• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.340-352
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• 1999

Constructivist theory and teaching science in the social context are a main stream in science education. This study was purposed to introduce the STS in-service program implementing in Chonnam National University. and to analyze the results of the program in terms of changes of teachers' and students' perceptions and attitudes. The major features of the STS in-service program were as follows: teacher-centered. teaching in the social context. emphasis on constructivist approach. development of STS module and implementations. A total of 20 secondary science teachers participated in the in-service program. and filled out two questionnaires. Science Education Reform Inventory and Constructivist Teachings Survey. Three of the 20 teachers were selected to gain information from their implementations of a STS module into their respective classrooms. The students completed two instruments. Constructivist Learning Environment Survey. and Scientific Attitude Survey. The responses from teachers and students are as follows: 1. The participating teachers were very aware of the necessity of reform in science education. and the degree of the perception of the necessity increased after the STS in-service program. 2. The STS program significantly improved constructivist teaching techniques. 3. The perceptions of the students about constructivist learning environments improved significantly after the STS in-service program. 4. Students' scientific attitudes improved significantly through STS approach. The STS in-service program with the above mentioned features was found to be effective in our current school system. and could be implemented successfully if teachers were willing to learn and participate in the reforms of science education.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.304-316
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• 2009

This study investigated the change of pre-service science teachers' epistemological views of education according to the stages of the field education programs application. For this study, surveys and interviews were carried out threes times before and after participation through participant observation of classes and teaching practices. All data recorded and collected of 28 pre-service science teachers who had answered entire surveys were transcribed and analyzed. The conclusion is as follows; before the participant observation of classes, the pre-service science teachers had views of traditional education affected by epistemology of objectivism. After the participant observation of classes, the views of traditional education increased due to in-service teachers that showed teaching methods through the course of the participant observation. However, it was changed significantly into the views of modern education affected by epistemology of constructivism through the course of the teaching practices. Based on the conclusions of this study, it was identified that the field education programs might have both positive and negative influence on the change of the views of education for the pre-service science teachers. Therefore, Pre-service science teachers should have a opportunity to intensify of constructivism epistemological views of education through the field education programs. The teacher training institutions have to provide systematic and organic cooperation with schools.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.349-369
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• 2012

In the present reflective study, the research findings of professional development in mathematics education are reviewed and significant ideas that emerged are addressed in ter ms of (1) building on collaborative effort; (2) focusing on content knowledge; (3) centering on students' learning and bringing forth teacher knowledge; (4) perception-based and conception-based perspective; 5) situating in the context of teaching and sustained over ti me. Then it is followed by suggesting what components a desirable professional develop ment program needs to include and a possible direction toward which future research on professional development in mathematics education heads.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.854-869
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• 2007

In this study, we investigated secondary science teachers' internalization of constructivistic science teaching who participated in a collaborative program between teachers and researchers designed by researchers according to constructivist views. The program consisted of lecture, workshop, and small group activities. New trends in science education and framework for science teaching were introduced during lectures, and understanding about the framework were deepened by analyzing school science classes recorded during workshops. In small group activities, participating teachers and researchers cooperated to design science lesson plans using science teaching frameworks. Five secondary science teachers participated in collaborative workshops. Collaborative programs were video-taped. Semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after workshops. All data recorded were transcribed and analyzed. In the process of internalization, participating teachers attended on different parts. Various and discernable factors such as there own background, beliefs, values, and school context produced tensions with or facilitated internalization of constructivistic science teaching. Teaching experiences and student understanding affected teachers' lesson planning activities. Teachers also showed different understandings on inquiry, application, and model from the framework, and they interpret those concepts in the framework based on their prior understanding. They perceived that too much content should be dealt within relatively limited time. Therefore, they tended to separate science class into two parts when developing science lessons: explaining science content by lecture and science laboratory as a constructivistic activity. The results of the study provide meaningful implications to the constructivist teacher education and professional development.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.939-947
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• 2015

