• Journal of Science Education
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2023

In this study, we examined the effect of socioscientific issue (SSI) based science lessons on underachieving 9th-grade students. A total of seven lessons centered on two SSIs related to the national science curriculum were developed and implemented during the first semester of 2021. Data were collected from 185 9th-grade students in one middle school in a mid-sized city of South Korea. Among them, 37 were identified as achieving far below the standards (underachieving students hereafter). Quantitative data were collected from pre- and post-tests on basic science content and attitudes and competency measures. To supplement quantitative data, lesson observation notes were recorded, and student interviews with a selected number of students were conducted. The analysis of quantitative data was conducted through the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and paired t-tests. Qualitative data were analyzed to find reasons for changing attitudes. The findings showed that the SSI-based lessons were more effective on underachieving students than the others in enhancing basic academic achievement, while there was no significant effect on all in attitudes and competency. Lesson observation data showed that underachieving students were more engaged in SSI-based lessons than before. Student interviews demonstrated several reasons why they were engaged, suggesting the aspects of SSI-based lessons that facilitated underachieving students' learning. Further research topics are suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.583-594
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• 2023

This study aimed to develop an e-PBL program for high school students using COVID-19 related data and to investigate the impact of the developed program on students' science core competencies. For this, the e-PBL program was developed in consideration of the characteristics of learners and e-PBL, and a science core competency analysis framework. The program was applied to 26 general high school life science club students. Test for science department core competency was conducted before and after class by questionnaires and their conversation data during class was collected and analyzed by the framework. As a result of the study, the developed program was effective in improving five science core competencies. In the results of the analysis of the science core competency questionnaire, there were significant effects on scientific thinking ability, scientific inquiry ability and scientific problem solving ability. Unlike in the results of the questionnaires, the five sciences department core competencies appeared evenly in student discourse analysis. Among them, scientific communication ability and scientific participation and lifelong learning ability did not show significant results in the questionnaire, but in the discourse analysis results. Both abilities were the most evenly displayed competencies through the program stages. Through the study, we expect that the program is possibles to be useful instructional material to make high school students increase science core competencies.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.196-208
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• 2019

This study analyzed achievement standards in the 2015 revised Science Education Standards as well as activities and assessment items in grade 7 science textbooks using science core competencies and subcomponents. Scientific participation and lifelong learning capacity was not involved in the achievement standards. Logical thinking of scientific thinking capacity, planning and carrying out investigation, analyzing and interpreting data, developing and using models, and constructing explanation of scientific inquiry capacity, collecting and selecting information of scientific problem solving capacity, and using various communication methods of scientific communication capacity were involved in the achievement standards. All five scientific core competencies including all subcomponents except rational decision making of scientific problem solving capacity and understanding and coordinating diverse thoughts of scientific communication capacity were involved in activities of science textbooks. All five scientific core competencies were involved in assessment items of science textbooks. Logical thinking and creative thinking of scientific thinking capacity, planning and carrying out investigation and constructing explanation of scientific inquiry capacity, identifying problems, collecting and selecting information, suggesting solutions, and performing of scientific problem solving capacity, using various communication methods, arguing based on evidence of scientific communication capacity, and being interested in science technology and society issues of scientific participation and lifelong learning capacity.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of chemistry program based on metacognitive learning strategies using realistic contents on prospective teachers' creative thinking skills and science core competencies, and their perception. In particular, it was intended to further improve the effectiveness of the program by introducing a strategy to strengthen metacognition. Participants were classified into the experimental group subject to the newly developed chemistry curriculum and traditional group subject to general programs that exclude realistic contents and metacognitive strategies. Both groups were surveyed before and after the application of the program to measure the degree of change in metacognitive competencies, creative thinking competencies, and science core competencies. It also analyzed the impact of metacognitive competencies and science core competencies on creativity thinking competencies. As a result of the study, relevance and rationality among sub-factors of metacognitive competencies and creative thinking competencies of the experimental group were improved, and all sub-factors except for scientific participation and lifelong learning ability among science core competencies were significantly improved. In addition, it was found that metacognitive knowledge among metacognitive competencies, scientific inquiry ability and scientific thinking ability among science core competencies affect creative thinking competencies. Through the results, it was suggested that realistic content that incorporates metacognitive learning strategies is needed to improve creative thinking competencies, and learning models and programs that can utilize them are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.136-145
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• 2021

The Gifted Education Program is re-constructured into core competency-based program in line with fourth industrial revolution, where talented people with comprehensive ability are required. Therefore, competency-based elementary science gifted education program which is provided from Gifted Education Database(GED) is developed in accordance with 2015 revised edition in science and 5 main core-abilities; scientific thinking ability, scientific investigation ability, scientific problem solving ability, scientific communication ability and scientific participation and lifelong learning ability. This research, which is provided from GED, is focused on earth science area among competency-based elementary science gifted education program and analyse quantitatively and qualitatively how science and core-ability is appeared in 3 programs developed in science area. This research can be another guideline when someone would like to use competency-based earth science gifted education program in gifted education. Also, the purpose of this research is to help suggesting a right direction for competency-based earth science gifted education program. The conclusion based on research problem is as follow; Firstly, in competency-based earth science gifted education program, influence rates of scientific communication ability and scientific thinking ability are highest, where influence rates of scientific investigation ability, scientific problem solving ability and scientific participation and lifelong learning ability are relatively low. Secondly, in competency-based earth science gifted education program, single activity may includes several core-abilities. Following research is quite meaningful in aspect of giving out the information to choose topic in core-ability when using competency-based earth science gifted education program in gifted education. Also by supplementing lowly-influenced ability in competency-based earth science gifted education program, it is expected for gifted students to build scientific core-ability.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.486-504
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• 2019

