• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.289-310
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• 2013

The purpose of the study is to investigate science process skills and suggest several considerations about developing scientific inquiries for secondary science gifted students. To do this, we analyzed scientific inquiries of science gifted programs and evaluated them on the quantity of problem perception, problem finding and inquiry planning that are regarded as high level science process skills, then revised each inquiry to include those high level skills. The result was that the first, there were differences in frequencies and types of science process skills among those inquiries. The second, there were very few problem perception and problem finding and were not many inquiry planning. The third, some of the revised inquiries showed those high level skills. From this, we would like to suggest we should construct scientific inquiries of science gifted program out of many and various themes. And there should be more high level science process skills such as problem perception, problem finding, and inquiry planning. For this, scientific inquiry developers should have intentions to involve such science process skills which is appropriate for science gifted student.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.307-323
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• 2011

The study aims to investigate self-regulated learning ability (SRLA) of students and analyze its relationship to their science inquiry skill and affective domain of science in middle schools in Korea. For this end, the research questions include the followings: First, what level is SRLA of middle school students? Second, how does the relationship between SRLA and science inquiry skill look like? Third, how does the relationship between SRLA and affective domain of science look like? A research method employed in the study is the survey utilizing three questionnaires: a) a questionnaire of SRLA (Jung et al., 2004); b) a questionnaire of problem finding ability of the science inquiry skill (Jung et al., 2004); and c) a questionnaire of science affective domain (Seo et al., 2008, adopted from 2006 PISA Student Questionnaire). Responses to three questionnaires by 704 students from seven middle schools in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam in Korea were analyzed. The research findings were as follows: First, mean average scores of SRLA is 3.02 (${\pm}0.63$) in 5 Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Second, students with higher scores in science inquiry skill showed significantly (p<.05) higher scores in SRLA than others. Third, boys scored higher on self-efficacy scale than girls. As students advance their grade level, their affective domain levels of science significantly (p=.048) decreases, in particular, their self-efficacy level most significantly (p=.002) decreases. Fourth, SRLA was significantly (p=.000) correlated with science inquiry skill and affective domain of science. In conclusions, it appeared that the higher SRLA level of students in middle schools is, the higher level of science inquiry skill and affective domain of science is.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.647-655
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to acquire teaching insights for improving scientific literacy by analyzing the effects of scientific communication skills, science process skills, and logical thinking skills of elementary school students on academic achievement level. The participants are 64, sixth grade elementary school students. Survey materials include the results of Scientific Communication Skill Test (SCST), Test of Science Process Skills (TSPS), Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT), multiple choice test & short answer test, descriptive answer test on science, and academic achievement level test on all subjects. Based on these data, the study analyzed the relationships of science process skills, logical thinking skills, and scientific communication skills, and each category's effect on academic achievement level. Furthermore, under the assumption that scientific communication skills are affected by science process skills and logical thinking skills and directly influence the academic level, the research discovered three types of correlations as a structural model. The results show that there are considerable correlations in scientific communication skills, science process skills, and logical thinking skills. Also, these three abilities have meaningful correlations with learner's writing and descriptive question level on science curriculum and overall academic achievement level; the level of correlation differ a bit by subcategory factors. In conclusion, setting the model, science process skills and logical thinking skills influence scientific communication skill, and the skill directly influences the learner's academic level. Further analysis of the results show that scientific communication skill influences the academic achievement level of all subjects the most.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.931-938
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• 2015

In the study, epistemological beliefs, metacognition, and scientific inquiry skills all directly affected the science academic achievement levels of high school students. Also, epistemological beliefs indirectly affected science academic achievement mediated by scientific inquiry skills and metacognition, while metacognition had an indirect effect on science academic achievement level mediated by scientific inquiry skills. We found that scientific inquiry skills had the biggest direct effect, while epistemological beliefs showed the most robust indirect effect on academic achievement level. Thus, we argue that students' scientific inquiry skills should be nurtured for the advancement of their academic achievement. In addition, more careful scholarly attention must be given to both epistemological beliefs and metacognition, which directly and indirectly affected academic achievement level. We believe that epistemological beliefs, metacognition, and scientific inquiry skills should all be considered in an integrative manner when developing educational programs and strategies.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.294-305
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• 2012

