• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1007-1020
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• 2013

This study investigated the perceptions and the characteristics of elementary teachers on teaching science-arts integrated activities. Twelve elementary teachers who have taught in the third to sixth grade science lessons participated in this study. Data was collected by individual interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes. Interview questions were composed of three aspects: 1) how elementary teachers perceive science-arts integrated activities, 2) in what ways elementary teachers address science-arts integrated activities, and 3) what difficulties elementary teachers experienced in addressing science-arts integrated activities. The results showed that, first, elementary teachers agreed that science-arts integrated activities have educational value in science learning. Second, most teachers focused on improving understanding of science knowledge through teaching science-arts integrated activities, while several teachers put emphasis on having experience of arts as well as understanding of science knowledge. And third, teachers experienced difficulties due to insufficient teaching materials and time to prepare for teaching science-arts integrated activities. Based on the results, we suggested educational implications for utilization of science-arts integrated activities in elementary education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.159-172
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• 2021

This study is an action study that plans a instructional strategy for improving experimental activities and interactions in online science classes and suggests improvement plans based on the results. To this end, from July 7 to September 9, 2020, the 'Earth and the Moon' unit class was conducted for 20 6th grade elementary school students located in G Metropolitan City. For the class, smart devices and alternative experiments were planned in the experimental activity category, and an online chat room and Q&A strategy were planned in the interaction category. Among the collected data, class activity papers, homework assignments, reflection journals, online conversation contents, and Q&A contents were input into the matrix and analyzed by writing analytical texts. As a result of the implementation, smart devices and alternative experiments provided opportunities for exploration, but there was a risk of misconception formation and hindered experimental activities. The online chat room and Q&A provided opportunities for communication and examination and feedback on scientific concepts. Through this action study, the researcher was able to reflect on the class while writing class reflection notes, and suggested the role of smart devices in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of science classes.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.269-277
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• 2016

Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases that have formed and operated teachers' learning communities through cross-curricular consulting at the school level. The purpose of this study is to explore cross-curricular instructional consulting as an activity of teachers' learning communities at the school level, and investigate the effect of cross-curricular instructional consulting on middle school science teaching. We analyzed features and limitations of cross-curricular instructional consulting revealed in three case studies in middle school, including open classes and instructional consulting sessions, and conducted additional instructional consulting on the same videotaped science classes with science experts from outside. According to the results, science inquiry experiments are often replaced with text reading and interpreting, students' misconceptions and exact scientific representations are ignored, and the goal setting as well as class coverage has been questionable and disputable in science classes resulted from cross-curricular instructional consulting. Discussed in the conclusion are the necessity of cross-curricular instructional consulting in middle school, and ways to overcome limitations of the method of cross-curricular instructional consulting, including alternatives to a praise-only policy in cross-curricular instructional consulting, ways to use cross-curricular instructional consulting without compromising the subject's essence, and ways to improve the undue authority of consultants.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the middle science teachers' perceptions on science lessons with experiments. The study conducted a survey for 110 science teachers participating in inservice program. The middle school science teachers taught classes with lectures rather than with experimental activities. They had an experiment one to three times a semester in their lessons. They did an experiment to follow to what the textbook said, or to confirm it, like a cookbook style. The most teachers answered that they had over average ability to teach both lecture and experiment. Through the experiment, they expected students had interests and curiosity on science. Despite the advantages of experiments, there were many constraints to conduct experiments, such as teachers' excessive work, laboratory conditions, education environment, and others. It was demanded on continuous interest and investment in the variation of educational environment so that teachers can experiment more often.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.331-345
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• 2012

As a case study on the use of mentoring as a method of improving novice teachers' teaching professionalism in secondary science-gifted education, this study investigated the characteristics of mentoring science instructions for science-gifted students at the plan, performance, evaluation, and post-mentoring stages of the classes. One mentor and two mentees were selected, and mentoring in each mentee's instructions was conducted during nine classes over three times. We observed the total classes, and analyzed taped videos, the materials, the transcripts for mentoring and in-depth interviews, and field notes. The analyses of the results indicated that the characteristics of mentoring instructions, at the planning stage of the classes, exhibited the construction of more systematic classes, the escape from the schema that science instructions for science-gifted students were instructions using somewhat difficult experiments and the uses of diverse teaching strategies, the influence of the psychological burdens on developing science-gifted education programs, and the increase of the time preparing the classes. At the performance stage of the classes, the characteristics included the improvement in the quality of the classes, the influence of the psychological burdens on teaching the classes, and the inducements of some confusion on performing them. At the evaluation stage of the classes, the characteristics included the provision of the opportunities in deeply reflecting my own classes, and the provision of the practical power for improving the classes. Finally, the characteristics at the postmentoring stage could be attributed to the increase of mentees' self-confidence about their instructions and some development of mentors' teaching professionalism/mentoring skills.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.261-272
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• 2014

