching method for having students acquire the ability to find a point of agreement (the ability to find a solution acceptable to all members of a group) in elementary school science classes. To achieve this objective, we devised a teaching method in which a facilitator is introduced into the discussion in which the group’s consideration is decided based on the argument structure. In order to generate the inevitability of consensus building, lettuce seeds (fringed green), which are photophilic seeds, were selected as teaching materials. To verify the effectiveness of the teaching method developed, a class was held for fifty-eight fifth grade elementary school students. The results of the analysis of the questionnaire and evaluation questions suggested that in order to develop the ability to find a point of agreement, it is necessary not only to generate the necessity of consensus building through the selection of teaching materials, but also to promote exploratory dialogue which includes contributions from all members of the group. This was accomplished effectively through the teaching method we developed.

The purpose of this study was to identify “questions” and their characteristics suitable for science learning objectives and problem-solving activities in accordance with the Courses of Study for Elementary Schools published in 2017 by three companies, including X and Z, in addition to Company Y, which was also the subject of a study by Honda et al. (2022). The results of the analysis clarified the following four points regarding the “questions” suitable for the goals of science learning and problem-solving activities. (1) “How” questions tend to be more common in the study of energy and particles among the domains, and are suitable for having students focus on the operation and control of experiments. “Where” questions tend to be more frequent in life sciences and is a question suitable for capturing the commonality and diversity of living organisms. (2) Among grades, questions of “meanings” tend to be more common in the sixth grade and are suitable for applying the thinking of the sixth grade in line with the revision of the Courses of Study. (3) No significant differences were found among the publishers surveyed, indicating that the same questions are reflected in all textbooks in accordance with the revised Courses of Study. (4) In comparison with Yanase et al., (2023), there was a tendency for more “yes/no” questions in primary schools’ textbooks, indicating that the questions are developmentally appropriate, encouraging students to solve problems in a scientific manner.

We planned and implemented a science lesson based on the “assessment triangle,” a model of assessment proposed in National Research Council literature, and the lesson in which it was implemented was presented as a case study. To present the case studies, we used the ethnography of qualitative research as our methodological framework, and participant observation was thus chosen. The lesson we planned and subsequently practiced was the fourth-grade elementary school class on the “Change in Volume of Air with Change in Temperature”. Analysis of the results demonstrated that the elements of the “assessment triangle,” namely “cognition,” “observation,” and “interpretation,” were realized in the class. Specifically, in the “Cognition” section, we determined what the children were aiming for, and in the “Observation” section, we collected data from the contents of their notebooks, their presentations, and their activities during the experiment. The data was interpreted and organized into a seating chart to grasp the state of achievement of the “cognition” goal, and a plan was subsequently made for the next period to further achieve the goal. We were thus able to demonstrate that the “assessment triangle” can be effectively applied to science education in Japan.

In this paper, we asked college students who were aiming to become science teachers to take time-lapse videos of clouds and analyzed whether they could capture the diversity of cloud flows from these videos. The results showed that 96.2% of the videos showed cloud flows, and 28.3% of them captured the diversity of cloud flows at different altitudes. The participants were asked to analyze what they could find in their own videos and the videos of all the participants in a step-by-step manner. The results showed that less than 20% of the participants were able to find that the direction and speed of cloud flow varied with altitude in their own videos, but 30–50% of them were able to find these differences when they viewed the videos of all the participants. This suggests that it is effective to analyze as many cases as possible in order to find and appreciate the diversity of cloud motion. Finally, 40.7% of the students were able to convey that atmospheric flow can vary at different altitudes, based on the discussion of cloud flow. The students' self-evaluations after the practice lesson were also positive, suggesting that analyzing time-lapse videos of clouds is effective, especially in finding that the direction of cloud flow varies with altitude.