• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.361-369
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of group discussion and classroom discussion in the scientific modeling of the particulate model of matter. 7th graders in Seoul participated in this study. We implemented science instructions based on the GEM cycle of scientific modeling. We analyzed the differences between group discussion and classroom discussion in three steps: exploring thoughts, comparing thoughts, and drawing conclusions. We also looked into the level of argumentations of the students in the modeling activities. The analysis of the results indicated that students generated a group model by extracting commonalities from each model of their group members, and then they evaluated and modified the group model by comparing the differences among the models in classroom discussion. The main step involved in group discussion was 'exploring thoughts', whereas in classroom discussion it was 'comparing thoughts'. Although the levels of argumentation among the students were generally low, most students participated with enthusiasm, as they expressed their interest and had positive perception in the modeling activities. As a result, the modeling activities were found to have positive influences on concept development. Some suggestions to implement the modeling activities in science teaching effectively were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated the processes of analogy change and the characteristics of discussions in collaborative activity of self-generated analogy. Twenty-four high school students in Seoul participated in this study. We implemented science instructions based on collaborative activity of self-generated analogy. We compared personal analogies, group analogies, and modified group analogies in order to analyze the processes of analogy change. We also analyzed the characteristics of group and classroom discussions in the science instructions. The analyses of the results indicated that the processes of analogy change were categorized into three patterns; adding shared attributes, recognizing unshared attributes, and revising mapping errors. They selected a group analogy from analogies of their group members by considering inclusiveness, originality, and familiarity. They perceived the activity of self-generated analogy as subjective and creative. Therefore, they felt little pressure of self-generated analogy and there were little conflicts in group discussions. On the other hand, various analogies were suggested in classroom discussions and the competitive atmosphere of classroom discussions led students to focus on unshared attributes. At the stage of modifying group analogies, they added unshared attributes as limitations of the group analogy and changed their group analogy not to have unshared attributes. There were no cases of generating a new analogy. Some suggestions to implement collaborative activity of self-generated analogy in science teaching effectively are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1109-1123
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of small group discussion on elementary students' science writing. In this study, four 6th grade students were chosen from an elementary school in Seoul. Students were involved in eight science writing classes and the contents of a small group discussion and interactions were recorded and observed. Students' science works were collected and analysed based on three domains: scientific thinking, logic and originality. The result of this study showed that the contents of a small group discussion greatly affected the scientific thinking domain. A low-achieving student received lots of help from a high-achieving student. It was easy to improve in the logic domain through the science writing classes. Average students got good grades in an originality domain when the subject was related to their real life. A small group discussion would have an effect on science writing ability positively if the students acquired proper guidance on the procedure and manner of discussion. The science writing lesson would be more effective if the learning group was organized homogeneously in the aspects of intelligence achievement and interpersonal relationships.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class on elementary school students's science learning motivation and scientific attitude. The conclusion of the study is as follows. First, it was shown that the small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class had a statistically significant effect on elementary school students's science learning motivation. This is due to the fact that the small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class stimulates students' interaction, which is why students are more interested in class while solving problems with their peers. Second, it was found that the small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class had a statistically significant effect on the elementary school students' scientific attitude. This allows students to have enough opportunity to express their opinions through small group discussions and debate, and I think that because they listen to others' opinions when they make new things or make new plans, so they have been able to increase their scientific attitude continuously. Third, based on the analysis of the participant students' opinions on the small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class, all the participants answered that they were interested in this kind of class and they want to participate in this kind of maker class again. Therefore, it is thought that the small group discussion and debate emphasizing maker class can play a big role in raising the elementary school students's science learning motivation and scientific attitude.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.76-82
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• 2002

This study investigated the effects of assigning cognitive roles, a method that may promote verbal interaction in knowledge-building processes, in small-group discussion for science concept learning. Two classes (62 students) of 7th-graders respectively received a concept learning instruction through small-group discussion with assigned cognitive roles (CR) asking to explain and contradict one's idea and to synthesize and conciliate group's idea, and a concept learning instruction through small-group discussion with no specific assigned roles (NSR), for 9 class periods. After the instructions, the tests of achievement, conceptions, the perceptions on science learning environments, and the perceptions toward small-group discussion were administered. ANCOVA results revealed that low-achievers in the NSR group performed significantly better than those in the CR group. Similar tendency was also found in the scores of the conceptions test. Two groups did not differ significantly in the perceptions on science learning environments and toward small-group discussion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2018

