9700667 Riley This award supports a two year collaborative research project between Professors Joseph Riley and Michael Padilla of the University of Georgia and Professor Shigekazu Takemara of Hiroshima University in Japan. The goal of this project is to compare and document the preservice and inservice preparation of science teachers and the effectiveness of this education on teacher development and student achievement. The research will focus on three areas: 1) What teachers need to know (content, pedagogy, knowledge of students); 2) What teachers need to be able to do (ability to use various teaching strategies); and 3) How the program should be structured to mirror the best practice (school experience and modeling good teaching). Researchers from each institution will work together in six teams. Each team will be responsible for one of the collaborative research questions. The teams will collect the research data and then provide an analysis. The study will engage the expertise of the faculties of Arts and Sciences and Education in two of the leading teacher preparation institutions in Japan and the United States. A significant outcome of the project will be the development of a critical mass of researchers, who will have first hand knowledge and experience about science education in Japan. The project will contribute to a growing dialogue and literature base on Japanese science education. Specific outcomes include development of a Word Wide Web site on science education practices in Japan and the United States which will be continuously updated. ***
