This study investigates how self-efficacy and motivation predict students' science literacy and career expectations above and beyond their socioeconomic status. A structural equation model built on self-determination theory and self-efficacy was examined using PISA 2015 data from Finland and Japan. The study sample is 5882 and 6647 15-year-old…

It is considered important to clarify the role of technology and engineering education for evolving STEM/STEAM education in each country. However, in Japan, unlike in other countries, the focus on STEAM education began after 2018, so the relevance of STEAM education to technology and engineering education has not yet been fully discussed.…

This study investigates junior high school students' perspectives on improving manufactured products and their perceptions as users after participating in materials processing technology learning in Japan. Guided by recent changes in Japanese curriculum guidelines emphasizing real-world application, we conducted a web-based survey collecting 721…

Writing is the result of our desire to express our feelings, thoughts, dreams, and ourselves. In today's education, with the penetration of technology into our lives, what we express not only on paper but also on the screen is within the scope of writing skills. Writing is a language skill that requires high-level mental skills such as producing a…

This paper reports on combining semiotic and discursive approaches to reification in classroom interactions. It focuses on the discursive characteristics and semiotic processes involved in the teaching and learning of square roots in a ninth grade classroom in Japan. The purpose of this study is to characterize the development of mathematical…

The study examined students' perceptions related to emotional and cognitive engagement of linguistic and diagrammatic representational practices in science learning. Altogether, 251 Japanese sixth-grade (11-12 years old) and 187 ninth-grade students (14-15 years old) participated. The students' recognitions were measured by a self-report…

This study aims to explore an educational learning environment that supports students to learn conceptual modelling with the unified modelling language (UML). In this study, we call the describing models "UML programming." In this paper, we show an educational UML programming environment for science, technology, engineering, art, and…

By assessing differentiated upper secondary education with homogeneous student backgrounds, previous studies indicate that a high concentration of students from families of higher socioeconomic status (SES) and a climate of educational expectations for higher educational attainment in schools result in a "hot house" effect that…

Japanese compulsory education is considered as relatively egalitarian since poorer regions receive more funding from the central government, which standardizes the quality of education nationwide. Nevertheless, the literature indicates socioeconomic status-based achievement and educational attainment gaps. As parts of explanations of these gaps,…

Among 110 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, teacher autonomy support in 9th grade significantly predicted intrinsic motivation for math in 9th grade as well as math course-taking over the next 2 years, both of which in turn significantly predicted math achievement by 11th grade. In a second model, teacher autonomy support was positively…

This study considers the teaching of historical and territorial issues between Japan and China for the current Japanese social studies curriculum. For research purposes, a lesson plan was designed and facilitated in Japanese elementary and junior high schools. This lesson addressed ongoing tensions between Japan and China over the sovereignty of…

With the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology calling for junior and senior high school English classes in Japan to be more communicative and taught in English, teachers need effective tools to help make their classrooms more interactive. Cooperative learning activities have the potential to increase interaction among students and…

Proof and proving are important components of school mathematics and have multiple functions in mathematical practice. Among these functions of proof, this paper focuses on the discovery function that refers to invention of a new statement or conjecture by reflecting on or utilizing a constructed proof. Based on two cases in which eighth and ninth…

The present study is an ongoing survey targeting Japanese fifth and ninth grade elementary and junior high school students respectively using the framework of "The Third Wave" international comparative study. The purpose of this research report is to describe the questionnaire survey's results and analyze some similarities and…

Relative to positive psychology, a focus on increasing psychological well-being has been recently supported. Positive psychology is the study of influences and processes that contribute to the successful and optimal functioning of individuals. Nurturing and encouraging wellness competencies creates a buffer against mental illness and fosters…