The purpose of this study was twofold. The first objective was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional method in the third grade science lesson on “Force and Motion” in elementary schools, in which “a functional view and way of thinking” was put to work and the characteristics of the relationship between two quantities were discussed by relating tables, graphs, and equations to each other. The second objective was to verify the effect of the teaching method incorporating the concept of universal unit of measurement for area, as well as the concept of multiplication, on pupils’ ability to read the magnitude of distance traveled from the v-t diagram (graph of speed and time) and to understand the quantitative meaning of definite integral in “Force and Motion.” In order to achieve this objective, we conducted a qualitative analysis of the results of a survey question that measured the degree of understanding of the dimensional relationship between force and motion in a science class on this topic for third grade elementary school students. The results of the qualitative analysis revealed the following. (1) The repeated use of the “functional way of thinking” throughout the entire program was confirmed to be effective in deepening the pupils’ understanding of the dimensional relationship between force and motion. (2) It was clarified that the lesson program of “Developmental Graph Reading” has a certain effect on the students’ understanding of the quantitative meaning of definite integral.

After studying the concept of vectors in upper secondary school mathematics, students can classify quantities treated in natural sciences into vector quantities and scalar quantities, based on their definitions. Electric current, which pupils have studied often since elementary school, is not classified easily, however, because its definition in electromagnetics at the university level is not uniform. This article, after introducing the mathematical background and phenomenon of electric current, attempts to understand its vector and scalar nature by considering electric current from different viewpoints: treatment in schools, integral and differential forms, treatment on microscopic and macroscopic scales including a coarse-grained view. Reasons to treat electric current as a vector quantity or a scalar quantity are reviewed. In addition to the narrow meaning of electric current, there is a wider meaning which includes other quantities. Phrases and educational materials connected with teaching the topic of electric current, and points on how to understand the various types of electric currents, are discussed and proposed.

The current Course of Study has significantly reduced the essential core vocabulary addressed in upper secondary school biology and basic biology as compared to the previous curriculum. Consequently, for the majority of students, the sole exposure to animal development observation experiments throughout their elementary and secondary education is limited to “observation of medaka egg” in the fifth grade. This limited exposure raises concerns related to students’ comprehension of animal development, which encompasses various stages and is biased toward differentiation. This study aims to implement a novel animal development observation experiment for elementary and lower secondary schools, complementing the existing “observation of medaka egg (differentiation)” activity. A new experiment was developed in this study to observe animal development using the Pacific oyster. Through this experiment, students can observe gametes, fertilization and meiosis in the Pacific oyster. Implemented as visiting lectures at various elementary and lower secondary educational institutions, the feasibility of executing the experiment and its pedagogical impact on students were systematically evaluated during these sessions. The results indicated that the experiment could be successfully implemented at an appropriate level of difficulty within a single-class period in both elementary and lower secondary schools. Furthermore, students, in accordance with their stages of learning, were able to recognize, develop an interest in, and comprehend the concepts of ‘gametes,’ ‘fertilization,’ and ‘meiosis’ through this experimental approach. These findings suggest that this experiment, which uses the Pacific oyster to examine animal development, has the potential to introduce a novel educational approach in elementary and lower secondary schools, thereby expanding the pedagogical focus beyond differentiation.

The purpose of this study was to offer a method of teaching elementary school science that deepens students’ understanding of metamodeling knowledge, and to evaluate the method’s effectiveness. In order to achieve this purpose, a lesson incorporating “modeling” was conducted in the fourth grade “temperature and volume of objects” unit at an elementary school. Specifically, a metal bottle half-filled with water was prepared, and a detergent film was placed over the drinking spout and heat was applied. Then, the phenomenon of membrane swelling was presented to the children, and a learning instruction method was implemented to construct a model that could explain the phenomenon in a unified manner. Through experiments to verify the relationship between the temperature and the volume of air, water, and metal, the students rejected or modified the model they had created. The results of the post-lesson analysis suggested that this instructional method contributed to the pupils’ understanding of “tentativeness” and “manifestation of characteristics,” both aspects of metamodeling knowledge. On the other hand, it was suggested that the method did not have any influence on the students’ understanding of “explaining and predicting phenomena,” and “marginality”.

