• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.618-629
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• 2023

Although society has become increasingly diverse, on a few studies analyzed elementary science textbooks in terms of race or disability. Therefore, this study analyzed character illustrations presented in elementary science textbooks in terms of multiculturalism and disability. It identified 14 approved elementary science textbooks for the 2015 revised curriculum, which are used during the first and second semesters in the third grade. First, analysis of the race of character illustrations in elementary science textbooks indicated that 8.2% of them are multicultural, which is higher than the actual proportion of foreigners living in Korea. In addition, most of them were white illustrations, whereas Asian foreign illustrations made up the least, which suggests a different distribution in the Korean context. The study observed significant differences in distribution according to publishers. Second, the gender distribution of multicultural character illustrations differed by 59.0% and 41.0% for men and women, respectively, and the gender variation between publishers was relatively large in which a few publishers accounted for 80% of male multicultural figures. The third pertained to the function of illustrations, that is, the distribution of illustrations of Koreans and multicultural figures was similar in terms of the order of illustrations with explanatory functions followed by exemplary, decorative, and supplementary functions. Finally, from the perspective of diversity in disability, the proportion of illustrations with disability was 2.0%, which was less than the actual proportion in Korea. The study discussed the need to consider the situation and diversity of Korea in terms of race and d isability.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.647-667
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• 2009

This study intends to analyze open-ended inquiry activities of elementary science-gifted students in terms of how similar they are to authentic science inquiry and suggest desirable ways to make more effective programs for the gifted. For this study, we selected a small group with five elementary science-gifted students who had participated in the open inquiry program of summer camp held in the Institute for Science Gifted Education and collected data through recording and video-taping their discussion and performance from planning to coordinating inquiry results. The data was analyzed in terms of epistemological features and cognitive process in authentic science inquiry. The results is as follows. In terms of epistemology, students' inquiry methods were theory laden and they constructed knowledge in collaborative groups. For example, the students often discussed about performing the thought experiment and scientific concept related to inquiry task or their opinion. And in terms of cognitive process, their designing inquiry was similar to authentic science inquiry especially selecting variables, planning procedures, controlling variables, planning measures.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.129-142
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• 2017

In this study, the characteristics of the reading materials in elementary school science textbooks developed under the 2009 revised National Science Curriculum were investigated. The criteria for classifying the reading materials were the types of topic, purpose, students' activity, and presentation. The visual images in the reading materials were also analyzed from the viewpoint of type, role, caption type, and proximity type. The results indicated that the number of the reading materials in the 2009 revised science textbooks decreased compared to that of the 2007 revised science textbooks. It was also found that the frequencies of the reading materials expanding concepts of the text and/or requiring corresponding students' inquiry increased. More visual images were used in the reading materials of the 2009 revised science textbooks. However, several limitations were still found to exist; most visual images were illustration and/or picture; many visual images were presented without a caption; there was a problem in the proximity of visual image to text.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between elementary school teachers' points of view about the organization of the science curriculum and their views on the nature of science (NOS). We surveyed 132 elementary school teachers' view points about these two kinds of views, analyzed the data by their variables, and compared the two viewpoints with their personal details. The elementary school teachers thought the science curriculum should be emphasized through the process more than contents. They thought the contents of the science curriculum should be integrated rather than separated. As teachers' career progressed, they focused on the contents more than the process. On the other hands, because elementary school teachers showed the NOS views as relativism, deductivism, decontextualism, content, and instrumentalism, when we plotted sub-viewpoints of NOS in process-content dimension, we thought it would be similar distributions with point of views on the organization of science curriculum. However, there was no meaningful relation. This showed that teachers' views on the organization of the curriculum and the NOS are totally different. These findings suggest further research is needed to find how factors influence elementary school teachers' views on the organization of the science curriculum and what inclinations can occur in science classes with their different views.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

This study aimed to explore 'Becoming Science Teachers' seen in pre-service elementary teachers' inquiry into the features and roles of tree stems, based on Deleuze's Theory of Becoming. As research subjects, this study selected 30 pre-service elementary teachers and made them carry out textbook activities and advanced activities for about a month. Based on the results of these activities, they kept reflective inquiry diaries, and this study analyzed them and found out how far they attained according to Deleuze's mechanism of generating differences. Interestingly, it was found out that most of them attained the phase of escape and even the phase of deterritorialization and showed the highest frequency of establishing various know-hows about inquiries needed to teach students in the future. However, it was also analyzed that over 60% of the diaries still remained in phases prior to the phase of deterritorialization through escape. When analyzing rhizomatic thought that helped attain deterritorialization through escape, this study found out that all the 6 types were seen and functioned to attain deterritorialization. Therefore, it is necessary to provide challenging inquiry environments that pre-service elementary teachers have never experienced before so that they can go through a phased process for overcoming striated space in inquiry and attain reterritorialization.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.285-294
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• 2014

