• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to improve education program for Informal Science Education Institution by analyzing education program of Natural History Museum, one of informal science education institution. This research subject is Seodaemun Museum of Natural History, located in Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul. It is Public Natural History Museum, which runs more than 60 education programs every year continuously for recent 6 years. Objects of this study are 32 education programs for 3rd to 6th grade of elementary school. The result of study shows that teaching materials of programs, run by informal science education institution, don't contain enough script and activity for improving creativity and inquiring mind. As the result of the study, it is required that guidance plan of education program be developed with more activities, teaching method and script, to seek quality of class than quantity of that when developing education program of science education institutes. And it is required to develop teaching material using creative technique and to improve medium and long term program for development of feedback.

• 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 Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.279-290
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• 2010

This study is to investigate the direction for management of informal science education center by survey of participants' satisfaction and implication. The place to study was Gwacheon National Science Museum in Kyung-gi province. $4,322m^2$ for the education space can make education done effectively. And attendees of their own education program are over 10,000 per year. 87 students who attend education program and 78 of their parents joined the survey of participants' satisfaction. The results of this study show that most of the participants want informal science education center to be able to make up for school education in part of promoting scientific literacy, heuristic method and scientific attitude. Things to be improved were feedback about student activity, segmentation of the education program for each grade, public relations exercise of program and advanced method of teaching based on each subject of classes. As ideas for improvement, it seemed that making long term program for continuous participant, limiting participant appropriately, developing guide manual of teaching, improving publicity of program were required.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.422-431
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• 2002

Because of the gap between the cognitive levels of the students and the curricular materials for the students to understand, the secondary school students feel science difficult and they get to avoid science as they go up to the higher grade. So it is absolutely needed to take the active measures to improve the cognitive development of the students through some special programs stimulating their cognitive process. This study investigated the effects of thinking science activity program devised for cognitive acceleration of the students. After implementing thinking science program to 181 7th grade students, the effectiveness of this program was examined through the analysis of covariance of both experimental and control groups. The result of the study showed that the cognitive level of the students in experiment group dealt with thinking science program was more accelerated than that of the students in control group who were just taught regular science curriculum. Especially, the effect was clear to the students in stages 1 and 2B. It was also found that the percentage of the students who promoted from concrete operational stage to formal operational stage was higher in experimental group than in control group. The results of the study implied that cognitive acceleration of the students might be possible through the specially designed materials such as thinking science program.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.275-292
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• 1999

This study aimed to explore the saliences of formal school science and their influences on the attitude toward science communication through mass media. Saliences of school science are salient memories of school science which a perciever attends to selectively among various aspects of formal school science. Among saliences. external saliences refer to the sensory aspects of formal school science. and internal saliences refer to the observers' cognition. Attitude toward science communication through mass media constitute six scales; exposure. cognition. focus. belief. self perception of understanding. application. The questionnaire were developed and sample was selected by multi-stage stratified clustering. The sample size was 1,825. The data was analysed by correlation and multiple stepwise regression. Positive saliences were lab work and science teacher and negative saliences were lecture and exam/grade. According to the correlation and multiple stepwise regression analysis. saliences of the formal school science could account only a small part of the attitude toward science communication through mass media. Internal salieces could account the attitude toward science communication than external salience. Further studies on new models including attitude towards science are needed.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.69-89
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to examine personal characteristics of two elementary students who developed individual interest in science. 201 students of two elementary schools in Seoul participated in questionnaire survey engaged in to investigate students' interest in science, engagements and preference in science-related-activities three times a year. This case study was conducted with seven students who showed typical types of interest in science. Students wrote a photo-journal for 12 weeks. They were interviewed every other week by a researcher. We analyzed two students who developed individual interest. It turns out that RF participated in doing experiments at home, and disassembling and assembling things. Participation of activities was a process of solving curiosity. When he was unable to solve problems, he searches the internet or books. Sometimes he would ask for help from his teacher. JW engaged in activities: drawing, doing experiments at home, and going to informal education center. She communicated with others by using online-offline media. Curious questions were solved by herself. The two students have a tendency to solve problems by themselves. Also, positive science-related activities were going on at home and in school. This study not only give insights and understanding of students who developed individual interest in science but also provide implication for educators to examine personal characteristics of students.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.130-139
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• 2006

