• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2022

Many elementary school teachers' lack of scientific knowledge reveal as several problems in teaching science. Thus, elementary school teachers need to improve their scientific knowledge, but there is the limit to improve the teachers' scientific knowledge through activities based on lecture that conducted in process of training and retraining them. Therefore, Improvement for training science teacher to improve scientific knowledge of elementary school teachers would be searched in this study. Depth interview was conducted toward three elementary school teachers, who had conducted action research, to improve content knowledge of material domain within teaching process and elementary school science. Based on result of the interview, difficulty and development that the three teachers were commonly experienced in process of conducting scientific inquiry in action research were analyzed. One of the difficulties of the inquiry were to figure out how the three teachers, who participated in the interview, understand specific concept, what they do not understand, and what they should study more to understand the concept. And there was a circumstance that the teachers did not know how to apply procedural knowledge, which learned explicitly in the process of setting plan for conducting research, into real context. Since there was difference between knowledge that they understand disjunctively and context that observed in real circumstance, they faced difficulty. However, the teachers conducted analysis of topic, planning research, conducting research, discussion of the result by themselves with those difficulties Thus, the teachers mentioned that not only content knowledge had been improved, but understanding of procedural knowledge, which is not intended to improve, had been also improved. Besides, they also mentioned that comprehensive understanding content knowledge, which they already understood, was also helpful. And the teachers suggest that if there were chance to discuss and examine the scientific practices by consisting of group with colleagues rather than conducting it individually it would more efficient studying. Considering their suggestion, direction of training elementary school teachers for improving their scientific knowledge should be improved in a way to understand science concepts based on direct research about context that is generated in circumstance of studying group of the teachers. Consequently, it would contribute to improvement of teaching science by combining teachers' practice and understanding.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.97-114
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• 2015

This study is aimed to determine whether there is any meaningful correlation between predictors and is intended to examine the relative influences that the pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching, scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions have on their science teaching efficacy. The results, showed that the childcare center teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching, scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions, and science teaching efficacy are all correlated with each other. The teachers' science teaching efficacy are predicted by their scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions, and pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching-learning methods. Specifically, for teachers of 0 to 2-year-olds, their science teaching efficacy is predicted by their science teaching intentions and scientific attitudes. For teachers of 3 to 5-year-olds, their science teaching is affected by their scientific attitudes and their pedagogical content knowledge.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.54-67
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• 2009

This study dealt with two case studies of the development of beginning science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study was grounded on the idea that teacher thinking and classroom behavior are related to each other in a reciprocal way. Teachers' PCK influences teaching practices, while in a reverse way teaching activities influence teachers' practical knowledge. Two beginning science teachers participated in this study. Data collection consisted of classroom observation, interviews, reflective journals and lesson plans. For data analysis, we conceptualize pedagogical content knowledge for science teaching as consisting of four components: (a) knowledge about science matter, (b) knowledge about students' understanding of science topics, (c) knowledge about instructional strategies for teaching science, (d) knowledge about assessment in science. The outcomes of this study revealed that there was a large gap between beginning science teachers' intentions for teaching science and their practice. To give beginning teachers more opportunities to incorporate their knowledge base for teaching, we propose that they need to be involved in a real teaching situation at schools rather than in the university.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.119-135
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyze components of conflicts and investigate causes of them between mentor teachers and mentee teachers, who participated in the collaborative mentoring program to improve beginning science teachers teaching practice. The most often occurring component of conflict for surveyed teams was class strategy on knowledge of teaching methods. Then, conflicts in understanding student characteristics as a component of understanding students and knowledge transfer of concepts in science as a component of teaching contents followed as main causes. Changes in conflicts showed that less frequency of conflict occurred with ongoing mentoring. Conflicts from class strategy decreased the most, which had been the most often occurring cause. This decrease was explained as mentees were changed gradually into the teacher's role recognition through continuous mentoring. This study suggests that education for mentor and mentee teachers be provided with consideration of causes of conflicts and reasons for those causes, which eventually lead sustainable and efficient mentoring program management.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-52
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• 2012

Research in teachers' knowledge for teaching mathematics (KTM) has been gradually growing for the past several years. With various conceptualizations about what teachers need to teach mathematics, there have been studies to find out the relationship between teachers' KTM and their students' achievement. In this paper, I reviewed various conceptualizations of teacher's mathematical knowledge for teaching, and existing qualitative and quantitative studies about this relationship. Based on the review, I identified the challenges to studying this relationship mainly focusing on the existence of a phase-teaching practice-between teachers' KTM and students' learning. Considering the challenges that have been identified in the literature review, I proposed topics for future studies that would contribute to our understanding how the teachers' KTMare related to their students' achievement, and investigate further about whether and how teacher-student interaction in classroom is related to changes in teachers' KTM.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 2022

