• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.206-217
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• 2010

This study aims to explore preservice teachers' overall views of nature of science and compare their views by gender and certificate area (biology vs. non-biology teachers). In addition, a comparison with American preservice teachers' views was also implemented. The Views of Nature of Science (Abd-El-Khalick, 1998), an openended questionnaire, is utilized to explore participants' views of nature of science. Along with 'definition of science', six aspects of the nature of science, (1) theories and laws, (2) tentativeness, (3) social and cultural embeddedness, (4) creativity, (5) theory-laden, and (6) inference, were investigated. The qualitative result indicates that the participants' first image of science was about the method of science such as observations and experiments. Furthermore, these preservice science teachers particularly have a difficulty in differentiating between scientific theories and laws, and understanding the importance of creation and imagination in developing scientific knowledge. In addition, compared to American preservice teachers' view of the nature of science, Korean preservice teachers possess naive views in creative and imaginative aspect. Interestingly, biology teachers demonstrated lower understanding in theories and laws as well as tentativeness of scientific knowledge. However, there is no difference by gender.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.535-547
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• 2014

This study analyzed the characteristics of National Science Curricula in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Korea with respect to core competencies. In the case of overseas countries, literature review on their curricula was conducted, and four common features were extracted: 'association of cross-curricular competencies with science-specific competencies', 'a combination of science contents and scientific practices', 'an emphasis on communication skills', and 'representation of an achievement level of competency'. In addition, the common core competencies of science education were 'critical thinking', 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', 'inquiry skills', 'communication skills', 'cultural literacy', 'ability to integrate discipline', 'application skills', and 'personal/social competency'. In relation to these features, this study also investigated Korean science teachers' perceptions of core competencies in science education. A survey was conducted on 135 teachers in elementary, middle, and high school in Korea. Teachers were not well aware of what core competencies are, and after introduction, they thought that they wanted to and needed to teach core competencies to their students. Teachers claimed that critical core competencies in science education are 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', and 'inquiry skills'. Teachers thought that core competencies-based science class would help develop students' scientific literacy and communication skills. However, they have difficulties in conducting core competencies-based science class because they are not familiar with how to conduct the class and they expect that it will take a long time to prepare such a class.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2019

This study investigated the perceptions of the relationship among the three acid-base models of chemistry teachers. In addition, we examined how the perception of the relationship between models affected on the interpretation of concepts in each model. To investigate teachers' perceptions and interpretations, a questionnaire and interviews were conducted for 24 chemistry teachers. As results, most of the chemistry teachers recognized the three models as cumulative extension relationships. The perceptions were related to the contents of textbooks. The perception of the relationship of these models influenced on interpretations of the models' acid-base concept. In this study, we suggested that science teachers need to be aware of diverse models' roles.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.460-479
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• 2021

The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in education systems worldwide, including in Korea. Due to COVID-19's social distancing policies, the education system was suddenly switched to distance learning, resulting in many problems in primary schools without preparation. The purpose of this study was to investigate a teacher's awareness of science education techniques, responses to issues in science classes, including inquiry activities, advantages and disadvantages, and roles after experiencing distance learning. Survey and focus interviews were conducted for primary school teachers who had previously participated in distance learning, such as online content classes and real-time interactive classes. The study findings showed three conclusions: 1) Primary school teachers conducted one-way and interactive lectures in online classes. It is vital to improve a teacher's digital literacy to improve other teaching methods such as investigation and discussion in online classes. 2) Primary school teachers acknowledged the challenges of field feedback, inquiry item preparations, and safety in inquiry activities of science classes, by providing individual experimental packages and videos and using online discussion and feedback among teacher - student and student - student interactions. 3) Primary school teachers recognized that various types of classes using IT devices and individualized learning were possible as advantages of distance learning. As for disadvantages, it was acknowledged that inquiry activities, cooperative learning, immediate feedback, and interaction among students were challenging. Furthermore, learning gaps were wider in distance learning.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.199-206
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• 2017

The experience sampling method (ESM) is an innovative research method to study the immediate real emotional experience experienced in real life through the immediate reaction of research participants. ESM, which has received significant attention in recent, is considered as the research method particularly for child care teachers' emotions and happiness. This method has been shown to be able to overcome the limitations in current research methods, based on teachers' recall or surveys, in assessing child care teachers' emotional states or stress levels. Despite the expectation that the need for further research on the increased stress and negative emotional experiences of child care teachers and its appropriateness as the alternative research method to study child care teachers' immediate emotional experience, ESM has deficiencies in that research participants need to have their pencil-and-paper survey packages on hand whenever their electronic beepers randomly beep. Furthermore, ESM demands much more researcher energy and efforts to handle the voluminous data collected from each participant in effectively creating a database. In this paper, in order to apply ESM successfully to the study of child care teachers' emotional experience, we aim to develop a software program that uses mobile communication technology. Given that traditional types of data collection methods in social science research can prove too burdensome to encourage participation in surveys in the first place or ensure the return of completed surveys, the present study adopts a convergent research approach to develop a software program that is able to obtain ESM participants' answers immediately on their personal smart phones. This study deals with system construction and prototyping for software development as a basic research and evaluates the research results through indepth interview with experts.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.279-292
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• 2012

