Journal of Science Education (과학교육연구지)

Science Education Research Institute Kyungpook National University (경북대학교 과학교육연구소)
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Analysis of the Level of Mathematical Concepts in Middle School Science Textbooks and Students' Cognitive Levels: Focused on Chemistry and Biology of the 2015 Revised Curriculum

중학교 과학 교과서에서 요구하는 수학 관련 과학 개념의 수준 및 학생들의 인지 수준 분석: 2015 개정 교육 과정의 화학과 생물을 중심으로

  • Received : 2024.02.13
  • Accepted : 2024.04.22
  • Published : 2024.04.30
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Abstract

This study aimed to analyze students' cognitive levels and the cognitive demands of mathematical concepts related to science to understand why students struggle to comprehend scientific concepts and tend to avoid learning them. Initially, the mathematics and science curricula of the 2015 revised curriculum were examined to extract learning elements related to mathematics within middle school science content. The Curriculum Analysis Taxonomy (CAT) was then employed to analyze the cognitive levels required by the learning content. In the domain of chemistry, among a total of 20 learning elements related to mathematics, 12 required an understanding at the level of initial formal manipulation (3A), while 3 necessitated comprehension at the level of later formal manipulation (3B). It was noted that cognitive logic types such as proportional reasoning, mathematical manipulation, and measurement skills were prominently employed in elements corresponding to both 3A and 3B. As for biology, out of 7 learning elements related to mathematics, 3 required an understanding at the level of initial formal manipulation (3A), and 2 necessitated comprehension at the level of later formal manipulation (3B). Elements corresponding to both 3A and 3B in biology predominantly involved correlational logic, indicating a somewhat different cognitive challenge compared to the domain of chemistry. Considering that the average percentage of middle school students capable of formal thinking, as analyzed through the GALT short form, was 12.1% for the first year, 16.6% for the second year, and 29.3% for the third year, it can be concluded that the cognitive demands of mathematics-related chemistry and biology learning content are relatively high compared to students' cognitive levels.

본 연구는 학생들이 과학 개념을 이해하는 데 어려움을 겪고 학습을 회피하는 이유를 파악하기 위해 학생들의 인지 수준과 수학과 관련된 과학 개념이 요구하는 인지 수준을 분석했다. 먼저, 2015 개정 교육 과정의 수학 및 과학 교육 과정을 분석하여 중학교 과학 내용 중 수학과 연계된 부분의 학습 요소를 추출했으며, CAT (Curriculum Analysis Taxonomy)을 이용하여 학습 내용에서 요구되는 인지 수준을 분석했다. 화학의 경우, 수학과 관련된 총 20개의 학습 요소 중 12개가 초기 형식적 조작 수준(3A)의 이해가 필요하며, 3개가 후기 형식적 조작 수준(3B)의 이해가 필요했다. 3A와 3B에 해당하는 학습 요소들에는 비례 논리, 수리적 조작, 측정 기술에 관련된 사고 논리 유형이 많이 사용되는 것을 확인했다. 생물의 경우, 수학과 관련된 총 7개의 학습 요소 중 3개가 초기 형식적 조작 수준(3A)의 이해가 필요하며, 2개가 후기 형식적 조작 수준(3B)의 이해가 필요했다. 3A와 3B에 해당하는 생물 요소들은 상관 논리에 해당하는 학습 요소가 많이 포함되어 있어 학생들이 어려움을 겪을 수 있는 인지적 원인이 화학 영역과는 다소 차이가 있었다. 이는 GALT 축소본을 통해 분석된 형식적 사고가 가능한 중학교 학생의 평균 비율이 1학년의 경우 12.1 %, 2학년의 경우 16.6 %, 3학년의 경우 29.3 %임을 고려할 때, 학생들의 인지 수준에 비추어 수학과 연계된 화학 및 생물 학습 내용에서 요구하는 인지 수준이 더 높다고 할 수 있다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문은 한국교원대학교 2023학년도 연구년 교수 학술지원비 지원을 받아 수행한 연구의 결과임.

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