The Control Experiment in Teaching Seed Germination to Fifth-grade Students and Improvement in the Teaching Method

Yoichiro ABE, Takekuni YAMAOKA, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI, Shinji MATSUMOTO

The purpose of this study is to improve the teaching method in order to enhance students' understanding of the need for water in seed germination. In a survey on the knowledge of 162 sixth-grade students and 136 fifth-grade students about the germination needs of kidney beans, we identified a group of students who failed to recognize the vital role of water in seed germination. In addition to the experiment from textbooks, those 136 fifth-grade students had the opportunity to test how alternative substances (e.g., olive oil and methanol) function in seed germination compared to water in the improved teaching method. The result indicated that the experiment using alternative substance improved students’ understanding of the need for water in seed germination.

Journal of research in science education

Society of Japan Science Teaching

Vol.59

No.3

335

343

2187-509X

https://doi.org/10.11639/sjst.18054