The purpose of this study was to investigate research trends of science education
in Japan. It was focused Kagaku-Kyouiku-Kenkyu (科学教育研究 the Journal of
Science Education in Japan) from 2000 to 2005. A total of 146 articles related with
science education were analyzed.
It was developed by analytic framework for investigation, which had 6 domains:
1) types of article and issues by each year, 2) numbers of authors, 3) resources of
researches, 4) research method, 5) domains of science subjects, and 6) categories of
science education research. After, it was reported typical characteristics of Japan's
research for science education by some selected articles.
The Journal of Science Education in Japan has published 4 or 5 issues each year,
and each publication by year contained about 40 articles. However, there were about 24
articles related in science educational research. The numbers of single author of article
were 54 cases (37.0%), and those of two researchers were 53 cases (36.3%). Total
articles less then 2 authors were 107 cases (73.3%). In the aspect of resources for
science education research, using human resource were 88 articles (60.3%), and non
human resource were 58 papers (39.6%). The most using research method was the
survey method (30.1%). Especially, action research was also high rate method (24.0%) in
the journals. In domain of science subjects, the highest rate was the papers for general
science education (56 cases, 38.4%). Relatively, physics education papers (23 cases,
15.8%) and chemistry education articles (23 cases, 15.8%) were also high rate rather
than biology education (14 cases, 9.6%) or earth science education (10 cases, 6.8%). The
most adapting category of science education research was teaching-learning theory (51
papers, 34.9%), and the second was development research (33 papers, 22.6%).
The typical characteristics of Japan's research trends for science education were
followed. Firstly, it was emphasized and published the article for teaching and learning
materials, which could use directly in classroom. Sometimes, there were typical
appearances that the same authors announced same themes by deepening contents.
Secondly, it was noted that some topics of science education offered special edition by
annual, for example, science curriculum or science museum and so on. Thirdly, it was
developed Japan's unique research domains, for example, historical research for the
history of science education in Japan. Fourthly, in study of science education, it was
emphasized for the multi-cultural science education. Those papers were pointed not
only advanced nations like UK or US, but also Asia or Africa regions. And finally, the researches of science education of Japan were included science subject education,
technology and home economics education, mathematics education and educational
engineering.