Learning about the Coexistence between Nature and Humans in Elementary Science Education: Developing Lessons Using Folktales That Reflect Ancestors’ Views on Nature

Abstract

Understanding the coexistence between nature and humans is a basic concept required in modern society. In this study, we verify the effectiveness of folktales as teaching material in science education by incorporating folktales into the fifth-grade elementary school science unit, “Functions of Running Water and Changes in the Land”. We investigate the effects of folktales that express ancestors’ perspectives on nature on pupils’ ideas about the coexistence between nature and humans. Additionally, we explore the possibility of using folktales in science education. In November 2017, an experimental group (74 participants) explored the coexistence between nature and humans through folktales, while a control group (60 participants) explored this coexistence through discussion activities. These experiments were conducted in fifth-grade classrooms at elementary schools in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan. Our results indicate that for some pupils in the experimental group, exposure to their ancestors’ views of nature helped them develop and refine their ideas about their connection to and relationship with the river. Folktales vividly depict the nature of the past in the places where the pupils live, offering a glimpse into their ancestors’ different views on nature that differ from present-day views. It is considered that, by coming into contact with the folktale, pupils were able to enter a situation that transcended time, allowing them to think about and empathize with the people who lived with the river. It is suggested that this connection is related to the results described above.