As one of the casting plans to improve the scientific inquiry ability of the students, the aims of this study are to develop and apply a basic inquiry program for the inquiry subject of Seogwipo fossil formation, and analyze the basis inquiry ability of the students to show in the inquiry activity process actually. The results obtained in 5th grade 48 elementary school students of Seogwipo-city are as follows; Students executed observing activity using an appropriate senses such as senses of vision and touch, and showed the tendency which tries to observe the form overall rather than the partial form of the fossil formation. But the ability to utilize appropriately for predicting and inferring with the facts which could depend on observing activity was low. And we found out that the misconceptions influence on inquiry activity. Therefore, to help understanding deeper for the students' basic inquiry element, it is thought that a study of the various educational guidance ways is necessary to this. The teachers also have to study the various ways to induce the scientific conception through the application of proper teaching-learning for correction of misconceptions because misconceptions have an influence on inquiry activity together. If various inquiry programs considering the regional-specific characteristics are developed to cause students' interest, students would come to participate in inquiry activity aggressively a little more.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of forth grades in elementary the environmental-friendly attitude by STSE in elementary lesson. To verify research problem, the subject of this study were forth-grade students selected from two classes of an elementary school located in Ulsan. Post-test showed following results: the research group showed a significant improvement in the environment-friendly attitude of cognitive domain and behavior domain compared with the comparison group. In conclusion, STSE program was more effective than the teacher map based teaching model on environment-friendly attitude. However, since the study has a limit on an objet of the study and the applied curriculum, the additional studies need to be conducted with an extended comparative group and curriculum.

The purpose of this study is to diagnose difficulties and problems that the preservice teachers experience when teaching inquiry-based classes in elementary science and to improve their professionalism through prescriptive instruction consulting utilizing PDRE (preparation, diagnosis, reflective implementation, evaluation) model. The result of this study was as follows. First, preservice teachers considered themselves to be lack of scientific knowledge, but this study confirmed that the application of instruction consulting improved their understandings in scientific concepts and principles and corrected their misconceptions. Second, preservice teachers experienced difficulties in variables that might influence the results of experiments, cautions for the experiments and unexpected results of experiments, and this consulting allowed them to gain instruction ability to cope with such circumstances and solve problems effectively. Third, preservice teachers experienced difficulties in applying instructional model into their classes and preparing lesson plans, but consulting actually made limited but positive changes in their abilities. However, from a longer-term perspective, quantitative increase in their teaching opportunities, the development and distribution of example manuals, and the utilization of various class materials provided by the assistant centers for teaching and learning should be achieved side by side.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the 'structure' of an elementary school teacher's practical knowledge concerning science experiment lessons. A female elementary teacher in the early career years participated in the study, and video recordings of her science experiment lessons as well as audio-taped interviews with her were analyzed by means of Elbaz's framework. The teacher expressed six images of science experiment lessons: 'Science is difficult', 'Experiments are dangerous', 'Experiments are accurate', 'A science experiment takes a long time', 'Science experiments are interesting', and 'Children are little scientists.' These images were supported by several principles and rules, most of which were clearly described. Among the images, principles, and rules, there were complex relationships with some working in synergy and some conflicting. In case of the image 'Children are little scientists', its subordinate principles and rules were not fully realized in the classroom. Implications for science teaching reform and science education research were discussed.

This study was to find the effects of science activity activating spatial ability on spatial ability and creativity of the elementary school students. The survey was conducted with 30 second grade students in one class of "J" elementary school located in "C" City, Chungcheong-bukdo province. The students were taught with the program of science activity activating the spatial ability. According to the result, the science activity had significantly influence on the improvement of spatial ability of the elementary school students. It had also significantly influence on the improvement of spatial relationship ability. The science activity was also effective in the improvement of creativity, and especially in the subdomain of originality and sensitiveness. The students who has right brain preference showed much more improvement in the spatial ability compared to left brain preference students after science activity class. However there is no difference between the students who had the right brain preference and left brain preference in the creativity.

The object of this study is to investigate the views of scientifically gifted children about the purpose of scientists' experiments and school science experiments. The children's views were examined using a open-ended questionnaire survey. And then the responses from the children were analyzed with categorization. The results from the study are as follows: First, the children's views about the purpose of scientists' experiments and school science experiments were classified to 2 top-level, 5 mid-level and 21 sub-level categories. Second, it was found that the children considered internal values of doing experiments are more worthy than the social and personal usefulness of the experiments. Third, the gifted children mentioned most frequently that the purposes of the scientist experiment is 'to get the evidences for their theory and argument which is unusual in the regular children's views. Also the discovery of new phenomena and materials, and the generation of new theories and ideas were mentioned as purposes of the scientist experiments. Fourth, the students frequently stated that school science experiments support effective learning of science subject enhancing subject interests and better explanation/understanding. Fifth, relatively many students thought that the purposes of school science experiments are different with those of scientist experiments. Based on the results from the study, some educational suggestions are discussed.

