What affects Japanese science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in lower secondary schools? A case study of international comparison between Hiroshima (Japan) and Leeds (England)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Science curriculum is delivered to students through a controlled process at different levels and in various contexts. Although it has been said that science teachers’ viewpoints and attitudes influence the interpretation of curricula, this study is interested in factors affecting their pedagogical perspectives, such as their beliefs and teaching practices. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the factors involved in forming lower secondary science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in Japan. To achieve this objective, we conducted a survey of lower secondary science teachers in the city of Hiroshima in Japan and the city of Leeds in England (we do not intend to imply that Leeds is representative of all of England). We then examined their pedagogical perspectives both quantitatively and comparatively. Based on the empirical research data, we discussed science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in the context of proximal fields of study, and with reference to research literature more closely related to the present investigation. Through empirical and theoretical analyses, we could confirm the influence of the so-called ‘sociocultural contexts’ composed both of the social environments that act indirectly and the cultural contexts that act directly. In other words, we concluded that sociocultural contexts imbued in Japanese society serve as universal elements and are accepted implicitly by Japan’s science teachers. These customs serve to regulate science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in Japan.