@article {1218,
	title = {TEACHING OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS BY SCIENCE TEACHERS IN JAPANESE PRIMARY SCHOOLS},
	journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education},
	volume = {21},
	year = {2022},
	month = {October/2022},
	pages = {Continuous},
	type = {Original article},
	chapter = {801-816},
	abstract = {The importance of critical thinking in science education is widely recognized. However, little research has been conducted on the teaching of critical thinking by teachers. If actual teaching conditions of teachers in the classroom are clarified, effective teaching methods for developing critical thinking in students could be developed. This study administered a questionnaire survey to ascertain how science teachers teach critical thinking in Japanese primary schools. The study population consisted of 291 Japanese primary school teachers with teaching careers spanning 1{\textendash}38 years. The survey revealed the following. (1) Teachers taught students the importance of conducting experiments by themselves to obtain results. However, teachers did not sufficiently teach students the need to conduct multiple experiments before reaching a conclusion, improve data reliability before making decisions, or examine their conclusions carefully given incomplete data. (2) Compared to teachers with shorter teaching careers, teachers with longer careers taught critical thinking more effectively, particularly in terms of emphasizing positivity and maintaining a healthy skepticism. (3) Teachers who taught emphasized positivity and encouraged multifaceted thinking were more likely to teach about emphasized evidence. The corresponding causal relationship analysis suggests that teaching that emphasizes positivity and encourages multifaceted thinking is key to promoting evidence-oriented instruction.},
	keywords = {critical thinking skills, in-service teachers, science learning, teachers{\textquoteright} training, teaching skills},
	issn = {1648-3898},
	doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/22.21.801},
	url = {https://oaji.net/articles/2022/987-1667236818.pdf},
	author = {Hiroyoshi Kinoshita}
}
@article {1093,
	title = {LEARNING PROGRESSIONS IN LOWER-SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN JAPAN},
	journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education},
	volume = {20},
	year = {2021},
	month = {October/2021},
	pages = {Continuous},
	type = {Original article},
	chapter = {775-789},
	abstract = {This research examined whether incorporating learning progress (LPs) in teaching can help Japanese lower-secondary school students systemically understand science concepts. A teaching plan incorporating the learning progressions (LPs) concept was developed. Next, a lesson was conducted for 36 third-year students of a public lower-secondary school in Japan (Hiroshima Prefecture) from the unit of {\textquotedblleft}Ions and Atoms.{\textquotedblright} Then, the portfolios used in the class and the assessment questions after the class were analyzed. The results show that some students understood the concepts systemically at the grade level indicated by the LPs; however, some students did not. The results of this study suggest the following: (1) teachers should examine the appropriate teaching methods in the target unit and incorporate teaching to allow students to engage with what they are learning; (2) students should understand the lower-level concepts related to the target unit based on LPs, and if the level of understanding is insufficient, teachers should incorporate time to review and reconstruct the concepts. },
	keywords = {learning progressions (LPs), lower-secondary school science, scientific concepts, systemic learning},
	issn = {1648-3898},
	doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/21.20.775},
	url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2021/987-1633680500.pdf},
	author = {Hiroyoshi Kinoshita and Ryosuke Utani}
}
