• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.32-47
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the ability to control variables and the ways by which variables are controlled. First, the assessment criteria for evaluating the students' ability to control variables were developed for 8th grade students. Second, the ways variables are controlled were classified from student activity reports. These students' answers were categorized into six types (type A~ type F). Type A is defined as the group that excelled in recognizing the importance of controlling variables, eliminating unnecessary variables and identifying manipulated, dependent and controlled variables. Third, the scores of ability to control variables (CV score) and the classroom test of scientific reasoning (Lawson SRT) scores were measured. The results indicated that the CV score was highly correlated with Lawson SRT scores (r=.67, p<.01). Therefore, the assessment criteria developed in this study was used to evaluate the ability to control variables (CV score) and to measure the students' scientific reasoning.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.251-262
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• 2012

In this study, we develop 15 learning programs to enhance the variable identification and control abilities for the middle school students and analyze the effect of the programs applied to the class. To increase the learning effect of the variable identification and control abilities, we design the programs so that the students can monitor their thinking processes and also they can evaluate the results from their cognitive activities objectively. We analyze the effect of the programs applied to the class and the results show that the test group, which uses the program, marks higher scores in the variable identification abilities compared to the control group. Also, the test group has the increased level of logic to control the variables. Especially, the effect is higher with the students who do not have any logic to control the variables. From the results, we know that it is possible to improve the variable identification and control abilities of the students through the meta-cognitive learning programs developed by us. Furthermore, the results show that the score of variable control abilities positively correlate with that of meta-cognitive level. It means that the meta-cognitive strategy meaningfully increases the variable control abilities of middle school students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.571-585
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• 2002

This is one of the basic research for inspecting the possibility of the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking. The 5th grade students (n=306) in the elementary school were participated in this study. Performing the 6 variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' program for one semester, the SRT II test and the Variable-Controlling test were operated to examine the effects on the development of the variable-controlling ability by treatments, gender, and cognitive levels. Performing of the variable-controlling activities was highly successive on the development of students' variable-controlling ability. Although learning effect on the ability of identifying causal variable was moderate, the abilities of controlling experimental condition, measurement of variable, and identifying result variable were significantly developed. There was statistically significant difference by gender. Girls showed better performance all the time in both groups. Boys in the experimental group were getting better gradually, so the difference by gender was somewhat decreased. Examining the variable-controlling ability by cognitive levels, students in the experimental group show significant increase in all levels, especially the students in early, mid, and mature concrete level show substantial learning effects. The results of this study implied that the variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' could be effective for learning of variable-controlling and eventually for the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.667-680
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop teaching stratege focused on Conservational reasoning, Proportional reasoning, Variable-controlling reasoning, Probabilitic reasoning, Correlational reasoning, Combinational reasoning and investigate its effects on enhancing students' logical thinking skills through the science teaching on common education. And the teaching materials was implemented to 110 students in middle school over about six months. The results indicated that the experimental group presented statistically meaningful improvement in logical thinking skills (p<05). Especially, this teaching stratege was effective on Conservational reasoning, Variable-controlling reasoning, Combinational reasoning but was not effective on Proportional reasoning, Probabilitic reasoning, Correlational reasoning (p<.05). Logical thinking according to the teaching strategy skill was not affected by gender, cognitive level, academic achievement (p<.05).

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.437-449
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• 2009

The purpose of the study is to meta-analyze research results on Korean students' logical thinking ability. The results of meta-analysis on the research studies between the year 1980 and the year 2000 show that about 40-50% of Korean middle school students have conservation reasoning, proportional reasoning and combinatorial reasoning abilities, and that about 25-30% of them have control of variables and probability reasoning abilities. In addition, only 8% of the Korean middle-school students have correlational ability. When comparing their logical thinking ability results with those of Japanese and American middle-school students, The ratio (32.6%) of Korean middle-school students who have formal thought ability is a little higher than that of American students (30.6%), but much lower than that of Japanese students (50.1%).

