• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.560-570
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• 2002

This study was focused on whether secondary science teachers have consistent, integrative scheme on the definition of atmospheric pressure and phenomena caused by air pressure. We had made questionnaire and let 94 science teachers answer. We sorted the responses according to their major, school and compared them with the description in textbooks. The result can be summarized into three findings. First of all, teachers whose major is chemistry have strong tendency to understand that atmospheric pressure is caused by molecular motion though it, in textbooks, is defined as the pressure by weight of air mass. The half of respondents believed that decreasing of atmospheric pressure in high altitude is due to molecular motions, while most textbook says decrease in the weight of air mass. Secondly, many science textbooks show that air mass expands, rises, becomes less dense and the pressure of atmosphere becomes low when it receives heat. So, most of respondents explained low pressure is formed by lower density. Thirdly, they answered that they just teach the phenomena of air pressure by using the textbooks which mainly deal with the present state rather than a principle. In conclusion, the science textbooks should present the exact description and consolidated structures of those concepts to prevent students from having misconceptions on air pressure. In addition, training program for science teachers would be necessary to reconsider and explore the natural phenomena in various viewpoints.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.693-703
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• 2017

In this study, 37 elementary, middle, and high school science teachers attending graduate schools of education were surveyed about their thoughts about the difficulty of teaching science units and teaching methods to teach these units to students. After experiencing the activity of making new teaching tools using scratch, we tried to confirm the development of TPACK among the teachers. Through the questionnaire survey for elementary, secondary, and high school science teachers, we selected the unit of Planetary Movement of the Solar System as a unit that is difficult for teachers to teach. We gave them the experience of instruction on tool making process for implementing a planetary operation model using scratch. Then, based on the questionnaires and class presentations, we analyzed the change of awareness about technology introduction and the development of their TPACK. As a result, most of the teachers showed changes of perceptions related to TK, TCK, TPK; the use of programming for creating teaching materials enhances teachers' understanding of the teaching contents; the teachers were convinced that students would develop the ability to construct models that fit observational phenomena; they thought that there would be a positive educational effect in the positive domain.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions on MBL (microcomputer-based laboratory) experiment training program for teachers, the expecting effects of MBL experiment and application of MBL experiment after conducting MBL experiment training for science classes in schools. This study showed that most of the teachers who participated in the training program thought that the MBL experiment training program was very useful and instructive. Many teachers considered that MBL experiments using a computer could decrease time spent in the experiment by accurate and fast data collection and analysis. They also thought that the reduced time could be used more effectively in the analysis of experimental data and discussion activities leading to correct concept formation as well as in the development of graphical analysis and science process skills. However, they thought that MBL experiments were ineffective in learning how to operate experiment apparatus. This study also revealed that most teachers intended to apply MBL experiments in real classrooms context right after the training course and they pointed out many obstacles in introducing MBL experiments into their classrooms such as a budget to purchase equipment, poor laboratory conditions, and few MBL experiment training opportunities. In order to apply MBL experiment into the real classrooms, further changes were suggested as follows; development of technologies to reduce unit cost of equipment for MBL experiments, production and supply of many kinds of sensors, development of MBL experiment materials, and expansion of the training program for teachers.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.227-249
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• 2018

In this study, 15 teacher librarians working in the high school library were interviewed in order to understand the factors and situation of teacher librarian's job burnout. The results showed that job environment, teacher librarian's role and identity, school community members' lack of awareness of school library and teacher librarians were found to be influential factors in job burnout. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to develop proper compensation system, to divide librarians and teacher librarians into clear jobs, to provide opportunities for the other teachers to extend their understanding of teacher librarians, and to provide opportunities for self development and recharging.

• The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.37-50
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• 2017

The Ministry of Education selected and implemented 'science core school' since 2009 as a policy to strengthen science education to produce talented science students. This study judged that it is necessary to examine the current management practice and diagnose problems to propose improvement measures for more successful management of science core school in the future. To this end, we interviewed and observed teachers and students at a high school specialized in science based in Gyeonggi province which was selected as a science core school, as qualitative study methods such as interview and observation to survey and analyze the current management practice of the school. The management outcome was that the school contributed to fostering talented students in natural sciences and engineering because more varied activities were implemented at the school to develop scientific knowledge of students including experiment, excursion, and circle activity. Identified problems were increased amount of private education due to intense competition over school achievement, negligence of extracurricular activities, burdensome workload for teachers of specific subjects, and lack of expertise of math and science teachers. In conclusion, the following improvement measures are suggested for sustainable management of science core schools: greater liberty should be granted to science core schools; more training opportunities should be given to teachers; college admission program should be improved for science core school students; and it is necessary to introduce courses taught by external teachers, and provide systematic support such as increasing administration staff.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.571-581
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• 2014

This study aims to investigate how high school teachers and students perceive the purpose of science learning. Participants were high school science teachers and students from one hundred and sixty high schools nationwide, which were selected through proportional stratified sampling method. Teachers and students responded on open-ended questionnaires about the purpose of science learning. The data were analyzed using the semantic network analysis method. Our study illustrates three major finding: First, teachers recognized the intrinsic value related to cognitive domain as the more important purpose of science learning, while students recognized the extrinsic value related to personal usefulness domain as more important. Second, teachers' responses were significantly different depending on the teaching career. Beginning teachers believed both intrinsic and extrinsic values were equally important, while experienced teachers believed the cognitive domain about understanding of scientific knowledge was more important than intrinsic values. In other words, the differences in perception of the purpose of science between teachers and students, the experienced teachers is greater than the beginning teachers. Finally, students' responses were different depending on their academic track. Humanity major students recognized that learning science made their everyday-life easier while science major students recognized that learning science should be related to their future careers. In conclusion, the results of this study is expected to be of use as the basic data to identify the characteristic of teachers and students related to science.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.63-74
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• 2023

