Background: School education should improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ability not only in science and mathematics but also in technology and engineering. However, practice and research are being conducted without clear definitions and methods for STEM education. Moreover, the positioning and characteristics of the technology included in each STEM field are unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to propose an appropriate framework for practice of STEM from the viewpoint of technology education. In response to this need, this commentary proposes a conceptual framework for the appropriate practice of STEM education. Results: First, we referred to the perspectives and thinking styles of the fields of science, technology, and mathematics in the Japanese curriculum to specify the approach of the education system to each subject included in STEM. Next, to determine the concept of engineering in STEM education, we referred to the definition of engineering presented in Japan, the USA, and the UK. We positioned engineering, which means creating structures, processes, systems, etc., as a practical STEM activity and attempted to relate it to the unique perspectives and thinking styles of mathematics, science, and technology. Conclusion: We proposed a conceptual framework for the appropriate practice of STEM education based on the principles of subjects in the Japanese curriculum. The conceptual framework suggests that a means to improve the practice of STEM education is to retain the principles of science, technology, and mathematics in the activity of engineering. It can be inferred that the key point for practicing STEM education is to examine and design the appropriate order and combination of the learning process and activities based on the proposed conceptual framework. Although this framework is theoretical, it can be useful in determining an adequate practice of STEM education and clarifying the relationship between STEM education and technology education.

No abstract

No abstract

The split and the hole are two common defects on sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D.Don). They have a common feature in that they are associated with surface irregularities. We have developed a laser scanning system to detect the splits and the holes based on their thickness, which correlates spatially with the profile information. The displacements measured by the laser sensor were converted to pixel values to generate the displacement profile image. Both the splits and the holes manifested well in the image. A dedicated image-processing program written in Visual Basic has been developed. The defects regions were accurately located by the image processing. To identify the defects, eight recognition rules based on four features have been utilized. Furthermore, a method based on the pixel model was proposed to compute the area of the defect. The results indicated that the defects could be identified correctly, and the areas could be computed accurately using the pixels model.