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.587-599
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze variable-controlling strategy (below vcs) and the ability to infer the effect of variables in Middle school students who experienced 'Thinking Science' activities in a CASE program. For this study, 71 9th grade students experienced in CASE program for 2 years were selected as the experimental group and 72 students were selected as the control group. All students were tested with Science Reasoning TaskVII. The five types of variable-controlling strategy were extracted from students' response. According to the result of this study, the students experienced in CASE program was more successful in the variable-controlling strategy of length, quality, and shape than the control group. The types of reasoning ability of the variable effect intuitively were categorized as possibility of reasoning, impossibility of reasoning, and impossibility of reversible thinking. It has shown that the reasoning ability of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in the length and thickness variable effect. The results of this study implied that the variable controlling activities in CASE program could be effective for learning variable controlling, and eventually, for the development of reasoning ability of the variable controlling effect. In the ability to infer the effects of variables to get difficult Intuitively, both groups were similar to the rate of cognitive level reached to the formal operation in generalization, and the student of experimental group was 1.5 times faster than the control group.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.725-739
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of graphing abilities to logical thinking and science process skills of middle school students. The subjects for this study were selected 481 students from four middle schools for TOGS(the Test of Graphing in Science), GALT(Group Assessment of Logical Thinking) and TIPS II (Test of Integrated Process Skills). This study shows that the correlation coefficient between abilities of students to construct/interpret graphs and the logical thinking was 0.45, and the correlation coefficient between abilities to construct/interpret graphs and science process skills are 0.32. As a result, abilities of students to construct and interpret graphs arc more correlate the logical thinking than science process skills.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.68-79
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the recognition of middle school students on 'Thinking Science' activities and the influence on the understanding of the gas particles behavior concepts. For this study 125 students of four classes first grade in middle school were divided into two groups, the experimental and the control group. The SRT II test was carried out to identify the cognitive level of the students. The logical factors, needed to understand of the gas particles behavior concepts, were extracted. And the 9 'Thinking Science' activities designed to develop these factors were chosen and then implemented to the students of the experimental group. After the lesson for the gas particles behaviors, the achievement test of understanding of the gas particles behavior concepts and the survey of the students' recognition on 'Thinking Science' activities were administered. According to the results of the achievement test, there was not significant difference between the two groups on the whole. But only mature concrete operational students in the experimental group got high scores than those in the control group in analyzing the effect size. According to the results of the ANCOVA analysis, there was significant difference between the two girls' group. When students in the experimental group had a positive perceptions about 'Thinking Science' activities, they got higher achievement scores. This implied that there was a correlation between perception about 'Thinking Science' activities and their achievement in the gas particles behavior concepts. Especially, students with positive perception in mature concrete operational period got higher scores in science achievement. After the 'Thinking Science' activities, there was a high perceptions about improving in scientific thinking.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.117-127
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• 1999

The present study investigated Korean and the US college students' scientific reasoning skills involving hypothesis-testing skills and tested the hypothesis that hypothesis-testing skills are more advanced ones than other scientific reasoning skills investigated in this study. Seven hundred and seventy-four(774) Korean and five hundred and sixty-eight(568) the US students were sampled in university level. The Test of Scientific Reasoning was used as a scientific reasoning test. The test is consisted of two conservational reasoning, two proportional reasoning, one pendulum, two probability reasoning, two controlling variable, one correlational reasoning, and two hypothesis-testing reasoning tasks. Korean students showed a significant higher score in proportional and probability reasoning tasks than the US students. However, the Korean showed a significant lower score in conservation and correlation reasoning tasks than their American counterparts. Further, Korean and the US college students showed a notably poor performance in hypothesis-testing skills comparing with other scientific reasoning skills, which supported the hypothesis that hypothesis-testing skills are more advanced ones than other scientific reasoning skills. In addition, the Korean showed a severe deficiency in candle-burning task which required the skill that students have to design a scientific test-procedure to test theoretical hypotheses. This study also discussed on the educational implications of the results of the present study.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.555-560
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of learning algorithm which uses real-life examples including the concept of algorithm on the logical thinking of elementary school students. For this purpose, the experiment was performed by pre-GALT test, a case selection of algorithm which can be taught in real-life, experiment treatment after completing teaching plan, post-GALT test, and paired sample t-test on the results of pre and post GALT in order. As a result, changes in the degree of logical thinking ability and in five sub-regions(conservative logic, proportional logic, combinatorial logic, probabilistic logic, controlling variables) composing of logical thinking obtained statistically significant results in .05 significance level but changes in the correlational logic couldn't obtain the significant results.