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http://dx.doi.org/10.15267/keses.2015.34.2.164

An Analysis of Science-gifted Elementary School Students' Ontological Understanding of 'Living Things'  

Kim, Dong-Ryeul (Daegu National University of Education)
Publication Information
Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education / v.34, no.2, 2015 , pp. 164-182 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study aims to analyze science-gifted elementary students' understanding of 'Living Things' with ontological domains. As research subjects, this study selected 80 science-gifted students who belonged to Education Institute for Science-gifted Elementary Students at University of Education, and this study came to the following conclusions. Firstly, the gifted students thought of animals as living things most, out of which humans accounted for the highest rate. They were also found to evaluate the importance of living things depending on benefits and harms to humans. Secondly, when judging 4 domains of living things, animals, plants, static inanimate objects and dynamic inanimate objects, the gifted students did not have difficulty judging animals, plants and static inanimate objects, but 4 of them judged the moon, a dynamic inanimate object, as a living thing. In the aspect of reaction time, they spent more time judging plants than animals. This study classified their standards of judgement on living things into ontological categories. As a result, it was found that 31 and 33 out of them had standards of judgement corresponding to the category of matter and the category of process respectively, and only 16 of them had standards of judgement corresponding to the category of mental states. Thirdly, how to make a waterwheel and images of euglena and paramecium were shown to 10 of the gifted students who suggested simple movements as characteristics of living things. As a result, 7 of them changed their standards of judgement from the category of matter to the category of process, while 3 of them changed from the category of matter to the category of mental states.
Keywords
science-gifted elementary students'; living things; ontological;
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