• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.827-835
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• 2011

This study investigated the effect of introducing advanced science contents into the science curriculum 10th grade on students' interest in science. Four classes of the 10th grade were selected from a co-ed high school located in the city of Seoul. Among them, each two classes were assigned as a control group and treatment group, respectively. Students in each group were divided into three groups according to their previous science achievement. The treatment group was taught with materials consisting of advanced science content that was associated with the 'Reaction Rates', 'Environment' and 'Inquiry of Science' section of the curriculum. Before and after being taught over a six-week period, students' interest in science and science class were measured. The data showed that there was a significant correlation between the instruction and students' previous science achievement in the 'interest in science'(p<.01). There was a significant difference between the two groups in the 'interest in science class' irrespective of their prior science achievement (p<.05). The data showed that the introduction of advanced science content into the science curriculum had considerable effect on increasing students' interest in science and science class. Moreover, many students expected more opportunities to learn advanced science content associated with the science curriculum.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.445-455
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to identify the structural relationship among students' grit, interest, self-regulation ability, task-commitment and achievement within science learning. Our concern is understanding how grit is related to the other non-cognitive variables, i.e., interest, self-regulation ability, and task-commitment, which are widely known as significant predictors of science achievement. Based on literature review, we evaluated two hypothetical models in the frame of structural equation modeling as follows: first, grit was assumed to mediate relations of interest and self-regulation ability, and interest and task-commitment. Second, grit was assumed to have a direct effect on self-regulation ability and task-commitment independent of interest. In both models, grit was assumed to be indirectly associated with science achievement. A total number of 180 high school students (77 boys, 103 girls) participated in surveys on grit, interest, self-regulation ability, and task-commitment and reported their science test scores on mid-term/final exams. Results revealed that students' grit and interest were indirectly associated with their science achievement with the mediation of their self-regulation and task-commitment. We also found that task-commitment was highly correlated with interest and self-regulation. Furthermore, we found different patterns of correlations within the five variables between female and male students. From these results, we suggested that researchers need to investigate whether students' grit and task-commitment can explain their interest decreasing as they move to higher grade levels, how teachers can help students to maintain their interest in learning science from early childhood, and relationships of these non-cognitive variables and science achievement.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.239-252
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop an evolutionary STEAM education program based on the brain and to analyze its effects on scientific interest and scientific creativity of elementary school students. Four different topics based on four scientific fields (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Earth Science) were derived from the science textbook under the 2015 revised curriculum to build a brain-based evolutionary STEAM education program. The research subjects were 90 fourth graders of S-elementary school located in Gyeonggi Province, Korea and they were divided into an experimental group of 45 students and a comparative group of 45 students. The main findings of this study are as follows. First, according to the independent samples t-test of scientific interest, no statistically significant difference were found between the two groups, but the brain-based evolutionary STEAM education had meaningful effect on improving 'interest in scientific learning' and 'anxiety about scientific learning'. Second, according to the paired samples t-test of scientific interest, the experimental group had significantly improved 'interest in science' but on the other hand, there was no effect on the comparative group. Third, scientific creativity and originality of the experimental group were significantly higher after the class than that of the comparative group. Fourth, although there were some significant differences between the two groups in scientific creativity after the class, both groups had improved scientific creativity between the results of pre and post test. Based on these results, we discuss implications for science education and STEAM education research.

• 한국과학교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.01a
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• pp.132-132
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• 2008

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.135-142
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• 2017

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) announced the TIMSS 2015 results at the end of 2016. In this research, we analyzed the relationship between Korean eighth grade students' attitude toward science and science achievement, trends in students' attitude toward science based on common items used in three to four cycles of TIMSS, and trends across grades in students' attitude toward science. According to the results, Korean eighth grade students showed the lowest level of confidence with science, interest in learning science, and valuing science among the 15 top performing countries as well as all the participant countries. In addition, according to the analysis result of common items, Korean students' confidence with science and interest in learning science have decreased, whereas students' valuing science with instrumental values has increased between TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS 2015. According to trends across grades, the cohort of students, assessed at the fourth grade in TIMSS 2011 and moved to the eighth grade four years later in 2015, decreased in their confidence with science and interest in learning science. Discussed in the conclusion are further studies and ways to improve science teaching and learning to improve students' attitude toward science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.613-624
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• 2014