Prospective high school students and science teachers' perceptions of 'advanced material', which was first introduced in the science textbooks of the 2009 revised curriculum, were surveyed. One thousand four hundred and ninety nine students and 123 teachers from Seoul, Incheon, and the Kyeonggi areas participated in this survey. The results are as follows. First, the attitude of students and teachers towards 'advanced material' was positive, but their interests in 'advanced material' was low. Also, some teachers mentioned that 'advanced material' was one of the difficult subjects to teach. Second, the perception of 'advanced material' was relatively low for both students and teachers. Both of them had heard of 'advanced material' through various routes, however not many of them thought that they knew what 'advanced material' was exactly. Also there were some teachers who didn't understand the detailed information of 'advanced material'. Third, both students and teachers agreed that 'advanced material' was worthwhile to learn and teach. However, each party had their own desire of 'what to learn', 'what to teach', 'how to learn' and 'how to teach'. Based on the results, some suggestions were made for effective teaching of this new subject.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.64-78
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate how Integrated Science, a new subject introduced under the 2015 revised curriculum, was implemented in 2018 when it was first enacted at the school level. Through a survey of 258 high school science teachers, we explored how Integrated Science was organized and implemented at the school level, how teaching & learning and assessment were conducted in Integrated Science courses, how teachers' learning communities were operated, what kinds of support are required for the settlement of Integrated Science, etc. Major results are as follows: A similar ratio is found between schools with eight units and schools with six units of integrated science, and in about 2/3 of surveyed schools, multiple teachers are in charge of Integrated Science lessons per classroom. In addition, lecture-type teaching methods are still dominant in the majority of the classes, and science teachers have difficulties with lack of understanding of non-major areas or burden of designing integrated teaching depending on their teaching experiences, and so on. Discussed and suggested in the conclusion are ways to raise awareness of curriculum integration, ways to support for activation of teacher learning communities, ways to support the settlement of Integrated Science, and reexamining the system of science teacher certification.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.105-117
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-service chemistry teachers' view of learning focused on the influence of science education courses that pre-service chemistry teachers had learned. Three pre-service chemistry teachers were selected for this study. Documents related to science education courses, survey data about their view of learning and interview data were collected, transcribed and analyzed. According to this study, pre-service chemistry teachers had changed, modified, maintained and strengthened their view of learning while they took the science education courses. Pre-service teacher K and P had changed their traditional view to the constructive view and then had modified their view by adding the reality. And pre-service teacher H had modified his constructive view with some traditional view. All Pre-service teachers had modified their own view of learning because of the science education course that emphasized the real field situation. As discussed above, science education courses focused on the applying the theory to real teaching situation gave the opportunity to modify pre-service teachers' own view of learning. It implied that the science education courses learned in the teachers college have to include contents based on real teaching situation and pre-service teachers' reflective thinking processes for establishing their view of learning and customized teaching activities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.970-985
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• 2011

In this study, we analyzed secondary science teachers' needs for mentoring programs improving their professionalism in science-gifted education. A survey was administered to 111 teachers who had experience in teaching science-gifted secondary students in Seoul. Analyses of the results indicated that most teachers needed the mentors' support in science content knowledge, knowledge of beliefs about science-gifted education, knowledge of science-gifted students, knowledge of instructional strategies for science-gifted education, knowledge of curriculum for science-gifted education, knowledge of assessment in science-gifted education, and knowledge of external factors influencing in implementing science-gifted education. Most teachers, especially having the perceptions of lower levels of professionalism, relatively needed more mentors' support in the knowledge of the instructional strategies for science-gifted education and the knowledge of assessment in science-gifted education. Most teachers wanted the mentors' supports for all subcategories of professionalism at the planning stage of the classes, and some did the support for some subcategories at the performance stage and the reflection-evaluation stage of the classes. They also relatively wanted more mentors' support for all subcategories of professionalism through lectures and/or group discussions, some did the support through face-to-face interviews and/or real-time or non real-time online interviews. They variously responded in the suitable ratio of mentors and mentees, and perceived positively the qualities required to mentor as well as the necessary factors for the effective use of mentoring.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.343-356
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• 2004

The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Korea-Israel science teachers inservice program. Thirty science teachers who participated in the inservice program responded to pre- and post tests of the survey instrument on (a) their perceptions to creativity fostering science education and understandings of current education status and reform movement, (b) degrees of changes about understanding of creativity and implementing teaching methods for fostering creativity before and after the program, and (c) their evaluative opinions on the program. Suggestions for improving the program were proposed as follows: First, a pre-service workshop for the program should be provided in order to clearly realize the essential purpose of the program through increase of participating teachers' understanding of facing conditions of education, school policy, reform movement toward science education fostering creativity. Second, for the content of the program, creativity is more emphasized. Appropriate content and sufficient time arrangement for creativity will develop teachers' conceptual understanding of creativity in depth. Third, classroom observation of exemplary science teaching for fostering creativity should be sufficiently arranged. Fourth, amount of content and time allotment to Israel culture, religion, and education system should be reduced.