Changes in Problem Recognition and Perceptions of Learning Environments of Elementary Students through Inquiry Questioning Activity

탐구 질문하기 활동을 통한 초등학생의 문제 인식과 학습 환경에 대한 인식 변화

The study presents preliminary research on how science activities focusing on problem recognition worked and affected students' perception of their learning environment in a sixth science classroom. The science activities were based on the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) which was suggested by Keys, Hand, Prain & Collins (1999), where problem recognition was an important part of scientific inquiry. For developing the working sheets for the modified SWH in this study, analyses of target units of 6th grade science curriculum in the aspects of problem recognition were conducted. After consecutive 6 classes with the developed working sheets for sixth graders, the student working sheets for each lesson were collected and analyzed. In order to investigate the developed units' affect on student learning, students' perceptions of their learning environment were administered before and after the applied classes. Students working sheets and questionnaires on their perceptions of learning environment indicated that students perceived that the science activities were more student-centered classes where students had active discussion and dialogue with one another giving them more chances to actively take part in the class as well as they used more properly recognized their inquiry problem.