Visual images are widely used in science textbooks to facilitate the understanding of abstract concept of light. This study aims to compare and analyze elementary school textbooks from Korea, the United States, and Japan, focusing on how visual images are utilized to effectively convey light-related content. The findings reveal that all three…

Anatomical education is very important in understanding the internal structure of the body and the mechanism of life, especially for the medical profession, including nursing. However, in Japan, students have a few opportunities of getting anatomical education using animals before they enter university. The different step-by-step anatomical…

This study examined the effects of individual student factors and classroom factors on elementary science achievement within and across five countries. The student-level factors included gender, self-confidence in science and home resources. The classroom-level factors included teacher characteristics, instructional variables and classroom…

This study investigates how preservice teachers make sense of student-centered instruction with existing traditional beliefs about teaching. Teacher educators assume that university instruction translates directly into practice, yet, research is clear that beginning teachers revert to traditional teaching practice. For elementary teachers, one…

There is evidence that student beliefs about science and classroom instructional strategies are related to achievement outcomes. This study was designed to examine relationships between student beliefs about science, instructional activities, and science achievement of elementary-school students in Japan. Students included in this analysis were…

Investigated divergence in science performance between U.S. and Japanese elementary students. Data from observations and analysis of science lessons in Japanese schools highlighted eight science activity structures and a rough order of occurrence in typical science lessons. These activity structures support a coherent inquiry process, and they may…

The purpose of this study is to refine Japanese elementary science activity structures by using a CSCL approach to transform the classroom into a knowledge-building community. We report design studies on two science lessons in two consecutive years and describe the progressive refinement of the activity structures. Through comparisons of student…

An analysis and comparison of science education in Japan and the United States is presented. Studies in comparative science education, including the first and second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the Japan and United States Cooperative Science Project, provide an empirical base for some of the…

This paper was developed to describe and discuss the characteristics of educational settings and school science curriculum in Japan as compared with the United States. Three major aspects of the role of science education are presented. The first is the cultural and societal expectations placed on education. This represents external influences on…

The status of pre-college science education in Japan is reviewed and analyzed in this paper from four different perspectives having to do with the impact of the national syllabus and with social problems, teacher problems, and the changes occurring with students. Japan's national syllabus is explained and elements related to its implementation,…

Considering the rapid advancements in scientific knowledge and technological improvements, this paper calls for a reorientation of the curriculum and instruction of science education in Japan. The document encourages the development of a science education program which focuses on a few major concepts and then teaches children how to think…

Most educators feel that it is important to provide novice teachers with in-service training at the beginning of their teaching careers, and to continue with such programs throughout their professional lives. With this in mind, this document outlines a proposed in-service teacher education program for Japan. The paper considers the creation of…

This paper discusses the development of new curricula, materials, and equipment in Japan. The first section, "The Development of New Curricula," discusses the National Curriculum Council and the improvement of the content of instruction, including basic directions for improvement, the structure and content of school subjects, and the…

This document describes some of the variables influencing the education of science teachers in Japan. One consideration involving the preservice education of science teachers relates to the type of undergraduate program. Both the Teacher Training System (TTS), in which the undergraduate students are based within the college of education, and the…

To cope with some social problems, Japanese educational planners are drafting some proposals for research into innovations in the educational system. This paper reports on some research recently done which looked into the relationships of the Japanese educational environment and the reasoning/thinking skills and process skills of students in…