• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.246-259
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service biology teachers' perception of the evolution. This study was to compare the views of pre-service biology teachers with no religion with those of christian preservice teachers. Subjects were 77 pre-service biology teachers who enrolled in an university and graduate school of education located in Seoul. The instrument of this study was a questionnaire which consisted of 14 items on 2 domains: the nature of science, the origins of human beings. The key results are as follows. Most pre-service teachers showed highly understanding of the characteristics of science. However pre-service biology teachers still possessed naive views on the distinction of law and theory. In terms of the methods of science, many of the pre-service biology teachers considered scientific theories to progress through the accumulation of observation and experiments or through changes and modifications in existing theories. Compared with the pre-service teachers with no religion, christian pre-service teachers had conflicting views and misconceptions about the origins of human beings. The factors of religion were found to be one of the important barriers which prevent them from understanding the origins of human beings. The results suggested that the education program for pre-service biology teachers integrating the concepts and development process of the scientific knowledges should be effective for understanding the nature of science. For pre-service biology teachers, It is important to understand conflicting views of the christian pre-service teachers who understand creationism as a science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.618-632
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• 2008

Despite the rapidly growing body of research on science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), most of the research has mainly focused on the definition of PCK and its components. The main purpose of this research was to explore the operational definition of PCK and to suggest another form by re-conceptualizing PCK, with the newly defined and conceptualized PCK capable of being used as standards and/or criteria in selecting the curricular content of and deciding the subject area of science teacher education. In this research, the science teachers' PCK was defined as the "practical knowledge and skills that are acquired through the curriculum of science education and in the course of teaching experiences, and which are used in their teaching of secondary school science." The science teachers' PCK was further defined as consisting of two integrated and/or combined dimensions: subject matter and pedagogy, each of which comprises several components. In this paper, the PCK is called science education literacy. The paper also presents the ways to apply the operational definition of PCK and re-conceptualized PCK and a few suggestions for the research on science teachers' PCK.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of science educators (science research experts and science teachers) about invention education in science education. The instrument in surveying their perception consisted of the necessity of invention education in science education, the connection between invention and science education, and the demand for in-service invention education for science teachers. Subjects were 119 science educators (67 science teachers and 52 science research experts). They perceived positively about including invention educational content in school science education. They perceived that invention education was highly related to science education. Even though science educators have almost average level of understanding invention education, they demand in-service invention education for science teachers. Most of them referred informal courses to formal ones for school science education. Considering real life, engineering design, creative thinking in science education, invention method, and educational strategies can be effective for science education.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.263-271
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• 2017

Teacher reeducation is required to be comfortable with the 'Integrated science' subject as introduced in the 2015 revised curriculum. In this research, we designed in-service teacher training programs according to the types of secondary school science teacher's certificates, and developed ways to improve in-service science teachers' competencies. Through Delphi surveys with 22 science education experts, we investigated the features of the 2015 revised 'Integrated science' curriculum in light of its characteristics, purposes, contents system, contents, and so on, and explored teachers' competencies to teach the subject. Based on the analysis of the features of each type of secondary school science teachers' certification and required teacher competencies for teaching 'Integrated science', we developed three types of teacher training programs: in-service training courses for understanding the 2015 revised 'Integrated science' (Type A), in-service training courses for 'Integrated science' (Type B), and in-service teacher training certificate program for 'Integrated science' (Type C). For each teacher training program, we suggested the target of the training program in light of teacher certificates, operation systems, and ways to organize the program. In addition, we also suggested ways to improve 'Integrated science' teacher education programs for pre-service as well as in-service teachers, and examined ways to improve educational requirements for qualification in 'Integrated science' teaching based on the opinions of experts. Discussed in the conclusion are ways to design in-service teacher training programs for 'Integrated science' teaching and ways to improve 'Integrated science' teacher training.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.133-144
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• 2020

As a part of the second-year monitoring study on the implementation of the 2015 revised science curriculum in middle schools, this study focuses more on examining middle school science teachers' perceptions on the process-based assessment (PBA). A total of 105 middle school science teachers (44 teachers from science leading schools, 61 teachers from ordinary schools) responded to the survey questionnaire, and 16 teachers participated in interviews. The results include teachers' perceptions on the changes in their teaching and assessment methods, some challenges of implementing PBA, and educational implications of PBA. Survey results indicate that the teachers perceived themselves using more PBA methods after the 2015 revised science curriculum was launched. The teachers in science-leading schools present statistically higher average scores to the items on the PBA utilization than the ones in ordinary schools. However, the teachers felt confused in conceptually differentiating PBA from prior performance-based assessment. They also experienced some conflicts when implementing PBA under the achievement-oriented school atmospheres. In addition, they often faced difficulties in securing objectivity and reliability of PBA and felt the burden of evaluating individual students. This study suggests the necessity of giving more authority and trust to science teachers regarding PBA, constructing more supportive environment to cultivate teacher competency as evaluation experts, and the need to reduce task burden. However, some teachers who actively implemented PBA express some level of satisfaction as observing students' positive reaction to PBA.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.240-249
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• 2011

