Science literacy education suited to the Japanese cultural context and its social acceptance - analysis of post-war science education reform

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23501058
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Science education
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: NOHARA Kayoko 東京工業大学, 留学生センター, 教授 (90327312)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKAYAMA Minoru 東京工業大学, 社会理工学研究科, 教授 (40221460) ; NAKAYA Fumio 大阪教育大学, 科学教育センター, 特任准教授 (90701011)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 理科教科書 / 戦後占領下 / 科学リテラシー / 科学読み物 / 『小学生の科学』 / 問題解決型 / 翻訳 / 批判的思考力

Outline of Final Research Achievements

After WWⅡ, the science teaching materials Shogakusei no Kagaku and Kisokagaku Kyoikusosho, compiled under the guidance of the US Army of Occupation were designed to encourage liberal thinking and a problem-solving approach. How imported American science education was provided to post-war children was investigated through text and illustration analysis using digitalised data, interviewing people who were in education, media or cultural activities at that time and archive survey. The results indicate that it was tentatively presented in the form of a unique text-type which narrativised scientific laws and phenomena into literary storylines under the real-life condition. The use of this type of readings could be effective in not only providing knowledge but also nurturing generic skills including critical thinking abilities as children must interpret independently the stories to extract science. This might be one form of science literacy education which functions in the Japanese context.

Free Research Field

科学リテラシー　理科教育　翻訳学