• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.76-82
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• 2001

In this study, the effects of grouping method (homogeneous/ heterogeneous) considering students' teamwork skills on their conceptual understanding, perceptions of science learning environments, communication anxiety, communication ability, and perceptions toward small group discussions were compared. Students were taught concerning changes of states, density, and dissolution for 9 class periods. The ANCOVA results indicated that there was no significant difference in the conceptions test scores. In the subcategory of 'students' negotiation' of the perceptions of science learning environments test, high teamwork skill students perceived more positively in the heterogeneous group, but low teamwork skill students in the homogeneous group. No significant differences were found in the communication anxiety. More students in the heterogeneous group perceived unequal participation as a disadvantage of the small group discussions than those in the homogeneous group.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.739-751
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to identify the differences of argumentation discourses for Socio-Scientific Issues in the types of decision-making and personality traits of pre-service biology teachers. For this study, SSI discussion topics were selected according to four types of decision making: logical reasoning, suggestion of complement, emotional base, and internal conflict. Three groups were constructed based on personality traits such as extroversion, acceptability, and integrity. Each three group used the workbook specially developed and freely used the smart device for discussion. A recorder and a camcorder were used to record each group, their behavior was recorded and the written materials during the discussion were collected for the results. Using Walton's analysis framework, the collected data analyzed in terms of the source of utterance, the process of dialogue shift, and the critical movements that can judge the reasoning of utterance. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the decision-making type of SSI topics and learners' personalities were influential in the decision-making process of SSI small group discussions. This research shows that there is a need to develop instructional materials considering decision-making types and learners' personality types of students as well as pre-service teachers for SSI discussion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.353-363
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• 2000

In this study, discourse patterns of four peer small groups in learning science concepts were examined. Verbal interactions during small group discussions were audio- and video-taped, transcribed, and analyzed. Three coding frameworks for the levels of turns, interaction units, and episodes were developed. In the analyses of turns, no clear relationships between students' prior achievements and contributions to knowledge building processes were found. Partly participating modes and symmetrical interaction modes were dominant in the analyses of interaction units to suggest that some students did not participate actively in small group discussions and that students' verbal interactions were superficial. The analyses of episodes also indicated that agreeing and/or partial elaborating on group members' ideas were the most frequent patterns and dialectical exchanges were rare in small group discussion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.591-606
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to develop the argumentation program to build scientific concepts on natural selection for science-gifted elementary students and to know how to implement this program. For this study, nine key concepts about natural selection such as the overproduction of offspring, limited resources, population stability, competition, variation, heredity of variation, differential survival, change of the population and speciation were selected through the literature study. The programs were developed by learning cycle instructional model. Argument writings and discourses have been collected, analyzed and compared before and after the program. Two questionnaires to compare pre and post concept change consist of multiple choice questionnaire and open-ended response question were developed and applied to 19 science-gifted elementary students. Sufficiency of the explanation and conceptual quality of the explanation were used to assess the quality of their arguments before and after the program. Discourse and visual models collected from the highest and lowest group about score improvement were compared. The scores of the gifted statistically improved significantly in multiple choice questionnaire. Students' alternative conceptions about natural selection at the beginning of the program decreased and changed scientifically after the program. Visual models drawn by the students supported the results as well. This study asserts that elementary science-gifted students are able to explain evolutionary perspectives about organism change and use the key concepts of natural selection. The study means that evolutionary perspective is possible to be reflected in elementary science curriculum for the gifted.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.79-88
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• 2006

study was to explore the patterns and the characteristics of students' interactive argumentation in the middle school science classes. The data were collected by observing and audiotaping the small-group discussions and the transcribed data were analyzed through the lens of Toulmin's argument frame. As the results, the three argumentation patterns, which could be combined different ideas with or without their warrants, were presented. In the first pattern, the argumentation including the claim and its warrant without any different ideas, the students argumentation did not have any conflict with each other in the discussions. In the second, the argumentation of different ideas without their warrants, the different ideas did not affect the claim. In the last, the argumentation of different ideas with their warrants, the students elaborated the claim through collaborative argumentation in search for the warrant. To understand and improve student discussions in the science classrooms, conclusion and implications were discussed based on the results.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.170-180
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• 2010

