Instructional Characteristics of Graphs in Elementary and Lower-Secondary School Science Textbooks: Content Analysis Focusing on the Elements of a Graph

• SUEHIRO Sho

  Graduate School of Education, Kagoshima University

• UCHINOKURA Shingo

  Faculty of Education, Kagoshima University

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• 小・中学校理科教科書に見られるグラフとその指導の特徴
• 小・中学校理科教科書に見られるグラフとその指導の特徴 : グラフの構成要素に着目した内容分析から
• ショウ ・ チュウガッコウ リカ キョウカショ ニ ミラレル グラフ ト ソノ シドウ ノ トクチョウ : グラフ ノ コウセイ ヨウソ ニ チャクモク シタ ナイヨウ ブンセキ カラ
• ―グラフの構成要素に着目した内容分析から―

Abstract

This study explores the quantitative trends of graphs and the instructions of construction and interpretation of graphs in elementary and lower-secondary school science textbooks. Utilizing content analysis that focused on the elements of a graph, twenty-four elementary textbooks and fifteen lower-secondary textbooks in Japan were examined. The findings of our examination of the topic Graphs and Graphing in science textbooks in Japan revealed the following trends: First, the average and total number of graphs in the science textbooks of lower-secondary schools were larger in number than the number of graphs in the textbooks of elementary schools. Second, following the transition from elementary schools to lower-secondary schools, the proportions of the type of graphs and variables were found to be different. While the proportions of line graphs and bar graphs were observed to be decreasing in the school-level transition, the proportions of curve graphs and straight-line graph were seen to be increasing. Third, most graphs in the elementary science textbooks generally included all the basic elements of a graph (plots, axis, unit of variable, and scale). On the other hand, in addition to the full-element graphs, more abstract graphs that showed only the trend of change without identifying concrete numerical values were also found in lower-secondary science textbooks. Fourth, based on the case study on the selected Japanese textbooks, the textbook descriptions of instruction for graphs in the textbooks emphasized only some specific parts of graphing such as aims of graphing, key procedures for constructing line graphs, and errors of measurement. Other aspects of graphing were not mentioned explicitly, including selection of the graph types, ways to interpret the graphs, explanation of dependent and independent variables, mathematical formulation of approximate lines. Implications from the study suggest the importance of learning the nature of variables and the selection of graph, and treating the procedural knowledge and epistemological knowledge of graphs and graphing together.

Journal

• Journal of Research in Science Education

  Journal of Research in Science Education 59 (1), 67-77, 2018-07-31

  Society of Japan Science Teaching

Keywords

• Graph and Graphing
• Variables
• Science Textbooks
• Content Analysis

Details

• CRID: 1390282763035059712
• NII Article ID: 130007437831
• NII Book ID: AA11406090
• DOI: 10.11639/sjst.18012
• ISSN: 2187509X
• ISSN: 13452614
• NDL BIB ID: 029220781
• Web Site: https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R000000004-I029220781
• Web Site: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/sjst/59/1/59_18012/_pdf
• Text Lang: ja
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • NDL
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed