• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.525-542
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the internal and external frameworks of elementary science textbooks, which first appeared as the authorization system of elementary science textbooks changed from the national government system. In order to confirm the purpose of the authorization system to support the development of diverse and creative textbooks, this study compared 7 authorized textbooks with the national textbook developed as the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 2015 revised science curriculum. In this study, the textbook's framework was largely divided into an external framework and an internal framework for the 'Use of Magnets' unit of elementary science textbooks, and quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted in parallel according to each subcategory. According to the research results, in the external framework of textbook units, all textbooks had the same structure: unit introduction, scientific inquiry, creative convergence, unit arrangement, and scientific reading materials. The framework in the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 7 types of authorized textbooks was found to have some differences according to the textbook development team's interpretation of the curriculum achievement standards and many commonalities that maintained the framework in the national textbooks. In addition, the characteristics of each textbook were clearly revealed in some areas not specified in curriculum such as unit introduction activities and science reading materials, a meaningful change was also found in that the level of inquiry activity was classified and operated in response to the uniform inquiry activity operation of the existing government textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.295-306
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• 2022

This study aims to analyze the aspect of inquiry activity for seven national science textbooks, which were recently authorized and developed for elementary schools. The study reviewed seven of the abovementioned textbooks, which were introduced to the authorized textbook system for 2022 in elementary schools. In-depth analysis was conducted on inquiry activities, which were frequently emphasized since the third curriculum. A chapter entitled "Stratum and Fossils" was selected to analyze the detailed types of inquiry activity using the framework. First, analysis was conducted on six types of inquiry activity. The result indicated that two out of seven inquiry activities different among the national and authorized textbooks. In other words, the two slightly differed from the inquiry activities presented in national textbooks. It was not reasonable that the introduction of the authorized textbook exerted an effect on the increase of autonomy and variety of teaching and learning activities compared with those of national textbooks. Second, science process skills, material, and inquiry process were established as standards for the detailed types of inquiry activity. The study demonstrated a slight difference among textbooks in terms of material and inquiry process, whereas the inquiry activities of the seven authorized textbooks were the same or similar. This finding indicated that students could experience seven types of inquiry activities. Moreover, the study examined inquiry activities related to essential learning contents in detail and found that there were more diverse than types of inquiry activities.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.93-108
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze the types and roles of visualization materials presented in the third- and fourth-grade national and authorized science textbooks based on the 2015 revised curriculum. Using the type and role framework, 17 chapters were analyzed. The analysis revealed, first, that the national and authorized textbooks had different total amounts of visualization data and total amounts of simple illustrations. However, no difference in the amounts of simple illustrations and infographics used in the units was evident. The units that used the most infographics were Life, Earth and Universe, in that order, in both the national and the authorized textbooks. Second, simple illustrations were observed to have role differences according to the type of visualization data, but infographics had no such differences. Specifically, the motivational role in a simple illustration increased in all the authorized textbooks. Third, looking at the frequencies of the infographic subtypes, the Process, Structure, Comparative Analysis, and Timeline types accounted for 86% of the total, but the proportions of those subtypes varied in the national and authorized textbooks. Based on the results of this study, I suggest that to achieve differentiation in the types or roles of visualization materials, changes in the types, processes, and skills of inquiry must first occur, as must changes in the structure of chapters or lessons. Continuous research and discussion on the standards and methods for authorized textbooks are also needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.269-283
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• 2024

This study compared the characteristics of an experiment f or determining whether gas occupies space presented in elementary school science textbooks to examine the validity of the experiment, identify and improve problems in its presentation, and verify its effectiveness. This study interviewed third-year elementary school teachers who had experience teaching this experiment to students. Based on teachers' opinions and observations, this study identified issues with the current experiment, developed an improved experiment, and determined its effectiveness. Through this analysis, three key findings emerged. First, the study found that the original experiment on gases was presented in the same or highly similar manner in 5 of 7 textbooks (71.4%). Thus, while various textbooks have been developed with the aim of promoting diversity and creativity in scientific literature, most experiments presented in these books are identical. Second, the existing experiment was not suitable for its target audience (third-year elementary school students) and was difficult to observe directly. The interviewed teachers also deemed the validity of the experiment to be considerably low. Finally, the original experiment was improved; this improved version was determined to be highly valid, showing a statistically significant difference compared with the original experiment. The improved experiment was effective for students as it involved activities suitable for their intellectual level and was directly observable through the senses. Thus, the study analyzed and improved an existing science experiment f or elementary students, providing insights into the 2022 revised science authorized textbooks and implications for future textbook development.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.411-431
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• 2022

In this paper, implications for future curriculum compilation were sought by analyzing the process and results of compiling books for elementary school mathematics textbooks government published according to the 2015 revised curriculum. The 2015 revised elementary mathematics textbooks government published was operated with a systematic compilation system so that academia and school field experts across the country could demonstrate their expertise. As improvements in content, the unit and time to strengthen basic computational skills were increased, and the mathematical concept and principle introduction method and algorithm presentation method were improved, and the internal connection between contents was strengthened. The learning period was adjusted, such as moving and arranging contents that are difficult for students to understand to the upper semester or the upper grade. In the 1st and 2nd graders, the amount of reading was drastically reduced to suit the students' level of Korean, and sentences and vocabulary were improved, and instructions were briefly revised. As for editing and design improvements, illustrations of each unit's introduction and contextual pictures were presented in detail, and the characters in the textbook were consistently presented across all grades, giving children characters a role to actively participate in learning in the textbook. In the process of compiling, the media, the National Assembly, and civic groups raised opinions that sentences and vocabulary in first-year textbooks are more difficult than students' level of Hangeul education, that reducing textbooks makes it difficult for students to understand. Accordingly, efforts to improve textbook compilation and the results were viewed. Through the overall analysis as above, for future compilation of state-authored textbooks and certified textbooks, a plan to improve textbook compilation for students and teachers and a plan to operate compilation was proposed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.307-324
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• 2022

