Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of the Reading Materials in Elementary School Science Textbooks

초등학교 과학 교과서의 읽기자료에 대한 교사와 학생의 인식

In this study, we investigated elementary school teachers' and students' perceptions of the reading materials in science textbooks. Participants were 181 teachers from 23 elementary schools who were teaching science and 643 third- to sixth-grade students from 12 elementary schools. A questionnaire for teachers consisted of 18 items and a questionnaire for students consisted of 11 items about their perceptions of the reading materials in science textbooks. Nine to twelve items, according to grades, examining the actual uses of each reading material in science textbooks were also included to both questionnaires. The results indicated that teachers have positive perceptions about reading materials and frequently use them in case of needs for supplement and/or enrichment of science learning. Novice teachers were found to have less positive perceptions about reading materials than expert teachers. Over 70 percent of students responded that they read all reading materials. Fifth- and sixth-grade students were tended to have less positive perceptions about reading materials than third-grade students. Finally, students tended to have more positive perceptions about reading materials than their teachers.