This research is about the six graders' preconceptions in elementary school about a cause of the seasonal change before learning. The result of this research is that the patterns of six graders's preconceptions in elementary school are earth's rotation, earth's revolution, the distance between the earth and the sun and the location factor between the sun and our country, which are mixed up with two more things. Especially many patterns of students explain the seasonal change of our country using the change of location of our country by earth's rotation, the location factor between the earth and the sun and the distance between the earth and the sun by earth's revolution.

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge types which the elementary science gifted students would use when solving a science problem, and to examine characteristics and types that were shown in the science problem solving process. For this study, 39 fifth graders and 38 sixth graders from Institute of Education for the Gifted Science Class were sampled in one National University of Education. The results of this study were as follows. First, for science problem solving, the elementary science gifted students used procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge at the same time, and procedural knowledge was more frequently used than declarative knowledge. Second, as for the characteristics in the understanding step of solving science problems, students tend to exactly figure out questions' given conditions and what to seek. In planning and solving stage, most of them used 3~4 different problem solving methods and strategies for solving. In evaluating stage, they mostly re-examined problem solving process for once or twice. Also, they did not correct the answer and had high confidence in their answers. Third, good solvers had used more complete or partially applied procedural knowledge and proper declarative knowledge than poor solvers. In the problem solving process, good solvers had more accurate problem-understanding and successful problem solving strategies. From characteristics shown in the good solvers' problem solving process, it is confirmed that the education program for science gifted students needs both studying on process of acquiring declarative knowledge and studying procedural knowledge for interpreting new situation, solving problem and deducting. In addition, in problem-understanding stage, it is required to develop divided and gradual programs for interpreting and symbolizing the problem, and for increasing the understanding.

The purpose of this study was to compare socio-linguistic characteristics and instructional influences of two different types of texts, which were narrative and expository. Socio-linguistic characteristics of two different types of texts were analyzed in their content specialization, linguistic formality, and social-pedagogic relationships. Expository texts showed strong scientific classification, and medium level of linguistic formality, and low level of social-pedagogic relationships. Narrative texts showed different characteristics. The instructional effects were investigated with 91 fifth grade elementary students in three classes. Each class was randomly assigned into three groups: expository text group, narrative text group, control group. The results showed that the science achievement scores of the narrative text group was higher than those of other groups. The affective domain test scores of the expository text group were higher than other groups. The perception of students on informational science text were generally positive both types of texts.

The purpose of this study was to understand the teaching effects according to the cognitive levels after conducting inquiry activities using science notebooks in the open inquiry activities of the elementary science class. The results of this study were as follow. first, students having the open inquiry activities using science notebooks showed improvement in scientific inquiry abilities in both groups with the low and high cognitive level. Second, regarding the changes of scientific attitudes, both groups with the low and high cognitive level exhibited improvement. According to the result of analyzing interaction between the cognitive level and class treatment on the effects for scientific inquiry abilities and scientific attitudes, there was no difference by the cognitive level. And the use of science notebooks in open inquiry activities had effects on improving scientific inquiry abilities and scientific attitudes regardless of the cognitive level.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the elementary pre-service teachers' views about "the purpose of science experiments". For the study, the views about the purposes of scientists' experiments and school science experiments were surveyed from 227 pre-service teachers. And the responses were analyzed based on their gender, intensive majors and school science test scores. The main results of the study are as follows. First, in relation to the purpose of scientists' experiments, the pre-service teachers considered internal values of doing experiments were more worthy than the external values of it. In particular, the pre-service teachers responded that the most important purpose of the science experiments is 'to get the evidences for the theories and arguments'. On the other hand, the views from the women and social studies major pre-service teachers were more diverse than those of the man and science major pre-service teachers. Second, in relation to the purpose of school science experiments, the pre-service teachers excessively considered that the internal values of school science experiments were more worthy than the external values. In particular, only few pre-service teachers were aware of social and personal aspects of the experiments, though they considered well that the experiments are useful tools for the school science study. Third, there were quite different aspects of pre-service teachers' views between the purposes of scientists' experiments and school science experiments. For example, the views about the scientist's experiments were relatively broad concerning the nature of scientific experiments, but the school science experiments were just regarded as an educational tool for the science study. Based on the results from the study, some science educational implication were discussed.