This study examined the content diversity of seven authorized science textbooks by comparing the characteristics of the science concept description and the contents of inquiry activities in the "weight of objects" unit. For each textbook, the flow of concept description content and the uniqueness of the concept description process were analyzed, and the number of nodes and links and words with high connections were determined using language network analysis. In addition, for the inquiry activities described in each textbook, the inquiry subject, inquiry type, science process skill, and uniqueness were investigated. Results showed that the authorized textbooks displayed no more diversity than expected in their scientific concept description method or their inquiry activity composition. The learning elements, inclusion of subconcepts, and central words were similar for each textbook. The comparison of inquiry activities showed similarities in their contents, inquiry types, and scientific process skills. Specifically, these textbooks did not introduce any research topics or experimental methods that were absent in previous textbooks. However, despite the fact that the authorized textbook system was developed based on the same curriculum, some efforts were made to make use of its strengths. Since the sequence of subconcepts to explain the core contents differed across textbooks, this explanation process was divided into several types, and although the contents of inquiry activities were the same, the materials for inquiry activities were shown differently for each textbook to improve and overcome the difficulties in the existing experiments. These findings necessitate the continuation of efforts to utilize the strengths of certified textbooks.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.29-38
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• 2021

The social studies, mathematics, and science textbooks of the elementary curriculum will begin to be authorized from 2022. This study explores the effect of textbooks based on a gamification motivation strategy on learner interest. For this purpose, this study analyzes whether the systematic application of the gamification motivation strategy to elementary studies textbooks, which will be authorized from 2022, can develop this textbook into a "learner-centered curriculum book that induces interest." More specifically, this study applied Kumsung Publishing's experimental social studies textbooks in class and conducted a questionnaire among 121 third graders to verify the effectiveness of the textbooks. The results show that studies textbooks based on a gamification motivation strategy greatly influence increased learner interest in the classroom. The textbooks also represent a positive influence in learner understanding, interest, and curiosity regarding the class content and assistance. Demonstrating that gamification motivation strategy is worthwhile to actively apply in future textbook development for the enhancement of learners' interests, this study is significant in that it has presented a meaningful textbook development model.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.166-181
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine the change and appropriateness of inquiry tendency in elementary science textbooks by national curriculum period by comparing previous researches that reported Romey's Involvement Index in the science textbook and other subject textbooks. The results of the study are as follows: First, for the text index (T), the value of science textbooks by curriculum tends to continue to decline overall. The value of science textbook based on the 3rd curriculum is judged to be extremely inquiry oriented and the value of the textbooks based on the 2007 and 2015 revised curriculum are the values judged as somewhat authoritative textbook and as a textbook at the appropriate level of inquiry, respectively. There is no significant difference compared to the T values of other subject textbooks since the 2007 revised curriculum; Second, the index of figures and diagrams in the text (FD) of science textbooks also continues to decline by curriculum periods. In particular, the FD value of science textbook of the 2015 revised period is judged to be a authoritative textbook, which is lower than the value of other subject textbooks; Third, in the case of the activity index (A), it gradually decreases from the third curriculum to the 2015 revised curriculum, but it is judged as textbooks suitable for inquiry. However, after the 7th curriculum, the value of A is generally lower than those of other subject textbooks; Fourth, for the index of the questions at the ends of chapters (Q), the value of Q is reported to be extremely limited compared to the aforementioned three indices(T, FD and A), which may be mainly due to differences in the composition of science textbooks by curriculum period.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.224-234
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyze STEAM elements and convergence types that appeared in the creative and convergent activities in elementary school science textbooks, which were converted from the national issuance system to the authorized system in 2022. For this study, 6 elementary school science textbooks for 3rd and 4th graders were selected. And STEAM elements in creative and convergent activities were analyzed by publishers, grade-semesters, and science fields, and the convergence type was analyzed for each publisher. The results of this study are as follows. First, the total frequencies of STEAM elements and the ratios of each element in the creative and convergent activities of textbooks were different for each publisher. However, among the four elements except for science (S) element in all publishers, the tendency to have a high proportion of art (A) element and a very low proportion of mathematics (M) element was common. Second, the higher the number of fused STEAM elements, the lower the rate of appearance in the textbooks in overall. Also the ratio of convergence types of STEAM elements varied by each publisher. Third, the ratio deviations of art (A), technology (T), and engineering (E) elements for each grade-semester were not large, but the ratio deviation of the mathematics (M) element was large. Fourth, technology (T) and engineering (E) elements appeared a lot in the fields of 'movement and energy' and 'material', while art (A) element appeared a lot in the fields of 'earth and universe', 'life', and 'integration'.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.273-285
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• 2023

Measurement in elementary school mathematics is one of the mathematical concepts that is directly used in real life. This study is based on the fact that mathematics textbooks for 3-4 and 5-6 graders were developed as the government designed and authorized textbooks and the general measurement instruction process is condensed and presented considering the limitation of the textbook's space for the capacity and weight. Its contents were analyzed. The results are as follows. The contents of authorized textbooks and government designed textbook are different in detail but similar overall in comparative activities, recognition, and situation of the need for the introduction of standard unit and estimation activities. Through this, it is proposed that efforts are needed to reform national textbook policies and develop textbooks that can highlight the meaning of each measurement activity and focus on students' activities.