Among the various fields of Earth Science, especially in Astronomy, we often deal with the change of space-time in an abstract way. Thus, making use of 'Concept Sketches'-simplified sketches that represent the main features, principles, processes and interrelationships of the learning content by using some concise explanations, signs and terms could help the students efficiently learn the phenomena of Astronomy. This study's aim was to check its effects and analyze the results of the lessons that included concept sketches and a discussion about the field of Earth Science in high school. The control group took traditional lessons, while the experimental group did a small-group discussion that used the concept sketches. After the lesson, some students were chosen to answer a questionnaire and go through an in-depth interview. The result of the data shows that the small-group discussion lesson that used the concept sketches helped both the high-ranking and low-ranking students to build concepts and was able to attract students' attention. Moreover, the students produced long-term memories of the content learned through the class discussion, which allowed them to exchange their own thoughts and opinions with other students. Most of all, drawing pictures, a familiar activity, appealed to the students, so they took part in the class eagerly.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.250-261
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• 2000

In this study, a concept learning strategy emphasizing social consensus during discussion (SCS) was developed. The instructional effects of this strategy were compared with those of cognitive conflict strategy (CCS) and traditional instruction in the aspects of students' achievement, conceptions, communication apprehension, perceptions of science learning environment, and perceptions of small group discussion. There were no significant differences in the scores of an achievement test. For the students of low communication competency, however, the scores of the CCS group were significantly higher than those of the traditional group. The adjusted mean of the SCS group was higher than those of the other groups in a conceptions test. The social consensus strategy was also found to be more effective in learning concept for those who were more competent in communicating. No significant differences were found in the communication apprehension. The scores of three groups did not differ significantly in the subcategories of 'personal relevance' and 'students' negotiation' of the test of the perceptions of science learning environment. However, the students in the SCS group scored higher in 'participation'. The students in the SCS group perceived small group discussions more positively.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.148-161
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• 2013

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the communication status in group and the semantic network of science gifted students. Seven small groups, 5 members in each, participated in small group activities, in which they discussed the calculation of earth density. Both the communication status in group and the semantic network of science gifted students were analyzed using KrKwic, Ucinet 6.0 for Windows. As a result, the semantic network of prime movers in group represented more frequently used words, lesser rate of component, and higher density than that of out lookers. It means that the prime movers have coherent knowledge compared to out lookers, and they output more knowledge for problem solving than out lookers. Therefore, the results of this study may be applied to evaluating the cognitive level of science gifted students and group organization for small group activity.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2002

This study investigated the effect of small group discussion for science concept learning in cooperative learning environments that encourage verbal interaction with peers upon students' understanding of the concepts at the particulate level, application abilities, perceptions of students' negotiation, and communication apprehension. Two classes of 7th grade at a coed middle school were assigned to the control and the treatment groups. They were taught about change of states and motion of molecules for 7 class periods. Two-way ANCOVA results revealed that the scores of a conceptions test for the treatment group were significantly higher than those for the control group, and that the low-achievers in the treatment group performed better than those in the control group. However, the scores of two groups did not differ significantly in an application test. The perceptions of students' negotiation for the treatment group were more positive, but the scores of the communication apprehension for two groups were not significantly different.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.474-486
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• 2008

There has been an amounting interest and subjects in gifted education in recent years as a number of studies dealt with the development of gifted education programs. However, earth science area remained as a low profile in developing educational programs and materials that meet the varying curiosities and needs of gifted students with a focus on their characteristic development. This study developed a small group-based active-cooperative learning program in middle school to investigate the effects of the program in terms of the creative problem solving ability in science and learning attitude of the gifted students. Then the study examined the conceptions of the students after the implementation of the small group-based active-cooperative learning program. Findings of the study showed that there was a significant increase in participated gifted students' creative problem solving skills and their learning attitude. In addition, the small group-based active-cooperative learning program apparently increased the participants' interests, satisfaction, and participation toward the instruction, and significantly influenced their affective domain. It implies that these findings were not caused by the lectures from the teachers, but by the variety of activities in which the gifted students discussed and debated with the classmates to derive a positive reciprocal action. In conclusion, a small group-based active-cooperative learning program promoted a reciprocal action among all the students who participated in a small group by sharing their opinions and respecting each other.