• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.234-248
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• 2010

This study was conducted among 52 elementary pre service teachers not majoring in the natural sciences, who were taking Earth Science as an elective course at the University of Education located in central Korea. These elementary pre service teachers participated in story writing on the subject of earth system cycles over eight occasions. Changes in their understanding of the Earth's cycles were verified by comparing mind mapping exercises performed before and after the story writing. Afterwards, 43 out of the 52 subjects volunteered for structured interviews, in which they performed story-telling exercises. This study presents examples of story analysis that uses a variation of the wheel-shaped story map, and proposes story mapping as a preferred method of analysis. Before and after creative story writing activities, pre service teachers' mind mapping is analyzed to study possible positive changes. This study identified a gap between the instructional contents of the Earth system unit included in the 7th and current revised school curriculums on the one hand, and the conceptions expressed by the pre service teachers who studied these contents on the other.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.90-106
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the backward design reflecting the process-focused assessment on science learning achievement and science learning motivation in elementary science class. The process-focused assessment to support the growth and development of learners and the backward design that seeks a learner's complete understanding can be of great help to science learning. The results of study are as follows. First, we conducted the backward design reflecting the process-focused assessment centering on 'Earth and Moon's movement' unit, and reflecting various process-focused assessment to help achieve achievement standards. Second, as a result of science learning achievement test and science learning motivation test, there were statistically significant differences in the experimental group. It is expected that the process-focused assessment reflecting the characteristics of science subject will be utilized in the school field in conjunction with the backward design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.38-54
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare the concepts and inquiry activities of textbooks in Korea and Singapore textbooks focused on the field of geology, and to provide implications for the future development of Korean curriculum and textbooks. For the study, it was selected as the 2015 revised science textbook in Korea and 'My pals are here' that is the most used textbook in Singapore. The results of this study are as follows: First, Korea had a lower level of concept than Singapore. Second, we could confirm that Korea is composed of 'inquiry' centered compared to Singapore. Third, Korea deal with only one concept in one grade, however Singapore is structured so that concepts are divided hierarchically into several grades. Fourth, Singapore has been instructing students to learn how the learned concept interact with the Earth, which is different from Korea. These results may give implications for the curriculum composition and textbook development in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.112-122
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• 2021

The goal of this study is to explore ways to restructure Convergence Elective Courses in science in preparation for the high school credit system, ahead of the 2022 revised science curriculum. This study started from the problem that the 2015 revised science curriculum has not guaranteed science subject choice for students with non-science/engineering career aptitudes. To this end, a survey was conducted by randomly sampling high schools across the country. A total of 1,738 students responded to the questionnaire of 3 science elective courses such as Science History, Life & Science, Convergence Science. In addition, in-depth interviews with 12 science teachers were conducted to examine the field operation of these three courses, which will be classified and revised as Convergence Elective subjects in the 2022 revised curriculum. According to the results of the study, high school students perceive these three courses as science literacy courses, and find these difficult to learn due to lack of personal interest, and difficulties in content itself. The reason students choose these three courses is mainly because they have aptitude for science, or these courses have connection with their desired career path. Teachers explained that students mainly choose Life & Science, and both teachers and students avoid Science History because the course content is difficult. Based on the research results, we suggested ways to restructure Convergence Electives for the 2022 revised curriculum including developing convergence electives composed of interdisciplinary convergence core concepts with high content accessibility, developing convergence electives with core concepts related to AI or advanced science, developing module-based courses, and supporting professional development of teachers who will teach interdisciplinary convergence electives.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.367-378
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to investigate the features of science language in Earth science textbooks and Earth science research articles. We examined two Earth science textbooks and two Earth science articles using the taxonomy of scientific words, the text structure analysis of explanations, the analysis of conjunctive relations and reasoning, and the function of conjunction. The results showed that school science language revealed in Earth science textbooks had high proportion of naming words and the text structures in which definition/exemplification structure and description structure were dominant. Also, internal relations that showed additional arrangement rather than logical inference, were predominant in Earth science textbooks. However, scientists' science language revealed in the Earth science articles had more proportion of process words and concept words than the Earth science textbooks and the schematic structure of explanation texts, such as orientation - implication sequence - conclusion. In addition, the text structures in each sentences of implication -sequence showed cause/effect or problem-solving after description structures. Also each sentences expressed causal or abductive reasoning through the internal relations using verbs or adverbial inflection. It is necessary that we bridge the gap between the two languages for students' authentic use of science language. For the bridging, we propose "interlanguage", which mediates between school science language and scientists' language.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.359-373
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• 2013