The aim of this study is to explore why Korean 4th graders' interest in science was not connected to career aspirations in science using the perspective of science identity. Forty-five students with a high interest in science but with low science-related aspirations have been chosen from 488 elementary school students who have completed a questionnaire exploring students' interest and career aspirations in science. Among them, 19 who have received parental permission participated in in-depth interviews examining students' science identities (interest, competence, and recognition by others in science) and their experiences and perceptions of science-related activities. The results showed that most students have limited or situational interest in science, a gap between the perception of their competence in science and their competence for a science-related career, and negative recognition by others in science. Also, participants' science identities and low aspirations for a science-related career constrained their attention and participation in science-related activities. Students' negative science identities and low aspirations for science-related careers were based on the high standards of science-related careers. It seems that these erroneous perceptions and expectations led them to differentiate themselves from students pursuing science-related careers, as well as to perceive that their interest, competence, and recognition by others in science were not enough to pursue a science-related career. This study has implications for understanding the current condition of young students with low aspirations for science careers and exploring desirable objectives and strategies to promote activities to raise their aspirations for science-related careers.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the educational context variables on students' science achievement and interest in TIMSS 2015. TIMSS 2015 science data and questionnaire results were used to fit the Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) in this study. According to the results, books at home, parents' level of education, and students' views on science lessons have significant influence on science achievement of above-high level 4th-grade students, and books at home on below-intermediate level 4th-grade students. Books at home, students' views on science lessons, and school composition by student economic background have significant influence on science achievement of above-high level 8th-grade students, and books at home and students' views on science lessons on science achievement of below-Intermediate level 8th-grade students. In all grade levels, books at home, and students' views on science lessons have significant influence on science achievement and interest. Discussed in the conclusion are ways to improve science teaching and learning including offering systematic reading programs for all students, reinforcement of student-participation in science classes, connecting science hands-on activities with science concepts for below-Intermediate level elementary students, and so on.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.321-332
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• 2015

This study was intended to determine how developed Smart learning teaching-learning program on the unit of Solar system and Star affected on science-related attitude, science learning interest and academic achievement. The unit of Solar system and Star was selected among 5th grade science curriculum contents to design smart learning teaching-learning program. Smart learning instruction program utilized a various contents of smart equipment and made learners to do problem solving through their interaction and cooperation. The results of this study were as follows: First, smart learning instruction improved the science-related attitude and the science learning interest and the academic achievement of the experimental group students significantly. Sencond, the survey and the individual face-to-face data shows the positive effects of smart learning instruction. Especially, the satisfaction was high on the attitudes and interests in the classroom and the students regarded the classroom activities as interesting games by using the smart devices. On the basic of the conclusions, this work suggested the direction of the future studies, such as necessity of developments and researches on Smart learning teaching-learning program about other units or other subjects, such as measures of the increasing the intrinsic interest on science rather than Smart learning elicit simple interest and attitude.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.14-31
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• 2011

This study investigated pre-service science teachers' motivation for career choice and their self-image as a science teacher. Although their motivations for becoming science teachers were very personal, three major characteristics emerged. First, during the process of their growth, their interest in education and science existed separately, and later the two interest were naturally focused on the job of a science teacher. When they find out that teaching science is right for them, they developed their inner motivation. Second, teaching opportunities to teach science subjects, including classroom observations, TA, tutor, and teacher-aid, played an essential role for them in finding their aptitude for science teaching. Third, their teaching-related experiences were very effective in building up their self-image as a science teacher and in preparing for the job. It also reinforced their inner motivation, which was important in finding their direction in life as a science teacher. Fourth, there were two categories for the self-image as a science teacher. One was teaching-oriented and the other was science subject-oriented. These images for the science teacher were closely connected with their inner motivation for science teaching.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.779-786
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• 2014

Elementary children, hoping for jobs in science/engineering(Sci/Eng) or medicine(Med), were surveyed on the reasons for jobs, science/math preferences, interests in science, and science aspirations. For 3rd grade boys, twice more students picked Sci/Eng than Med choices. However, for 6th grade boys, the numbers of Sci/Eng and Med became close. The ratios of girls with Sci/Eng in 3rd and 6th grade did not differ much. The 6th graders chosing Med was 1.4 times bigger than 3rd graders for both boys and girls. For students with Sci/Eng, the most important reason for a job was that he/she liked it. For Med, helping others was as much important as doing what he/she liked. Science preference were the highest in the Sci/Eng group. The Med group came next with the non-science group being last. Math preferences were lower than the science preferences. Therefore, children need to be guided to increase the preferences for math as well as for science to keep the Sci/Eng and Med career choices. The interests in science and the science aspirations show similar patterns. The 3rd graders showed higher value than the 6th graders, the boys higher than girls, and the Sci/Eng group highest, the Med the second and non-science group the last. Science aspirations were higher than the interests only for the Sci/Eng group, while it was lower than the interests in all other groups. This implies that science aspirations might have bigger influence on getting a career in Sci/Eng than interest does.