Science should not belong only to people who are already interested in it.

1｜Including people with potential or low interest in science and technology

Science events and policy dialogues often attract people who are already highly interested in science. We have studied engagement with science and policy, intentions to participate, actual audiences and the potential of cultural or everyday-life entry points that do not foreground science.

“Potentially interest” or “Low interest” is not treated simply as an individual trait. Communication, place, timing, cost, framing and the degree to which people feel safe and welcome all shape participation.

2｜Women in STEM

We study masculine public images of physics and mathematics, teachers’ unconscious gender bias, and policies and institutional conditions that shape educational choices.

Our aim is not to ask women and girls to adapt to an unchanged STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) culture. We examine who is perceived as “suited” to STEM and how classroom and social expectations might be transformed so that a wider range of people can imagine their own futures.

In this area, Kano participates in collaborative research led by Professor Hiromi Yokoyama at the University of Tokyo. Building on a JST-RISTEX project launched in 2017, the team continues this work through the JSPS KAKENHI project “Understanding the STEM Equality Paradox” (2023–2027), examining how social norms, disciplinary images, family and school expectations, and institutional conditions shape women’s progression into STEM fields.

3｜Deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families

We have co-designed STEM learning in which deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families can investigate together at home and online. Sign language, text, photographs, diagrams, physical materials and tactile activities provide multiple routes to information and participation.

Accessibility is not an accommodation added after a resource has been completed. It is a research question that shapes the activity, explanation, dialogue, assessment and process of co-design from the beginning.

4｜Culturally relevant STEAM education

Learners’ family knowledge, local culture, language, food, making practices and relationships with nature are educational resources. Using Kakishibu, Kyoto vegetables, tea and wagashi, we connect scientific observation, comparison and experimentation with history, culture, design and sustainability.

Culture is not decoration added to a science lesson. It can expand what counts as a meaningful question and as valuable knowledge.

Key research questions

• How can science engagement create meaningful entry points for people with low interest in science and technology?
• What gaps exist between intention to participate and actual audiences?
• How do gendered images of STEM and teacher expectations shape educational choices?
• What conditions allow deaf and hard-of-hearing children and family members to participate as equal co-investigators?
• How does culturally relevant STEAM education affect learners’ ideas and environmental imagination?
• How should inclusion be evaluated through experience, voice, decision-making and ownership—not attendance alone?

Methods

We combine audience surveys, questionnaires, interviews, observation, conversation and video analysis, co-design, resource development, classroom and workshop evaluation, and international comparison. Outputs may include papers, educational resources, facilitation guidance, accessibility principles and policy recommendations.

Selected outputs

Goto, T., Kudo, M., & Kano, K. (2015). パブリックエンゲージメント参加者層の多様性評価手法の探索：「科学・技術への関与度」と「政策への関与度」の観点から [Exploring methods for evaluating the diversity of public-engagement participants]. Japanese Journal of Science Communication, 17, 3–19. DOI / official page

Kano, K., Kudo, M., Yoshizawa, G., et al. (2019). How science, technology and innovation can be placed in broader visions—Public opinions from inclusive public engagement activities. Journal of Science Communication, 18(3), Article A02. DOI / official page

Kano, K., Mizumachi, E., & Ikkatai, Y. (2020). 科学イベントへの参加意向と実際の参加者層の分析 [Analysis of intentions to attend science events and actual participants]. Journal of Science Education in Japan, 44(4), 254–260. DOI / official page

Ikkatai, Y., Inoue, A., Minamizaki, A., Kano, K., McKay, E., & Yokoyama, H. M. (2021). Masculinity in the public image of physics and mathematics: A new model comparing Japan and England. Public Understanding of Science, 30(7), 810–826. DOI / official page

Minamizaki, A., Ikkatai, Y., Kano, K., et al. (2024). 高校物理選択における教師の無意識ジェンダーバイアスの探索的研究 [An exploratory study of teachers’ unconscious gender bias in upper-secondary physics selection]. Japanese Journal of Science Communication, 35, 1–12. DOI / official page

Yokoyama, H. M., Ikkatai, Y., McKay, E., et al. (2024). Can affirmative action overcome STEM gender inequality in Japan? Expectations and concerns. Asia Pacific Business Review, 30(3), 543–559. DOI / official page

Kano, K., Azai, H., Hagihara, K., et al. (2024). Design and development of an inclusive online STEM course for families. Research in Integrated STEM Education, 2(3), 183–205. DOI / official page

Kano, K., & Walker, G. (2026). Effects of culturally relevant STEM education: Children’s eco-friendly invention ideas using Kakishibu in Japan and Australia. In K. Kano, S. Raman, & D. Santos (Eds.), Traditional Knowledge for Green Innovation with Japanese Persimmon Tannin, Kakishibu (pp. 187–209). Springer Singapore. DOI / official page

Research opportunities

We welcome proposals from education, science communication, gender studies, disability studies, sociology, psychology, design, language, accessibility and policy. Proposals should value collaboration with participants and practitioners and include a plan for returning benefits and findings.