This study is aimed to find out the effect after the development and application of the STEAM teaching-learning program for science gifted elementary school students. The validity of the developed program was verified by three experts. The program consists of a total of eight classes and eight days were carried out. Recorded lessons, class observation journal, and recorded interview transcription data were measured and then analyzed the effect. 'Present situation' is a very important step was confirmed. The degree of understanding of a given situation affected to task commitment, the formation of scientific concepts, creative design and deliverable.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.275-291
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the level and characteristics of system thinking of middle and high school students on cycle of matter in the Earth system considering the impact of human activities on the cycle. For this purpose, we developed items for assessment and assessment rubric through the analysis of 2015 revised curriculum and applying systems thinking, respectively. Middle and high school students who participated in the Korea Earth Science Olympiad were the subjects of this study. The level of system thinking was determined using the assessment rubric for student responses collected using items for assessment. The characteristics of system thinking were identified using word analysis. Based on these, the improvement of the curriculum considering the impact of human activities was discussed. The results of the study are as follows: first, the system thinking level of most secondary school students was low in identifying or classifying system elements for matter cycle, and high levels, such as system relationship or generalization of patterns, were found to be relatively small. It was found that students had a higher level of system thinking in the carbon cycle than in the water cycle. Second, in terms of the characteristics of system thinking about water cycle, water was recognized as a major system element and mainly related with evaporation between atmosphere and other system elements. Whereas, in the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide was regarded as a major system element, and photosynthesis and respiration were represented in relation with the biosphere. Third, for education considering the impact of human activities on the matter cycle in the Earth system, it is proposed improving the curriculum considering the socio-ecological system by extending the existing earth system.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 2008

The purposes of this study were to analyze vocabularies used the section of 'Living Earth' in 11-grade Earth science textbooks with the Science Word Analysis (SWA) program and to investigate the vocabularies selected by the 11th grade students as difficult ones. For the purpose, we extracted the Earth science vocabularies from six textbooks, and classified into the scientific and non-scientific vocabularies with SWA program based on the standard Korean language dictionary. Also, we investigated the difficulty of each vocabulary by using questionnaire to three hundred sixty students. From the results analyzed with the program, it was found that the frequency of the scientific vocabularies out of the level was the largest any other level in all textbooks. And from the survey, most of the vocabularies selected by students as difficult to understand were classified into out of the level. From these results, it were suggested that the students' cognitive level should be considered in developing science textbooks and difficult vocabularies should be replaced to easy ones within the limits of changeless in the meanings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.252-260
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to assist school science class by investigating effective Earth's rotation experiments of districts by school level. The researcher investigated or developed nine experiments for learning Earth's rotation, and conducted and discussed these experiments with 26 elementary school teachers. Each teachers chose an effective Earth's rotation experiment for the district and wrote the reason. As a result, elementary school teachers chose the experiment that is easy to prepare and to do. And elementary school students are interested in the experiments by conducting them on their own. Middle and high school teachers chose more difficult experiments that could be connected with other concepts. University teachers chose effective experiments based on application of knowledge, active exploration, computer literacy, and difficulty.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.240-251
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• 2002

In this study, we analyzed differences of explanation on gas pressure and atmospheric pressure in elementary and secondary school science textbooks and general chemistry and general earth science textbooks based on three types of explanation criteria: first, explanation of mass; second, explanation of air pressure on unit area; third. explanation of molecular motion. The results were as follows. Elementary science textbook belonged to the first type. All of the secondary school chemistry textbooks belonged to the third type. But most of the general chemistry textbooks belonged to the first and second type. Most of the earth science textbooks for secondary school and most of the general earth science textbooks belonged to the first type. Therefore, the differences of explanation could disturb students' understanding on gas pressure and atmospheric pressure.