Purpose of the Joint Research Project

Effects of Traditional Cosmology on Science Education


Purpose of the Project

When we consider rationale of science education in the near-future, an important issue is that how the relation of scientific cosmology, which is constructed by the scientific community, and traditional cosmology, which is held by lay people in their life-world, should be. The purpose of the project is to compare how the conflict of the two cosmologies appears and how it be dealt with in the science education programs for Japanese, African, Mideastern, and First Nation's people, who received western modern science as a foreign culture, and come to mutual understanding of the situation. Through the process, the ultimate goal of the project is to establish a new rationale of science eudcation, which is fit to the coming multiculturally co-exixtent society.

Category of Grant

Monbusho International Scientific Research Program: Joint Research

Period of Proposed Project

April in 1996 to March in 1997 (one year)

Outline of the Project

The project aims at clarifying how traditional cosmology of a certain people affects the enterprise called 'Science Education' in the society concerned. For that purpose, in the first year, we must examine how to define 'traditional cosmology' in the context of sciene education, and then come to the operational definition of 'traditional cosmology' in the project, which guides us to further empirical studies. Next, based upon the operational definition, specific survey methodology should be established. The process will be performed firstly by brainstorming among the members for about 2-3 months through the Internet, then by one week meeting at Mito, where research strategy and specific research methodology is established. Then, each member coming back to his own country starts the survey based upon the methodology established. In the second year, each member send the research results to the principle investigator, who compile each result into the whole and send it back to each member. Through the Internet members exchange ideas on how to synethise the results. The Mito meeting will be held again to integrate the results and discuss the framework of compiling the final report. Then, the members will write the reports. After finishing the project, members will try to publish the research results into an professional journal.

MemberPurposeProgramVSH-CISTE
Tra-CosDep.Sci.Edu.Fac.Edu.Ibaraki Uni.
Ibaraki Prefecture