Analyses on Primary Teachers' Perception of Birds and Problems of Teaching Birds

조류(鳥類)에 대한 초등학교 교사들의 인식 및 지도상의 문제점 분석

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers' perception on birds and problems on teaching it. For this study, the science textbooks from 3rd grade to 6th grade according to the 7th national curriculum were analyzed. Results revealed that, firstly, there were 34 bird species recorded and these were described 55 times in the surveyed textbooks. Secondly, the survey showed that $20\%$ of the teachers were interested in birds despite the fact that $98\%$ of them had no special knowledge about birds nor had studied them in college. Additionally, it was revealed that $41\%$ of the teachers felt lacking in specialist knowledge about birds and this lead to difficulties in teaching on this subject. Thirdly, academic backgrounds had an affect teachers' perceptions on teaching this area. The teachers' levels of interest in birds and the teachers' ratio of teaching on this topic tended to increase as their academic careers developed, and the proportion of male teachers in this category were higher than female teachers. To overcome difficulty in teaching on this area, it is suggested that a reconstitution of subject materials, as well as a revision of the teachers' guidebooks be undertaken.