The purpose of this study was to facilitate experiments using multiple pulleys and to measure the effect of utilizing block toys in lower secondary school science learning. As a result of using block toys, the strings did not come off the moving pulleys, and various patterns of experiments using multiple pulleys could be easily conducted. In addition, the new system using block toys can be manufactured at a lower cost than conventional pulleys, making it easier to obtain and adopt into science classes. As for the effect of the experiment, in the case of complex patterns with multiple dynamic pulleys and strings connected to the pulleys, the students’ understanding of how to identify the dynamic pulley, as well as how the magnitude of force and the distance to pull the string change, was deepened in comparison to the baseline case without using the dynamic pulley system with the block toys.

The purpose of this study is to clarify whether instructional strategies based on the characteristics of inquiry in biology in lower secondary school science are effective in fostering intellectual humility. Specifically, this study aimed to determine whether instructional strategies based on the characteristics of inquiry in biology, as devised by Kawasaki et al. (2024), can foster intellectual humility among lower secondary school students. The study was conducted in a second-year lower secondary school class on “Plant Body Structure and Function.” Following the intervention, qualitative analysis revealed that many students actively engaged in learning based on the characteristics of inquiry in biology, while quantitative analysis indicated an improvement in the mean score for the “Cautiousness in Generalization” factor of intellectual humility. Based on these findings, we concluded that instructional strategies in lower secondary school science that incorporate Kawasaki’s characteristics of inquiry in biology are effective in fostering intellectual humility, particularly in terms of promoting prudence in generalizations.

In this study, we aimed to develop a method to evaluate and measure critical thinking skills by using video content to exercise metacognition in real time. Based on Nigorikawa and Ogura (2022), we defined the state of acquiring critical thinking skills as “being aware of various ‘uncertainties’ by using metacognition.” By watching a video showing science leaning and pointing out the “uncertainties” found on a worksheet while watching the video, we developed video content that requires real-time metacognition and evaluates whether the participants are able to notice “uncertainty” and, from this content, we created two videos with different contexts. To confirm whether it is possible to evaluate and measure critical thinking skills using this method, we conducted a survey on sixth-grade elementary school students and analyzed the results. The results showed that the video content developed in this study can be used to estimate critical thinking skills that exercise students’ metacognition in real time while encouraging their own critical thinking and judgement. A high correlation was observed between the measurement results using the two videos, demonstrating reliable measurement. We calculated the standardized score based on the average score and standard deviation of the subjects of this survey, which made it possible to evaluate the results of future surveys in comparison with the subjects of this survey. It was also suggested that future studies of teaching with the aim of developing critical thinking skills can evaluate the effectiveness of the method by using this video content before and after the study.

We developed educational materials for volcano disaster prevention for first grade students of lower secondary schools in Izu Oshima, aiming at understanding GNSS observations under a volcano disaster prevention education program in collaboration with elementary and lower secondary schools, and examined the educational effects of classroom practice using the materials. Specifically, urethane foam, which is used to simulate magma, is placed under cat litter (bentonite-based), which is used to simulate a mountain body, and a button, which is used to simulate a GNSS, is placed on top of the cat litter. As the urethane foam rises in the cat litter and the “mountain” expands, the distance between the two GNSS-like buttons is measured by the students, and a graph of the change in distance between the two points is created based on the measured data. The results of the lesson practice demonstrated that the teaching material was effective in helping students understand the relationship between the distance between two GNSS points and subterranean magma. It also showed the possibility of connecting the rising magma and evacuation behavior. In addition, the activity of reading line graphs of GNSS data published in “Koho Oshima” (Public Relations Oshima), which was conducted before and after the class practice, suggested that the class using the teaching materials may enable students to relate the distance between two GNSS points and the movement of magma, and, further, to read and interpret line graphs.

