A Theoretical and Practical Study on Practices to Promote Scientific High-Order Thinking in Schools Using STEM Education

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K14121
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 09080:Science education-related
• Research Institution: Shiga University (2023); Tokai Gakuen University (2020-2022)
• Principal Investigator: Yamaoka Takekuni 滋賀大学, 教職大学院, 特任准教授 (00844565)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: STEM教育 / 科学的思考 / プラクティス / 新たな疑問 / 深い学び / 教師の発問 / 質の高い発問

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study clarifies the characteristics of teacher questioning in advanced STEM teaching practices at schools in Japan and abroad. To this end, the research objectives were to elucidate practices that promote higher-order scientific thinking, propose STEM education relevant to the Japanese educational context, and derive suggestions for teaching methods. The results of interviews and questionnaires conducted with researchers and STEM education practitioners in Japan and the Philippines revealed that accurately grasping learners’ current situations, providing advice at appropriate times, devising ways to generate cognitive conflicts, and devising lesson plans that lead to the next stage of learning become necessary to conduct inquiry activities that deepen learning content. The lesson plans were clearly devised to generate cognitive conflicts and connect them to the next stage of learning.

Free Research Field

学校教育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本のSTEM実践者は，目の前の学習者達の現状把握をしっかりと行い，学習者主体の活動にする傾向が見られた。また，認知的葛藤を生起させるための工夫を行い，素朴概念を活用しながら次の学習に繋げていくことが分かった。そして，質の高い発問は，学習者の思考を促すように作られていることが重要である。実際に，生徒が思考することで，新たな問いも生起される。こうした循環が，教室には必要であることが分かった。