In this study, we investigated the argumentations of group and classroom discussions in socioscientific issues (SSI) discussion classes. Twenty-seven high school students participated in the SSI discussion classes on nuclear power generation. We observed and recorded the classes and also conducted semi-structured interviews. For the analyses, we revised a previous framework that was developed to analyze dialogic argumentations in the context of SSI. The analyses of the results indicated that there were more discourse schemes in the classroom discussions than the group discussions which are related to awareness and openness to multiple perspectives, evidence based reasoning, and on-going inquiry and skepticism. And there were few discourse schemes related to moral and ethical sensitivity in the group and classroom discussions. Various grounds, data, and information were presented in the classroom discussions. Students concentrated on carrying their claims and were not able to sympathize with and accept other opinions. Therefore, there were few discourse schemes to reach consensus. In addition, they perceived classroom discussions as competitive and actively rebutted other claims or grounds. The levels of argumentation were also high in the classroom discussions. The group discussions were held in relaxed atmosphere, and they asked the opponents more for clarification or additional information and evidences. However, classroom discussions were held in serious atmosphere, and they actively queried the validity of the claims or grounds. Based on the results, some suggestions to implement SSI discussion classes were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.279-288
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• 2001

In this study, interaction patterns in peer small-group discussions with cognitive conflict strategy (CCS) and those with social consensus strategy (SCS) were compared. Verbal interactions of four small groups (16 students) in learning science concepts were analyzed at the levels of turns, interaction units, and episodes. The frequencies of total turns and knowledge construction turns per discussion for the SCS group were higher than those for the CCS group. Comparing and evaluating hypotheses and discussion worksheets provided were especially effective in increasing metacognitive utterances of the SCS group students. The frequencies of 'most students participating mode', 'elaborative interaction mode', and 'exploratory episode' for the SCS group were higher than those for the CCS group. These suggested that more students in the SCS group participated in small-group discussions and their discussions were more interactive and elaborative. The interactions and episodes of the SCS group were also superior in quality to those of the CCS group.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.996-1007
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• 2004

In this study, we investigated the effects of small group discussion using episodes from the history of science on students' understanding about the nature of science (NOS), achievement, enjoyment of science lessons, and science learning motivation. Participants were 138 ninth graders from a middle school in Seoul and they were assigned to a control group and a treatment group. Students in the treatment group were provided with two contrasting perspectives concerning the NOS and were encouraged to discuss them in small groups. The intervention lasted for 5 class periods. The results revealed that students of both the control group and the treatment group were found to possess similar views about NOS in a NOS pretest, whereas students of the treatment group exhibited more sophisticated understanding in a NOS posttest. The scores of the treatment group were also significantly higher than those of the control group in an enjoyment of science lessons test and a learning motivation test. However, there was no significant difference between two groups in the achievement test scores.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.301-311
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• 2017

In this study, we observed the characteristics of students' small group discussions concerning the four friction problems. Participants in this study were 22 students of upper-level mechanics course and their small group discussions have been transcribed. As a result, we found that the phenomenon in this study is well defined by 'common context.' The process of formation of the common context was explicitly observed when students discussed about the identification of the problem situation (especially the movement of A in the second problem), the nature of friction and various forces, inertial frame, and noninertial reference frame. Meanwhile, the formation of common context was tacit when students thought they already had a common context. For example, students did not discuss about the friction rule itself because they had confidence about the knowledge. We also found that the presence of the questioner, receiver, and the other opinion were important for positive group discussions. The result of this study would be meaningful because it analyzed how the theme affects the group discussion beyond the limit of previous studies of just analyzing the form or pattern of discourse.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2007

This study investigated the influences of small group discussion and students' visual learning style in learning chemical concepts with drawing and writing as methods to assist students in connecting and integrating multiple external representations. Seventh graders (N=449) at a coed middle school were assigned to individual drawing (ID), pair drawing (PD), individual writing (IW), and pair writing (PW) groups. All students learned "Boyle's Law" and "Charles's Law" for two class periods. Analyses of the results revealed that the students in the PD group, regardless of students' visual learning style, scored significantly higher than those in the ID group in a conception test. The scores of the students with strong visual learning preference in the PW group were significantly higher than those in the IW group in the conception test, while the scores of the students with weak visual learning preference were not significantly different between the two groups. Although the conception test scores of the PD group were higher than those of the PW group, the difference was relatively small. It was found that most students in both PD and PW groups perceived pair drawing and pair writing positively upon cognitive and motivational aspects.