• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.360-376
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• 2001

This qualitative research investigated in-service science teachers' perceptions about cooperative learning and their perceived barriers in implementing cooperative learning in their classrooms. The underlying premise for cooperative learning is founded in constructivist epistemology. Cooperative learning (CL) is presented as an alternative frame to the current educational system which emphasizes content memorization and individual student performance through competition. An in-depth interview was conducted with 18 in-service science teachers who enrolled in the first-class teacher certification program during 2001 summer vacation. These secondary school teachers's interview data were analyzed and categorized into three areas: teachers' definition of cooperative learning, issues with implementing cooperative learning in classrooms, and teachers' and students' responses towards cooperative learning. Each of these areas are further subdivided into 10 themes: teachers' perceived meaning of cooperative learning, the importance of talk in learning, when to use cooperative learning, how to end a cooperative class, how to group students for cooperative learning, obstacles to implementing cooperative learning, students' reactions to cooperative learning, teachers' reasons for choosing (not choosing) student-centered approaches to learning/teaching, characteristics of teachers who use cooperative learning methods, and teachers' reasons for resisting cooperative learning. Detailed descriptions of the teachers' responses and discussion on each category are provided. For the development and implementation of CL in more classrooms, there should be changes and supports in the following five areas: (1) teachers have to examine their pedagogical beliefs toward constructivist perspectives, (2) teacher (re)education programs have to provide teachers with cooperative learning opportunities in methods courses, (3) students' understanding of their changed roles (4) supports in light of curriculum materials and instructional resources, (5) supports in terms of facilities and administrators. It's important to remember that cooperative learning is not a panacea for all instructional problems. It's only one way of teaching and learning, useful for specific kinds of teaching goals and especially relevant for classrooms with a wide mix of student academic skills. Suggestions for further research are also provided.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.154-163
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• 1996

In Korea, previous survey in science education mainly dealt with Quantitative variables. Qualitative ethnographic observation can bring deeper understanding of the context of school lesson and it's feature. The purpose of this study was to develop qualitative understanding about the learning experiences provided in middle school and students' responses to them through observation and interview and to investigate it from a constructivist perspective. Six lessons of the 9th grade were observed and recorded on the video tape. The topics of the lessons were potential energy, kinetic energy and conservation of mechanical energy. We had also unstructured interview with the teacher and three groups of students. The teacher's deductive explanation starting from scientific definition and quantitative problem solving using formula were the main features of the classroom lectures. The video - watching lesson was taking the role of a break rather than being seen as a useful tool for science learning and teaching by both students and the teacher. The teacher's perception about the lab experiment was not supported by the responses from the students. The teacher and students preferred problem-book to textbook for their teaching and learning. From a constructivist's perspective, however the teacher seemed to have intention of introducing daily life context, he couldn't unfold it to main context of the lessons. Students were so accustomed to passive learning that they did not express directly their complaint about their learning and did not participate in planing and controling their learning. The teacher and the students believed the scientific knowledge came from an exact experiment. There was a cooperation to seek right answer rather than a social process of making sense of knowledge. In conclusion, the observed science lessons of a middle school showed typical cross section of teacher - centered, passive learning environment, which is far from constructivist perspective.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of Problem-Based Learning on Student's Creativity Ability in Middle School Science Class. The experimental group had Problem-Based Learning classes for six weeks and control group had traditional inquiry instruction for the same period. The results of this study presents that Problem-Based Learning is significantly effective for the improvement of creative skills test and creative tendencies. And PBL group student's had positive thinking for PBL. It's not easy to generalize these results because of many different variables. but the results suggests that teachers should make an effort to improve student's creativity applying Problem-Based Learning. And it's necessary to develop many kinds of problems and teacher's instruction method to enrich creativity in the process of Problem-Based Learning.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.309-323
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• 2002

This qualitative study investigated preservice teachers' understandings of the ontology and epistemology underlying constructivist notions of learning through four in-depth interviews. Of the sixteen participants in a larger study, five significantly changed ontological and epistemological beliefs and eleven did not. This study focused on these eleven teachers who have hardly changed their philosophical beliefs throughout the teacher education program. Ten teachers who consistently maintained the scientific realist beliefs were presented as a composite case (Young's case). Among the eleven teachers, there was one outlier who had consistently maintained an idealist and relativist epistemological position from the beginning of the study and was subjected to another case analysis (Ben's case). These cases corroborated the assertion that each individual's deeply entrenched ontological and epistemological beliefs are very hard to change. For researchers, this study offers insights into the reasons that preservice teachers give for non-changes in their thinking about learning to teach. The study also examines preservice teachers' perceived constraints in implementing their ideal pedagogies and the influence of the teacher education program on their pedagogical beliefs changes. The benefits and influences of the M.Ed. program's theoretical coursework and the field experiences on these teachers' learning-to-teach experiences are addressed with rich data. The implications for teacher educators as well as for the instructional practices of preservice teacher education programs are discussed. This research emphasize necessity of the field-based teacher education program and the need of empowering experienced school teachers as teacher educators in teacher preparation and professional development.

• Archives of design research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.253-266
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• 2002

Web Based Instruction has its theoretical background in constructivism paradigm of education. According to social changes called information era and thanks to the sophisticated internet mechanism the constructivism in education has been dominant paradigm. In this paradigm information and knowledge are not merely given by a instructor facing the loaners. This system of instruction has n almost every field of discipline introduced. This article aims to examine how far WBI and constructivism are applicable for design education. Richard Branchia predicted that the learner oriented instruction method would become the dominant education system. He stressed an interactivity of the teacher and students. Upon this can the applicability of WBI for design education be affirmed. Furthermore, there is a dozen of successful cases like www.cyberartcenter.com) (www.digitalyeil.co.kr)', http://www.schooleweb.co.kr/, htp://www.startstudy.co.kr/among many others. This article suggests several ways to solve the problems web based design education faces, including the lesson should inevitably combine the outline and of online study.