The purposes of this study is to compare the beliefs in the nature of science, science teaching and learning of the elementary teachers in charge of the gifted and the general teachers. For this study, a survey on beliefs of the nature of science, science teaching and learning was conducted to 88 elementary teachers for the gifted and 90 elementary general teachers. Data was analyzed by their academic career and major. The results of this study were as follows: There were no significant differences in beliefs in the nature of science and science teaching between the elementary science teachers in charge of the gifted and the general elementary teachers, but the former has a more constructivism in science learning than the latter. In the some sub-domains of the beliefs of the nature of science, science teaching and learning, there were statistically significant differences according to their academic career and major. Implications from findings of this study were suggested, such as recruiting and in-service training system for teachers in charge of the gifted.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.87-116
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate science teachers and secondary students' perception of pseudoscience. Subjects were 491 secondary students and 65 science teachers who enrolled in secondary schools located in Korea. The instrument of this study was a questionnaire which consisted of 33 items on 7 domains: fortune and fate, parapsychology, spiritual beings, alternative medicine, UFO and mystery, creationism, and introduction of the pseudoscience concepts in science education. The results suggested that it is necessary to develop science education programs focused on the pseudoscience for secondary students and science teachers. Media such as television, movie, and books should provide a well-organised scientific programs.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1343-1353
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• 2013

It is necessary to teach science terminology in order to solve the problems induced from the fact that students have low comprehension in science terminology. The purpose of this study was to investigate science teacher's perception of teaching science terminology. The questionnaires consisted of perception of science terminology, science terminology for teaching, teaching of science terminology, and teaching methods for science terminology. As a result, science teachers had difficulty with science terminology and were not familiar with them as well as students were. Despite having perceived the necessity of teaching science terminology because it serves as a great influence on students to study science, they didn't have enough knowledge of the teaching methods for science terminology, so that they felt difficulties in teaching science terminology. Finally, science teachers hope to display new science terminology with explanations on each page of the science textbooks.

• 한국정보교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.01a
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• pp.37-44
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• 2010

현대 사회는 미래의 지식과 정보의 시대에 대비한 인재를 양성하기 위해서 컴퓨터교육에 대한 필요성이 날로 커져가고 있다. 이에 제7차 교육과정에서도 컴퓨터 교육의 활성화를 위하여 연간 34시간 이상 컴퓨터를 교육하도록 명시하고 있지만 가장 기초적이라 할 수 있는 초등학교에서의 컴퓨터 교육이 교사들에 의해 제대로 시행되고 있지 않고 있으며, 그에 대한 교사들의 인식과 실태를 파악하여 개선방안을 제시하는데 목적이 있다. 본 연구에서 얻은 결과를 바탕으로 초등학교 컴퓨터과학 교육 활성화를 위한 개선방안을 다음과 같이 제안하고자 한다. 첫째, 정보통신윤리 개정 지침안에 대한 교사 교육이 의무화되어야 하며, 컴퓨터과학 교수학습 방법 및 교육과정 운영에 필요한 프로그램의 기능 연수가 개설되어야 할 것이다. 둘째, 정보통신기술 교재 교사용 지도서가 전문화, 체계화 되어야 한다. 셋째, 컴퓨터과학 교육을 수업 현장에서 쉽게 실현할 수 있는 다양한 자료를 개발하여 보급해야 한다. 넷째, 초등학교 컴퓨터 교육 과정의 재정비가 필요하다.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.974-990
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore practical meanings of convergence education and to seek ways of implementing it in school science education. The study adopted focus group interview method in order to elicit science teachers' perceptions and practical knowledge related to various ways of integrating educational aims and contents from the perspectives of science education. Two focus group interviews were held with four science teachers with the themes of the concept and potential of convergence education, and the implementation and systemic support, respectively. The qualitative data was analyzed by deriving major themes comprising teachers' perception on convergence education: they are 1) related concepts and rationales, 2) contents, methods, and assessment, 3) the characteristics of the science subject that make it suitable for convergent education, 4) teacher perception and professionalism required for implementing convergent education, and finally 5) environmental conditions for putting the idea into practice. Based on this result, the study discusses conceptual and practical issues for implementing convergence education in ways that contribute to overcoming the problems of the traditional educational system and reorienting science education towards the future society.