This study investigated the aspects of how three preservice elementary school teachers conducted the data-text transforming discourses in their science simulation teaching and how their epistemological conversations worked for learners' construction of scientific knowledge. Three preservice teachers, who had presented simulation teaching on the seasonal change of constellations, participated in the study. The results revealed that one preservice teacher, who had implemented the transforming discourses of data-to-evidence and model-to-explanation, appeared to facilitate learners' knowledge construction. The other two preservice teachers had difficulty helping learners construct science knowledge due to their lack of transforming discourses. What we should consider for improving preservice elementary school teachers' teaching competencies was discussed based on a detailed comparison of three cases of preservice teachers' data-text transforming.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.970-985
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• 2011

In this study, we analyzed secondary science teachers' needs for mentoring programs improving their professionalism in science-gifted education. A survey was administered to 111 teachers who had experience in teaching science-gifted secondary students in Seoul. Analyses of the results indicated that most teachers needed the mentors' support in science content knowledge, knowledge of beliefs about science-gifted education, knowledge of science-gifted students, knowledge of instructional strategies for science-gifted education, knowledge of curriculum for science-gifted education, knowledge of assessment in science-gifted education, and knowledge of external factors influencing in implementing science-gifted education. Most teachers, especially having the perceptions of lower levels of professionalism, relatively needed more mentors' support in the knowledge of the instructional strategies for science-gifted education and the knowledge of assessment in science-gifted education. Most teachers wanted the mentors' supports for all subcategories of professionalism at the planning stage of the classes, and some did the support for some subcategories at the performance stage and the reflection-evaluation stage of the classes. They also relatively wanted more mentors' support for all subcategories of professionalism through lectures and/or group discussions, some did the support through face-to-face interviews and/or real-time or non real-time online interviews. They variously responded in the suitable ratio of mentors and mentees, and perceived positively the qualities required to mentor as well as the necessary factors for the effective use of mentoring.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.546-564
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the types and characteristics of the knowledge constructed by pre-service secondary science teachers. Data included 26 student-teachers' narratives regarding their experiences in teaching high school students who were enrolled in extra-curricular science classes. It was revealed that the pre-service teachers awoke to the importance of subject matter knowledge, and learned it themselves in the situation of their own teaching. Especially their concern about science content knowledge was strongly associated with the matter of didactic transposition of the knowledge. The result also showed that the pre-service teachers constructed knowledge about the relationship with students as well as pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, and that they newly realized the nature of science in the context of teaching science. In addition, the teaching experiences allowed for the student-teachers to develop knowledge of oneself as a teacher and knowledge about science education in schools. It was believed that the knowledge constructed personally by the pre-service teachers from their teaching experiences could be a platform for the development of teacher expertise. Implications of the present study for science teacher education and relevant research were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.663-679
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• 2011

This case study focused on three science teachers who participated in the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program conducted by the Center for Bridging Advanced Science and Education (CBASE). The RET program provides opportunities for participants to experience experimentations in a science laboratory for six months, enabling teachers develop teaching materials based on their experience from the RET program. The purpose of this study was to explore how the teachers had developed their professionalism through participation in the program and which factors promoted the professional development of science teachers. In this research, we defined pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as the required knowledge for teachers to develop for their professional development. As a result of the RET program, all three participants showed integration of PCK elements: orientation to teaching science, knowledge of science, knowledge of students, knowledge of teaching, and knowledge of sources. The PCK elements which had been developed by the RET program were applied in school context and the teachers' belief became clear and strong. The teachers were able to understand the process of authentic science as they learned it from 'legitimate peripheral participation' in the authentic research context. They also showed dynamic integration between newly established elements of PCK by reflecting on the school context while developing the teaching materials. The professional development of each teacher was different depending on the purpose and PCK, which participants had already possess. This study will provide meaningful implication for the development of professional development program for science teachers based on research experience.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1219-1236
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for science teachers. To this end, a total of 26 secondary Earth science teachers participated in this study and a concept diagnostic questionnaire and a lesson planning task of atmospheric pressure were devised to give an indication of participating teachers' SMK and PCK, respectively. The results of this study are summarized as follows: First, participating teachers showed a variety of SMK levels about atmospheric pressure. Second, teachers at high level of SMK focused on 'supplementary' and 'fundamental' curriculum contents for in-depth conceptual understanding, but teachers at low level of SMK, on the contrary, stressed 'applicative' curriculum contents. Third, teachers at high level of SMK grasped students' misconceptions and difficulties in learning atmospheric pressure far more concretely than teachers at low level of SMK. Lastly, teachers at high level of SMK showed a tendency to use learner-centered instructional strategy by utilizing students' prior knowledge, but teachers at low level of SMK were inclined toward teacher-directed concept explanation. Based on this study, some implications for effective science teacher preparation programs were also discussed.