An Investigation on the Methods to Foster Learners' Thinking Skills in School Science at Primary and Lower Secondary Schools Levels

本研究的目的是提出在小学和初中阶段培养学生思维能力，特别是科学思维能力的策略。在拟议期间取得了下列调查结果：研究人员在个人电脑上建立了由英美各种科学教科书中的句子组成的“材料科学”数据库。利用该数据库，对其中的教材内容进行了分析。并对教材的范围和顺序进行了比较。结果发现，各国科学教科书中所描述的内容各不相同，但日本的科学教科书却大同小异。收集并分析了教科书中关于科学本质、科学方法、科学探究、工艺技能等方面的描述。有几本美国科学教科书详细介绍了这些项目。另一方面，日本的则完全没有。美国教科书中对科学思维技能的解释最多，其次是英国教科书。调查了九年级小学生和大学生对“学校科学”和“科学”的概念。从结果中指出了在科学思维技能方面存在的几个问题。开发了培养科学思维能力的教材。他们被允许试着去做小学生。事实证明，这些材料是有效的。进一步的评估正在进行中。

The purpose of this study is to suggest the strategies to foster pupils' thinking skills, especially scientific thinking skills in school science at primary and lower secondary schools levels. The following findings have been obtained during the proposed period.1. Researchers have constructed "material science" database which is composed of the sentences in various American and British science textbooks on the personal computer. Using this database, contents of textbooks were analyzed among them. Scopes and sequences of teaching materials in textbooks were also compared. It was found that their contents described in each science textbook are quite different each other, but that ones in Japan are similar.2. Descriptions in textbooks on nature of science, scientific methods, scientific enquiry, process skills, etc., were collected, and analyzed. Several American science textbooks have entered into details about these items. On the other hand, Japanese ones have not at all.3. Explanation on scientific thinking skills in textbooks are seen most often in American's, and then British ones.4. Ninth grade pupils' and university students' conception of "school science (RIKA, in Japanese)" and "science" were surveyed. From results several problems on scientific thinking skills were pointed out.5. Teaching materials to foster scientific thinking skills are developed. They have been allowed to try to pupils. It has been proved that these materials are effective. Further assessment is in progress.