Recently, research using robots as a learning tool has increasingly been conducted in K-12 education area. It has been known that hands-on robots give positive educational effect not only on science and mathematics, but on STEAM activity, and help improve the abilities necessary in the 21 century, such as critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, and team work. Despite many research achievements, there is still few research on robot based curriculum to improve the instrumental application of robots in the primary and secondary education fields. In other words, there is a lack of studies of systematic educational contents, educational methods and educational evaluation to increase the instrumental application according to schools and class years. Therefore, this study analyzed domestic and foreign robot based curriculums and relevant cases to develop 'robot' related educational programs in primary school and middle school, suggested the achievement objectives in the robot area as a sub category of the computer science curriculum which will be revised, and proposed teaching-learning method and evaluation method.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.519-531
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the elementary school students' images of science class and the factors influencing their formations. 280 sixth graders were selected from nine elementary schools in Gyeonggi province and Gangwon province and the DASCT-C (Draw-A-Science-Class-Test Checklist) was administered. In addition, four students were individually interviewed in order to investigate their responses deeply. Analyses of the results revealed that the students' images of science class for four science subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science) were more 'student-centered' than 'teacher-centered' or 'neutral'. The students of the teacher with student-centered image of science class had also more student-centered images than those with teacher-centered images. Many students answered that the main factors affecting their images of science class were the experiences of impressed or funny science classes, the perceptions of wanted science classes, the active science learning experiences, the educational experiences outside the school curriculum, and the negative science learning experiences. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to design a system of web-based discovery learning and testify its effectiveness, in order to complement the difficulties of discovery learning considered to be hard to be applied to the school education because of shortage of time and materials, though discovery learning is one of inquiry learning emphasized in the 7th national curriculum of elementary science. As for the process of testifying, it compared the differences between comparative group with normal discovery learning model and experimental group with web-based system of discovery learning model, targeting the subject of extending spring among the 4th grade science. As a result, the experimental group achieved higher academic performance compared to the comparative group applied to the normal discovery learning model.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.257-276
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• 2023

Mathematical modeling can be described as a series of processes in which real-world problem situations are understood, interpreted using mathematical methods, and solved based on mathematical models. The effectiveness of mathematics instruction using mathematical modeling has been demonstrated through prior research. This study aims to explore insights for mathematical modeling instruction by analyzing the metacognitive characteristics shown in the mathematical modeling cycle, according to the mathematical thinking styles of elementary math gifted students. To achieve this, a mathematical thinking style assessment was conducted with 39 elementary math gifted students from University-affiliated Science Gifted Education Center, and based on the assessment results, they were classified into visual, analytical, and mixed groups. The metacognition manifested during the process of mathematical modeling for each group was analyzed. The analysis results revealed that metacognitive elements varied depending on the phases of modeling cycle and their mathematical thinking styles. Based on these findings, didactical implications for mathematical modeling instruction were derived.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.533-547
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• 2023

This study is an action research aimed at improving the instruction of a teacher educator who teaches science teaching methods to elementary preservice teachers. After identifying the cause of their low levels of curiosity and interest in physics, teaching plans addressing this problem were explored, applied to classes, and reflected upon. Through this process, ways to improve teaching practice in science classes for elementary preservice teachers and pique their scientific curiosity and interest were proposed. A spiral implementation structure that repeats implementation and reflection a total of three times was designed for the prospective preservice teachers who participated in elementary science textbook research physics classes. Self-reports, student participation data, and results from both peer and self-evaluations were collected and analyzed. The reasons for the preservice teachers' low levels of curiosity and interest in science were identified as their inability to recognize and express information gaps and their low levels of willingness to resolve this. Practice expressing information gaps, raising the level of knowledge to be able to recognize information gaps, and a strategy to have the will to resolve information gaps were introduced into the class. To the extent that changes can be made by improving unit classes, elementary preservice teachers can express their curiosity and interest in science through this process.