Scientific literacy has long been as one of the key goals of science education, and using scientific inquiry in school science has became an important objective to be achieved. The processes of scientific inquiry consist of proposing/developing inquiry question, designing and conducting investigation, collecting, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating the results. However, most students experience mainly collecting and transforming data in inquiry processes in science class and they are barely exposed to the opportunities of proposing/developing inquiry questions. Middle school earth science preservice teachers participated in this study (N=36) and their abilities of developing inquiry questions were surveyed. Participants' abilities of developing inquiry questions were investigated whether they were enhanced with activities using the Inquiry Questions Development Guide (IQDG). Also, this study was interested in whether there was any relationship between abilities of developing inquiry questions and designing inquiry investigation. The results of this study were as follows; first, the level and preciseness of inquiry questions and its preciseness developed by participating teachers were enhanced after experiencing IQDG. In addition, teachers' dominating inquiry question-types were two: one is a 'relationship-inquiry question' in which students could discover the relationship between results found in the given experimental situations and the other one is a 'why-how inquiry problem' in which students could explore a cause or a process that results in the outcomes. Finally, the higher level of and preciseness the of inquiry questions were identified as an important factor the determined teachers' abilities of designing more logical investigation. A process of proposing/developing inquiry question was identified as one of the most important processes contributing to a success of scientific inquiry investigation.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.127-146
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• 2012

In this study, we try to find out what effects science activities have on young children's scientific attitude and scientific research ability using Keller's ARCS motivational model. The subjects of this study were 40 5-year-old children of two classes in kindergarten located in G city. The results of this study are as follows: First, science activities using ARCS improves efficiently young children's scientific attitudes. Second, science activities using ARCS improves efficiently young children's scientific research ability. In conclusion, it was found that science activities using ARCS motivation model improved scientific attitudes and the scientific research ability of young children. The results of this study suggest that science activities through ARCS are worth using as an appropriate and significant teaching method to improve young children's scientific attitudes and scientific research ability in the education field.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.531-543
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• 2003

This study aims to investigate that scientifically gifted students have distinctive science related attitudes in comparison with general students. In addition, this study examines the relationship among science related attitudes, intelligence, and science process skills. Two hundred sixty-six middle school students (169 boys, 97 girls) who enrolled at the Incheon Science Elite Program and 220(133 boys, 87 girls) students in a regular middle school participated in the present study. Research findings support that gifted students have more positive science related attitudes than general students as well as higher intelligence and science process skills. At last, low and non-significant correlation coefficients with attitudes and cognitive factors were found in gifted groups, whereas some significant correlations were found in general students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.857-870
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• 2015

Concerning elementary school science subject electric circuit units, which are regarded as difficult by teachers and students, this study aims to use the knowledge state analysis method along with interviews to analyze the knowledge state and hierarchy of inquiry abilities. Before and after applying the electric circuit inquiry abilities module, the question items aimed at assessing the basic inquiry abilities and integrative inquiry abilities for electric circuits were presented to students, and their knowledge state was analyzed along with interviews. Through analysis of the knowledge structure and hierarchy of inquiry abilities about electric circuits, the way of thinking of teachers who taught inquiry abilities, and the way of thinking of students were found to be visually different from each other, and this is an important factor that should not be neglected in the process of teaching and learning about inquiry abilities and should be considered. In addition, the presentation of the knowledge state of and hierarchical relations between inquiry abilities factors can offer implications for guidance on students' learning about inquiry abilities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.441-447
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among science process skills. mental capacity and cognitive styles of elementary students. For the study 264 fifth-grade students were sampled. The Test of Science Process Skills(TSPS) was used as a measure of science process skills. Figural Intersection Test(FIT) was used as a measure of mental capacity. Group Embedded Figure Test(GEFT) was also used as a measure of cognitive styles. The results of this study showed that the science processskills increases progressively as the mental capacity increases. The field independent students showed significantly higher(p<.05) science process skills than the field dependent ones. There was no significant interaction between mental capacity and cognitive styles on science process skills. The findings indicated that there may be evidence to argue that mental capacity and cognitive styles play a important role in development of science process skills. The present study provided a possibility of Neo-Piagetian approach in science education research, and also showed an importance of cognitive development in the performance of science inquiry task.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.210-224
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze students' recognition of the free inquiry activity and to investigate what effect the free inquiry activity of the 2007 Revised Educational curriculum revision has on the science inquiry ability of middle school students. To conduct the research we worked with 262 female students, 8 classes of first graders in a middle school. Among them, 4 classes were taught in free inquiry activity and the remaining 4 classes were taught in the traditional way. The results of Likert-questionnaire indicate that students were learning about cooperative spirit through group investigation activities and discussions and did not take the free inquiry activity as a hard activity. Also they showed positive reaction agreeing that this activity is both a helpful method in learning science and interesting. However, it seemed that the investigation tends to flow between the leading 1~2 members of the group and showed difficulty in carrying out the investigation as a group after school hours. It showed there are few problems and obstacles in operating the free inquiry activity. The free inquiry activity did not give any meaningful influence on the improvement of science inquiry ability of students. Integrative inquiry process skills did not give a relevant influence, however, it showed a meaningful influence on the improvement of basic inquiry process skills. Especially, among the low-ranking element of basic inquiry process skills, it enhanced the capacity for prediction.