The purpose of this study was to categorize and analyze all observations and experiments presented in elementary school science textbooks published by two companies (Company X and Company Z). Company Y fell outside the scope of this part of the study, as it was the subject of Yamada et al.’s (2021a) previous analysis. The study was completed by conducting a cluster analysis based on “research skills,” which allowed for clarification of the differences and distinctions between them. Company X’s textbooks were thus categorized into six clusters, while those of Company Z were categorized into five. Based on the percentage of “inquiry skills” contained in each cluster, the inquiry-oriented characteristics of each cluster could be interpreted. In addition, we compared science textbooks from three companies, including Company Y, from three perspectives of characteristic skills: 1) qualitative and quantitative, 2) presence or absence of hypothesis setting, and 3) presence or absence of variable control, and obtained the following three suggestions. ① All three companies have observations and experiments that can be categorized into the same clusters. ② Even if the observations, experiments, and other aspects of the lessons are the same, they can be categorized into different clusters due to differences in the content described, and when viewed from the “three perspectives of characteristic skills” mentioned above, significant differences can be seen among the textbook companies’ offerings. ③ Inquiry characteristics are determined through observations, experiments, and other learning activities, and some of these include problem-solving skills that are promoted in other grades.

The National Institute for Educational Policy Research (2021) analyzes Japanese children’s target realization of the usefulness of science via survey TIMSS2019. That survey question is “I think learning science will help me in my daily life.” Do Japanese children really think that science is not useful in everyday life? In our research, we thought deeply about creating lessons that foster a foundation of useful scientific knowledge among students. Everyday usefulness in daily life should be regarded as a fundamental purpose of learning science. Science should not only be a part of school education, but also part of daily life. We therefore explored learning to foster a deeper understanding of the tools we use in our daily lives. We thought that if we could connect science taught in school with everyday life, the students’ perceived usefulness of science would be increased. We selected and planned a model lesson to help pupils learn about scientific principles and the effective use of everyday tools, in grade 6 of elementary school science in a unit on “the regularity of levers”. We thought that, if the students knew that leverage principles can also be applied to the human body with “body mechanics” used in nursing care sites, they would gain a deeper understanding of the tools they were using. We thus investigated the effect of the model science lesson on the “perceived usefulness” of science. As a result, we learned that the “perceived usefulness” ranking of the class in which body mechanics was incorporated and taught was significantly higher than that of the class in which regular instruction was given, confirming the effectiveness of the model lesson’s approach.

In this study, we created original digital content through collaboration between the museum and a startup company, and delivered them to all sixth-grade elementary school students in Toyohashi City, utilizing the content as teaching materials during class visits. The effectiveness and usefulness of the content was examined and analyzed, revealing that 56% of the 3,431 students in 73% of the 52 schools used the content, and the digestion rate of the questions in the content was 24.6% among the students who used it. Results of the visiting class, the question digestion rate increased to 55.2%. In today’s world, where almost every child has a personal computer, it is expected that classes make use of digital teaching materials. The development of teaching materials in collaboration with the startup company and the museum can promote a new collaboration between schools and museums, as well as digital archiving of the museum’s exhibits and assets.

The substance of science is text, and the science text that is most familiar to children is the science textbook. Therefore, reading comprehension of science textbooks is an important element in children’s science learning activities (Tonishi, 2021). This is a practical study that attempted to teach “Nutrient Content of Seeds” to fifth grade elementary school children through reading comprehension of science textbooks. In this practice, a teaching method for text interpretation was introduced, in which the text is read three times, known as SANDOKUHOU (Ishiyama, 1973). The children were able to read texts, understand theories and experimental methods, formulate experimental hypotheses, and predict outcomes. Setting an experimental hypothesis made it possible to conduct meaningful experiments. Furthermore, the agreement between the predictions and the actual results convinced the children that the experiment was successful. The success of the experiment allowed the children to believe in the theory. Because a theory is one of the propositions that make up a text, forming a commitment to this proposition helps children understand the text. That is, the experiment is part of the text and serves as a means for the learner to interpret the text. By reading their science textbooks, the children were able to understand that plants (of the legume family) use the starch in their cotyledons to germinate. It was confirmed that this experiment deepened children’s understanding of the text.