In this study, to disseminate the Practical On-site Cooperation Model (POCoM) for practical improvement of science teaching and learning through cooperation between researcher and teacher, an in-service program has been developed, applied and evaluated. The in-service program emphasizes the following three aspects; (1) video-recording of actual science teaching has been used as a primary resource, (2) communication between teacher and researcher and among teachers have been emphasized, (3) activities have been mainly included. The in-service program has been implemented for nine hours, and 17 science teachers have been recruited as volunteers. The result shows that, by checking the agreements between raters, we found that teachers' expertise in analyzing the science class using the Korean Teaching Observation Protocol (KTOP) has improved, and we have confirmed that teachers are able to judge whether the science class has improved or not. Through the questionnaire, various highly positive responses could be obtained from teachers. And through the observation of teachers' activities during the in-service program, teachers' questions, their difficulties in doing activities, and their comments for improving the program has also been analyzed. Finally, based on the results, a list of recommendations for a more effective in-service program have been suggested. It is expected that this list can be utilized for more effective and meaningful design and implementation of in-service course.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.565-574
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the features of science classes of Science Core Schools (SCSs) perceived by students. 654 students from 14 SCSs were surveyed with two open-ended questions on the features of science classes. The students' responses were analyzed with NetMiner 4.5, in terms of the centrality (of betweenness and of degree) analysis and the community analysis. The results of the research are as follows: (1) the science classes of SCSs were perceived by students to be of the environment of free questioning, active participation and communication, caring teacher, more science experiments and advanced contents, and knowledge sharing; (2) science classes in SCSs were perceived to be different from those of ordinary high schools because SCSs provide more opportunities for science-related special courses (like project work, advanced science subjects), extra-curricular activities, inquiry and research activities, school supports, hard-working classroom environment, longer studying hours, R&E and club activities. The students' perceptions of SCS science classes appear to be in line with the characteristics of 'good' science lessons from previous studies. The SCS project itself and the features of SCS science classes would help us to see how we introduce educational innovations into actual schools.

• The Science & Technology
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• no.1 s.416
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• pp.100-103
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• 2004

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.855-865
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• 2012

The goal of this research is to investigate ways to improve science teaching methods to develop students' key competencies. Since the OECD DeSeCo (Definition and Selection of Key Competencies) project, key competencies are redefined as 'what people should know and be able to do in order to lead a successful life in a well-functioning society, which leads many countries to emphasize competency-based curriculum. In this research, we collected and analyzed foreign and domestic classroom cases that have implemented competency-based curriculum in science teaching. Through open-ended interviews with the teachers and principals, we explored ways to improve science teaching methods to develop students' key competencies. In foreign cases, science teachers emphasized students' knowing what KCs to accomplish, activities and student-centered learning, students' group activities and collaboration, and greater curriculum integration among subjects and contexts. Korean science teachers argued that the KCs should be realized through teaching methods and emphasized scientific inquiry learning whereby non-science track students could also benefit from science lessons. Korean science teachers also emphasized links to real-life situations, providing students with various learning experiences that supported students to develop the KCs, and the delivery of an integrated curriculum. In the conclusion section, the difficulties with the implementation of key competencies are discussed.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-126
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• 2016

Math classes has been regarded as an independent area of a teacher and his/her students of a particular class. In Recent discussions about the professional development of teachers, for the improvement of practices, the point of view of that the community of teachers must work together is spreading. What are the considerations in organization and operation of learning communities for professional development of teachers? In this study, we analyzed the case of the learning community of math teachers in a Science Academy for the purpose of improving math classes to promote the participation of learners. Research results show that teachers share the principles and goals of mathematics teaching through the learning community. Also, through participation in learning communities, the members were practicing the lessons improved by reflection on the lessons of his/her and their colleagues. These results provide implication that it is important to provide opportunities for objectifying his/her classes through the learning community for a substantial improvement in math classes.