This study aims to investigate the effects of pre-service elementary teachers' scientific self-efficacy by science motivation according to the academic track in high school. The subjects of this study were 525 pre-service elementary teachers of which 350 pre-service elementary teachers were selected from the humanities and social sciences track in high school and 175 pre-service elementary teachers were selected from the science-engineering track in high school. In order to investigate the difference between scientific self-efficacy and science motivation among pre-service elementary teachers, Independent sample t-test and Cohen's d were done. In order to find out about the Influencing of scientific self-efficacy on science motivation, multiple regression analysis was used. The results of this study were as follows: First, there were statistically significant differences in scientific self-efficacy and science motivation, and the average of pre-service elementary teachers who selected science-engineering were significantly higher. Second, explanation power of scientific self-efficacy on science motivation appeared as 66.7~68.3%. The explanatory power of pre-service elementary teachers' who selected humanities and social sciences were higher. The relative importance was high in task difficulty preference factor to humanities and social sciences, was high in self-regulation efficacy to science-engineering. In conclusion, in order for pre-service elementary teachers to achieve high achievement and motivation in science subjects, and to teach science well to students in the school field, teacher education that can improve scientific self-efficacy should be conducted.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.32-48
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• 2006

The purposes of this study can divided into three parts: First, to investigate high school science teachers' understanding concerning geologic time; second, to analyze contents related to geologic time in the secondary school science textbooks and teachers' guidebooks; and third, to compare the response type of science teachers using the results of the contents. Forty high school science teachers in the Chungbuk province are chosen to answer to the questionnaire. Many teachers (50%) think that the age of Earth is simply measured by radioisotope. However, most of them do not know the measuring method in detail. The over 50% of the teachers think that the uniformitarianism, law of superposition, law of faunal succession law of unconformity, and law of intrusion are the great five laws of historical geology. Many part of the contents related to geologic time in the textbooks and guidebooks are incorrect and described distinctly from each other. Such content includes the age of Earth, age of the oldest rock in Earth, definition and range of geologic time, measuring method of the Earth's age, and law of historical geology. Many of the science teachers do not have a complete understanding of the contents related to geologic time. This study suggests that the reason lies heavily on the contents described in the textbooks and guidebooks. Therefore, it is necessary to review and revise the contents related to geologic time in the textbooks and guidebooks.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of the composition of high school science elective courses ahead of the 2022 curriculum revision, and to derive implications for the organization of the 2022 revised science curriculum in preparation for the full implementation of the high school credit system. To this end, a survey was conducted by randomly sampling high schools across the country. A total of 192 science teachers responded to the questionnaire. In addition, 12 high school science teachers were selected as a focus group, and in-depth interviews were conducted to investigate opinions on the restructuring of elective courses in science. Main research results include 129 (67.2%) science teachers in the survey answered that the current 2015 curriculum's science and elective courses system should be maintained. In the next curriculum, when reconstructing science elective subjects, it is necessary to provide an opportunity to experience the entire contents of each science field through Science I·II system as before, and to ensure student choice in preparation for the credit system. In addition, the opinion that general elective subjects should be organized to include all the contents of science I and II subjects was the highest. Through in-depth interviews, science teachers emphasized that the current science I subject system allows access to the content areas of science as much as possible as the number of subjects is small, and that subjects, such as physics, where the hierarchy of concepts is important, should deal with important content within one subject rather than divided by area. On the other hand, in the current I subject system, there is no subject for liberal arts students to choose from, so teachers suggested that science electives should be organized by subdividing each content area. Based on the research results, the necessity of organizing high school science elective courses in consideration of the purpose of the high school credit system, ways to organize science-convergence elective courses as subjects for all students regardless of career aptitude, ways to organize science-career elective courses, and ways to organize science elective courses in connection with the college admission system were proposed.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.374-388
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service physics teachers' perceptions on the physics education major curriculum. We surveyed 15 junior, and 13 senior college students of physics education major in an university in southern part of Korea. Among them, 24 participants(86 %) took the physics 1 course in high school and 22 participants(79 %) chose the physics 1 in their Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test. The responses showed that the most necessary part in pre-service students' learning was the understanding of high school level physics(36 %), and the understanding of introductory level physics(29 %). In the wish list of courses to be open, high school level physics course was ranked first among seven options by 61 % of respondents. Also, there was some concurrence among respondents in opinion of the necessity for understanding introductory physics. Students felt difficulties in understanding it especially owing to the lack of problem solving skill and comprehension. They added that the sufficient explanation of core concepts should be the first action in the innovative plan. Most participants of pre-service physics teachers hoped to have the revised major curriculum which could help their understanding of high school level or introductory level of physics. However, there was a gap of opinions between the group of students with completion of the high school physics 1 & 2 course and those with non-completion of them. The approach of changing major curriculum with consideration of learners' needs was recommended because the number of students with completion of the high school physics course would probably be decreasing rapidly under these circumstances such as the application of new national curriculum, the reduction of the number of the elective courses in Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test and so on.