Conductance is a concept that describes the ease of current flow and is expressed as the reciprocal of resistance. In the “Properties of Electric Current” section of the second-year lower secondary school study unit on the “Relationship between Voltage and Current,” conductance was used as a proportional constant in the equation relating voltage and current. As a result, it was reported that Ohm’s law was easier to understand because it can be expressed in the form of the basic proportional equation students learned in mathematics (Fukuta & Tonishi, 2021). As an extension, this study deepened students’ understanding of the concept of conductance (G) by applying it to the study of “Combined resistance,” particularly the parallel connections of resistors. The students were able to intuitively understand that series connections of resistors add resistance (R=R₁+R₂) and parallel connections of resistors add conductance (G=G₁+G₂). Based on the students’ ideas, experiments were conducted to confirm these relationships. The students had previously learned that conductance and resistance are interchangeable (G=1/R), so they could easily replace “G=G₁+G₂” with “1/R=1/R₁+1/R₂.”

In general, students try to memorize the formula for connecting resistors in parallel “1/R=1/R₁+1/R₂” because they lack semantic understanding. However, with the introduction of the concept of conductance and the understanding that conductance is additive in parallel connections, the equation “1/R=1/R₁+1/R₂” could be more fully understood by the students as a meaningful proposition.

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether lower secondary school students can appropriately evaluate models of dissolution phenomena in three different activities in which they evaluate models. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and the following three points were clarified from the results. (1) Among the three types of activities to evaluate the model of dissolution phenomena, students were most able to grasp the points that the model explained well, excelling at those, but did not fare as well on the ones the model failed to explain adequately. (2) The activity of considering whether the experimental results obtained are consistent with what the model explains and predicts was proven to be difficult for the students. The reason for this is that their overall ability to explain why the model did not agree with the experimental results was low. (3) Depending on the model used, the difficulty of the activity in which the students can evaluate the model varies.

In this study, we categorized observations and experiments published in the upper secondary school basic chemistry textbook of Company A, certified by the Ministry of Education in 2021, from the perspective of “inquiry skills” developed by Hasegawa et al. (2013). We aimed to clarify the inquiry characteristics of each cluster. From the results, the following points became clear: (1) Observations and experiments published in the upper secondary school basic chemistry textbook of Company A can be categorized into four types according to “inquiry skills”. (2) The four types of observations and experiments can be classified into two types of “inquiry skills”: whether they are quantitative or qualitative, and can be further classified according to whether the reasoning is inductive, abductive, or deductive. (3) Observations and experiments in the upper secondary school basic chemistry textbook tend to involve more deductive thinking than the “particles” area of the primary school science textbook, and tend to include less hypothesis setting and hypothesis testing. (4) There is no significant difference between the percentage of “inquiry skills” included in observations and experiments in the upper secondary school basic chemistry textbook and that of the “particles” area of the lower secondary school science textbook.

In science learning, the type of thinking that functions when pupils construct scientific concepts is referred to as scientific thinking, and its development is encouraged. It is thought that learners’ thinking is interconnected and proceeds in a series of steps within the context of scientific inquiry, which unfolds in a sequence. However, while scientific thinking within individual phases of scientific inquiry has been examined, the connections between the phases and the overall sequence of scientific thinking throughout the inquiry process require further investigation. Based on this understanding, the purpose of this study is to clarify the nature of children’s scientific thinking as it develops in relation to these phases during the problem-solving process. Specifically, this study focused on Kuhn’s (2010) suggestions, which categorize the process of scientific inquiry into four phases and organize the scientific thinking within each phase. Informed by Kuhn’s framework, a case analysis was conducted. The analysis revealed how children engaged in scientific thinking during each phase—inquiry, analysis, and inference—of this practice, as well as the transitions between these phases. Regarding the transitions between phases of scientific thinking, it was suggested that establishing the purpose of scientific inquiry during the inquiry phase contributes to valid analysis and interpretation in the analysis phase. Furthermore, the transitions in scientific thinking from the analysis phase to the inference phase were broadly categorized into two groups: high-level transitions and low-level transitions. Among these, it was suggested that the students in the high-level transition group were able to form inferences by linking evidence extracted through analysis and interpretation, facilitated by scientific thinking, and expressed through drawing.