For secondary school teachers who attended 'A Social Constructionism Science Teacher Training Program', we analyzed their processes of cognizance change as well as whether they put its results into practice in the field of education, so as to find out the efficacy of the program. 'A Social Constructionism Science Teacher Training Program' consists of three phases based on La main ${\grave{a}}$ la $p{\hat{a}}te$, a French experience-oriented science education program. In its first phase, a study of the philosophy of La main ${\grave{a}}$ la $p{\hat{a}}te$ was made, together with a search for examples of creativity education. In its second and third stages, real education programs were developed for designated themes and free themes, respectively, and then discussions were made. It was a ten-session program, with each session comprising a four-hour sub-program. All activities were both visually and orally recorded, while the participants were asked to write reflective journals for each class. An additional survey and interview were conducted six months later to check if the seven selected secondary school teachers put the results of the program into practice. It was found that changes may be made in the beliefs of teachers with the introduction of theories in teacher indoctrination, but the acquisition of practical knowledge that can be implemented in actual classes may be effectively secured by demonstrations and practice sessions. It was concluded that indoctrination should be conducted to lead participants to the level of practical planning from the level of mere belief so that the theories might actually be put into practice in the education field.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.242-258
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• 2002

This study investigated preservice teachers' understandings of the ontology and epistemology underlying constructivist notions of teaming. Throughout this study, the epistemological, ontological, and pedagogical characteristics for each teacher's developing views of learning were identified through four in-depth interviews. Data from interviews were used to create three profiles containing ontological beliefs, epistemological commitments and pedagogical beliefs. This study has demonstrated that the notion of a constructivist profile change has significant potential for informing the analysis and description of preservice teachers' beliefs changes. Major findings include: constructivist profile changes overtime, diversification of profile components over time, features of the teachers' pedagogical belief profile changes, and teachers' unawareness of their profiles. However, changes in ontological beliefs and epistemological commitments were not easy, nor were they easily internalized for these teachers. The implications of this research are that preservice teachers should be aware of coexisting different categories of their learning-to-teach profiles, and that teacher educators should provide these preservice teachers with instruction designed to change preservice teachers' profiles towards increasing constructivist views of teaching and learning and restricting other undesirable categories.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 1998

The main purpose of Iowa Chautauqua Program(ICP) and Iowa-Scope, Sequence. and Coordination (Iowa-SS&C) was to educate K-12 science teachers so that they could teach science in a human context using the constructivist strategies. The major task for the participating teachers to perform was to develop modules with the emphasis on STS and constructivist approach. which were supposed to be taught in the respective classrooms. Teachers worked together for two weeks for the development of modules during the summer, and attempted the modules with their students. The participating teachers met regularly during the autumn semester to share and reflect their experiences and obtain additional information on science education reform and its implications. During the winter break. the teachers improved and extended the STS modules. The Iowa Chautauqua Program and Iowa-SS&C had two important implications for Korean science education. First, they made the most of the resources they had in order to provide the practicing teachers with recent research findings on the nature of science. science learning and teaching, that is. the constructivist approach. Second, they emphasized both cooperation of teachers and long-term training to realize the reform in school science education.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.221-233
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• 2002

This study investigated preservice science teachers' understandings of philosophical foundations(i.e., ontological and epistemological beliefs) underlying constructivist notions of learning. The teacher education program these subjects participated in explicitly addressed philosophical notions consistent with different views of constructivism. For these preservice science teachers, the program provided them with the opportunity to reflect upon the implications that their ontological and epistemological commitments had for their role as a science teacher. Data from four in-depth interviews were used to explore changes in each preservice science teacher's ontological beliefs, epistemological commitments, and pedagogical preferences. Results indicated that ontological beliefs and epistemological commitments were not necessarily consistent with conceptions of science teaching and learning for these preservice teachers. While some students internalized idealist and relativist perspectives, they did not integrate these relativist epistemological views into their preferred instructional practices. Also, regarding the fallible and tentative nature of knowledge, data in this study indicated that participants' epistemological beliefs about scientific Knowledge did influence how they were thinking about their roles as science teachers. Implications for teacher education programs and research on preservice science teacher's philosophical beliefs are discussed.

• 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.

• 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.