Natural history museums used to be called an "informal learning institute". It is based on the assumption that their exhibition and exhibits are supposed to reflect school science curriculum and support school science programs. This study is to explore how this assumption is verified in terms of content-wise connections between school science and museum exhibits. In this study, 461 Earth Science related exhibits were selected from the Smithonian Museums and the American Museum of Natural History in the U.S. and analyzed with several instruments. The instrument targeting on Earth Science curriculum was framed based on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (1993) and the National Science Curriculum Standards (1996). Other than content-wise connections, this study investigated exhibition characteristics related to better learning of science: these characteristics were types of activities, exhibition media, exhibition technology, and presentation methods. The nature of science shown in exhibits were examined as well. Natural history museums were reconsidered for their relevance and potential as informal educational venues from this study.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.477-491
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to analyze activities of mentally retarded students studying science within inclusive classes from the aspect of activity sharing to investigate ways of improving their involvement in the tasks. For this study, three mentally retarded students and their peer group in inclusive classes were observed and videotaped for 12 science class sessions about forces and waves. There were many cases in which task involvement of mentally retarded students changed according to three degrees of their activity sharing: well-synchronized, delayed and estranged. When degrees of activity sharing were estranged or delayed, task involvement of the mentally retarded students faded from activeness to passiveness. When the degree of activity sharing was well-synchronized, the mentally retarded students showed interest in learning and were able to participate in science class more actively. Different patterns of activity sharing of mentally retarded students between teacher-centered activities and student-centered activities were observed. In most cases of teacher-centered activities, the monotonous pace could deprive the mentally retarded students of their chance to catch up. As a result, their delayed degrees of activity sharing were faded into estranged degrees. In many cases of student-centered activities, various pacing according to the groups or students could provide mentally retarded students with a chance to catch up, so they could be well-synchronized. In one case of teacher-centered activity, the mentally retarded students were well-synchronized with the teacher's repeated explanations and well-matched illustrations on the blackboard and textbooks. In some cases of student-centered activities, students were well-synchronized with positive relations with and appropriate intervention by other students. In conclusion, various approaches to encourage activity sharing of mentally retarded students with normal ones should be pursued to improve task involvement and academic achievement of mentally retarded students.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.772-784
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• 2010

'Science festival' is an annual public event featuring a variety of science- and technology-related workshops and live demonstrations of experiments by student presenters. This study was to explore the student presenters' and student visitors' perceptions of the science festival. The subjects were 323 student presenters who managed laboratory booths and 495 student visitors who attended the festival for six days. We developed a questionnaire based on the modified items of ones both from Ahn & Park (2009) and Lee et al. (2010). Data included students' participation backgrounds, differences of their perceptions about the educational effects according to participation types and school levels, and student presenters' perceptions of scientific inquiry that they had through the preparation of the festival. Findings suggested that student presenters perceived their experience of preparing for the festival as meaningful scientific inquiry process such as asking and solving problems. Based on the results, discussion and implications for communitybased programs as an informal science education were presented.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.471-489
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• 2014

This study was to investigate the changes of attitudes related to science of students in high school science club through modified the creative-experience activity model program. To begin with, using the creative-experience activity model program the programs adapted to the school practices have been developed through consultation of the teachers. The developed program was performed on students in the high school science club. Then we studied the changes of attitudes related to science of students through their outcomes of the activities and face-to-face talk. The change of attitudes related to science of students is positive, especially problem-solving, curiosity, a sense of responsibility, interests toward science, interests toward science related careers, and leisure interest in science. Interest for science as hobby were influenced by used tools like telescopes and experimental tools. Interest for science class were not effective to change to positive by creative experience activity. It seems to be due to creative experience activity were not connected with science class. The program to participate in the activities was more effective than to observe with visit for the change of the attitude related to science. Also, the programs with activities contained scientific knowledge were more effective.