This paper investigates whether first-year students in the Faculty of Education correctly understand the temporal definitions of “active faults” and “active volcanoes.” The results showed that only 8.1% of the students correctly answered questions regarding both active faults and active volcanoes. Furthermore, more than 65% of science-education majors also provided incorrect answers. Overall, more than half of the students believed that the time scales for both active faults and active volcanoes were less than 1,000 years. It is evident that the knowledge of definitions regarding the temporal definitions of active faults and active volcanoes is not fully understood.

This study aimed to refine the “Ishi-tsuri Bune” model teaching material proposed in previous research to quantitatively capture the principle that “the volume of an object submerged in water determines the magnitude of buoyancy” in buoyancy learning. With upper secondary school usage in mind, the teaching material was developed to enable quantitative prediction of the maximum number of stones a boat can carry based on the mass and volume of both the boat and the stones, followed by empirical verification. The validation results of the developed material demonstrated that the maximum number of stones the boat could carry generally matched the predicted number, confirming its utility as a teaching material to effectively convey the concept that “the volume of an object submerged in water determines buoyancy.” However, when the stones were suspended below the boat, the most frequent result was one stone fewer than the predicted maximum carrying capacity, differing from the results when the stones were placed on top of the boat. This discrepancy was attributed to the tilting of the boat caused by a shift in the overall center of gravity.

In this paper, existing teaching materials are modified with inexpensive materials so that students can individually measure solar radiation for use in “Earth’s Heat Budget,” which is covered in the course “Basic Earth Science” in upper secondary school. Since existing teaching materials such as simple pyranometers are expensive and difficult to obtain in large quantities for use in schools, commercially available herbarium spherical glass bottles (about 400 yen each) were used as substitute materials. Water mixed with India ink was placed in the bottle and exposed to solar radiation to measure the change in water temperature, from which the amount of solar radiation could be estimated. Measurements made under clear skies in winter produced results comparable to past cases and to direct solar radiation data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, confirming the validity and utility of adopting inexpensive herbarium spherical glass bottles as an alternative teaching material.

The purpose of this study is to develop science lessons related to ESD and the SDGs for elementary school, and to improve children’s awareness of ESD and the SDGs. We focused on the field of particles, which has little past practice, and have developed a lesson on global warming at the end of the sixth grade science unit “Mechanism of Combustion”, along with teaching materials. The results of putting this lesson into practice in the sixth grade of a public elementary school (58 children in two classes) demonstrated that the developed lesson is effective in helping children recognize how global warming relates to their own lives, and promotes deeper thinking about actions which they can take to reduce carbon dioxide emissions for the purpose of develop a sustainable society. Questionnaire surveys given to science teachers also showed that the developed lesson effectively contributes to the dissemination of teaching practices related to ESD and the SDGs in elementary school science.

This study examined the effectiveness of a teaching plan through a case study approach on the findings from conducting classes, class review meetings, research policy formulation meetings, in-school research, and facilitating collaborative reflections among observers. Based on descriptions from the classes, teaching plans, and questionnaires administered in the first research class and class review meeting, the following four key strategies to foster deep learning emerged during the subsequent research policy formulation meeting: ① comparative study, ② facing difficult issues, ③ having a clear goal, and ④ questions rooted in real-life situations. In the second research class and class review meeting, the round study format proposed by Ishii et al. (2017) was incorporated into the class review and analyzed the descriptions from the post-questionnaire. Based on the findings of the analysis, a teaching plan was developed and implemented in the “Phenomena of Light” unit, incorporating two key innovations: “facing difficult issues” and “questions rooted in real-life situations.” From the collaborative reflections of the teachers who observed the class and student artifacts, it was confirmed that the class made full use of the knowledge gained in the class review meeting. Moreover, it was suggested that, if sufficient time were allocated to review and summarize the results, these strategies could form the basis of an authentic learning experience.