This study analyzed achievement standards in the 2015 Science Education Standards as well as activities and assessment items in the Integrated Science, Chemistry I, and Chemistry II textbooks using science core competencies and subcomponents. All five scientific core competencies, in order of scientific thinking capacity, scientific inquiry capacity, scientific communication capacity, scientific problem solving capacity, and scientific participation and lifelong learning capacity, were included in the achievement standards of Integrated Science. Scientific thinking capacity, scientific inquiry capacity, and scientific communication capacity were included in the achievement standards of Chemistry I. The achievement standards of Chemistry II only included scientific thinking capacity. All five scientific core competencies were involved in activities of Integrated Science, Chemistry I, and Chemistry II textbooks and the highest propotion was scientific thinking capacity and scientific inquiry capacity. All five scientific core competencies were involved in assessment items of Integrated Science, Chemistry I, and Chemistry II textbooks and the highest proportion was scientific thinking capacity.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.155-175
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the 2015 revised Science Curriculum and Environment Curriculum, and to provide implications for the correlation and complementarity between the two standards. For the analysis of the curriculum, the contents system of the two standards was reorganized based on the four categories of knowledge, attitude, inquiry, participation and practice, which are common literacy elements of science and environment, based on previous studies. Content Analysis was performed on content elements and detailed performance expectation. As a result of this study, there was a difference in terms of the core competencies and goals. The Environment Curriculum emphasized sustainable development and social participation while the Science Curriculum emphasized scientific inquiry and literacy. The contents system analysis results according to the four literacy factors are as follows. First, in terms of attitude, both standards deal with research ethics in common. However Environment Curriculum values learners' values and views on the environment more than Science Curriculum which emphasizes the science attitude as science investigators. Second, there was a serious problem in the knowledge linkage between two standards. In same grade groups, the level of content knowledge dealt in two standards was not consistent. Third, in the inquiry aspect, the Environment Curriculum deals with interdisciplinary topics in the purposefully designed inquiry unit, whereas the Science Curriculum presents various research activities based on related science concepts in every unit. Fourth, in the participation and practice aspect, the Environment Curriculum focused on participation and practice while the Science Curriculum focused on sustainable science and technology development and improvement, scientific interest and decision-making ability. This study provide implications for education for sustainable development(ESD) by providing the complementary potentials between Science Curriculum and Environment Curriculum.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.495-504
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• 2018

This study was conducted to develop items to measure scientific core competency based on statements of scientific core competencies presented in the 2015 revised national science curriculum and to identify the validity and reliability of the newly developed items. Based on the explanations of scientific reasoning, scientific inquiry ability, scientific problem-solving ability, scientific communication ability, participation/lifelong learning in science presented in the 2015 revised national science curriculum, 25 items were developed by five science education experts. To explore the validity and reliability of the developed items, data were collected from 11,348 students in elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. The content validity, substantive validity, the internal structure validity, and generalization validity proposed by Messick (1995) were examined by various statistical tests. The results of the MNSQ analysis showed that there were no nonconformity in the 25 items. The confirmatory factor analysis using the structural equation modeling revealed that the five-factor model was a suitable model. The differential item functioning analyses by gender and school level revealed that the nonconformity DIF value was found in only two out of 175 cases. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance by gender and school level showed significant differences of test scores between schools and genders, and the interaction effect was also significant. The assessment items of science core competency based on the 2015 revised national science curriculum are valid from a psychometric point of view and can be used in the science education field.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.311-324
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• 2021

Recently, ten geosites have been considered in Hwaseong for endorsement as national geoparks, including the Jebudo, Gojeongri Dinosaur Egg Fossils, and Ueumdo geosites. The Jebudo geosite in the southern part of the Seoul metropolitan area has great potential for development as a new geoscience educational site because it has geological, geographical (landscape), and ecological significance. In this study, we described the geological characteristics through field surveys in the Jebudo geosite. We evaluated its potential as a geo-education site based on comparative analysis with other geosites in Hwaseong Geopark. In addition, we reviewed the practical effect of field education at geosites on the essential concepts and critical competence-oriented education emphasized in the current 2015 revised science curriculum. The Jebudo Geosite is geologically diverse, with various metamorphic rocks belonging to the Precambrian Seosan Group, such as quartzite, schist, and phyllite. Various geological structures, such as clastic dikes, faults, joints, foliation, and schistosity have also been recorded. Moreover, coastal geological features have been observed, including depositional landforms (gravel and sand beaches, dunes, and mudflats), sedimentary structures (ripples), erosional landforms (sea cliffs, sea caves, and sea stacks), and sea parting. The Jebudo geosite has considerable value as a new geo-education site with geological and geomorphological distinction from the Gojeongri Dinosaur Egg Fossils and Ueumdo geosites. The Jebudo geosite also has opportunities for geo-education and geo-tourism, such as mudflat experiences and infrastructures, such as coastal trails and viewing points. This geosite can help develop diverse geo-education programs that improve key competencies in the science curriculum, such as critical thinking, inquiry, and problem-solving. Furthermore, by conducting optimized geo-education focused on the characteristics of each geosite, the following can be established: (1) the expansion of learning space from school to geopark, (2) the improvement of understanding of specific content elements and linkage between essential concepts, and (3) the extension of the education scope throughout the earth system. There will be positive impacts on communication, participation, and lifelong learning skills through geopark education.