Abstract
This study was to investigate effects of instruction using the history of science on elementary school students' science learning motivation. Subjects were 48 students of two groups in the 5th Grade in Bucheon City. A Experimental group of 24 was instructed 20 lessons in Unit 1~7 using the history of science for a 11-week period. In this study, the instructional contents were selected by stories about scientists, discoveries or anecdotes about natural phenomena and related learning topics in national science curriculum. And they are presented by writings with pictures, cartoons, PPT materials and a script. Students play various learning activities such as exchanging opinions after reading instructional content, making a book or a newspaper, playing in a drama and representing by picture. A control group of 24 was instructed by traditional teaching methods in same period. To compare difference of instruction effects of the two groups, the score of pre-test and post-test were both estimated by t-test. The results of the study were as follows. Students of experimental group showed statistically a more significant increase in the science learning motivation than control group students (p<.05). Each of attention (A), relevance (R), satisfaction (S) sub-elements of learning motivation were higher in the experimental group and it was showed the instruction using the history of science was effective in improving of science learning motivation.
