• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.178-193
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the achievement standards from the 2015 to the 2022 revised national science curriculum and to present the implications for science teaching under the revised curriculum. Achievement standards relevant to primary science education were therefore extracted from the national curriculum documents; conceptual domains in the two curricula were analyzed for differences; various kinds of centrality were computed; and the Louvain algorithm was used to identify clusters. These methods revealed that, in the revised compared with the preceding curriculum, the total number of nodes and links had increased, while the number of achievement standards had decreased by 10 percent. In the revised curriculum, keywords relevant to procedural skills and behavior received more emphasis and were connected to collaborative learning and digital literacy. Observation, survey, and explanation remained important, but varied in application across the fields of science. Clustering revealed that the number of categories in each field of science remained mostly unchanged in the revised compared with the previous curriculum, but that each category highlighted different skills or behaviors. Based on those findings, some implications for science instruction in the classroom are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.480-497
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• 2021

This study intends to explore the content and organization characteristics of elementary school science textbooks in the astronomical domain from the perspective of understanding the astronomical spatial concept. This study analyzed the relevant unit of the achievement criteria in the 2015 revised science curriculum for the 'space' domain in elementary school science textbooks in comparison with that in secondary school textbooks according to the spatial concept analysis criteria by texts, illustrations, and inquiry activities. As a result, elementary school science textbooks were found to be organized around phenomena rather than concepts, targeting observable celestial bodies linked to real life in order to optimize the amount of learning content. However, the learning contents of astronomical observation related to observation and phenomena-centered real life should stimulate the curiosity and imagination of elementary school students and encourage their intellectual participation. Students need to be supported for understanding of the spatial concept to find an answer to the question of 'why'. The content organization for core concepts should be organized around the transferable spatial concept rather than simply focusing on presenting results by accurately describing the phenomena observed by students through scientific practice in order for students to answer various questions that arise in the course of scientific practice.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.592-592
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• 2022

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.48-60
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• 2011

The study aimed to thoroughly observe the process of science-gifted students' career development from elementary to high school in Korea. Eighteen science high school students participated in this study. Data source was retrospective interviews with individuals. Results indicated that the inner factors influencing their career development included 'interest in science' and 'desire for deep understanding of science,' and 'ambition for taking a lead in society by means of science.' The outer factors included 'dissatisfaction with regular schooling,' 'social atmosphere to prefer special purpose high schools,' and 'in-depth educational programs beyond high school levels with brilliant peers.' These inner and outer factors have reacted upon each other in their career development. The implications for proper career development were discussed on the basis of the results.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.1028-1038
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• 2004

This study investigated how the 7th national elementary school science curriculum was implemented at science classrooms. Data from surveys with 140 elementary schools, 18 science classroom observations, and in-depth interviews with teachers were used to examine the characteristics of elementary school science instruction. Based on the data, I explored (1)how science curriculum is operated in terms of objectives, contents, methods and evaluation of school science, and (2)how student-centeredness and localization themes are reflected on the reconstructed school science curriculum. It was found that the degree of the reorganization of the national curriculum at the teacher level was minimal. And most of the elementary teachers followed the directions and contents of the science textbook and teacher's guidebook regardless of their own local situations. For most teachers, restructuring science curriculum meant reordering the sequences of the contents, and adding or deleting some units or topics. I also examined why elementary teachers have difficulty in reconstructing science curriculum at the classroom level. The necessity of curriculum reconstruction at the teacher level is also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.576-585
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• 2004

This study was conducted to analyze the relationships between terms, learning concepts and inquiries in ocean unit, the National Common Basic Curriculum. The several science textbooks were selected to use for study, written in accordance with the 7 current national curriculum for the fourth grade of elementary school, the seventh of middle school and the tenth of high school. The higher the school level becomes, the frequencies of using terms related with ocean region get. The explanation of terms, however, has a tendency to be less frequent in the high school level. In the perspective of learning concept, there are more concrete concepts than formal concepts regardless of school level. Pure scientific context appears most often in inquiry contest through the whole course of every school level. In respect to inquiry process, the frequency of integrative inquiry process is on the increase as the school level gets higher. From the viewpoint of inquiry activity, there have been a lot of discussions, experiments and investigations in every school level, while high school does not the present any field study and project. Through these result, it is considered that the explanation of main terms is inevitable in the textbooks as basic educational material without regard to school level. In learning concept and inquiry context, a well-rounded learning is needed in relation to students' cognitive development and science-technology-society. Especially for the inquiry activity of earth science education, the educational effect is remarkable through field study; its appropriate application is required, accordingly.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.29-42
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• 2005

In this knowledge information society, it cannot be too much to accentuate the necessity and importance of computer education. However, the current computer education in elementary school only focuses on computer application and utilization. It is not satisfactory to the needs of knowledge information society to improve mechanic office operation and/or to provide simple utilization of educational software through learning the application software functions. Therefore, based on creative and logical thought, it is necessary at this era to prepare computer education as the essence of science to create new values and to embody knowledge by understanding social and cultural environment of knowledge information society that is continuously in change and development. Accordingly, this study presents the necessity of change based on problems of computer education, and investigates field teacher's opinion on the direction of change in elementary computer curriculum in this knowledge information society. Also, this study presents a computer education curriculum for elementary school students by focusing on a comparison between our current elementary computer curriculum and that of North Carolina and of California in the United States.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.203-219
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper was analyzing the contents of life science area in elementary science textbooks according to Korean science curricula change to get suggestions for the advancement of science curriculum. The framework of content analysis was developed by revising TIMSS 2015 life science evaluation framework. The results of this research were as follows: 'The differences of living things and non-living things appearing in the first grade mostly were not included in the 1st, the 6th and the 2009 revised curricula. Contents emphasizing rural life were appeared from 'Teaching themes period' to the 2nd curriculum period, disappeared from the 3rd curriculum period until the 2009 revised curriculum. Contagious disease was emphasized in all elementary grades in the 1st curriculum period, which reflected a social phenomena emphasizing health and hygiene after the Korean War. Mostly fungus was included until the 7th curriculum period and bacteria and virus were added from the 2007 revised curriculum period. The way of improving health was emphasized continuously.' The differences of living things and non-living things should be included in elementary science curriculum for the correct 'life' concept formation of elementary students. 'Strategies for helping the living of descendants' and 'the heredity of animal and plant' which were appeared in the lower grades, should be included at the higher grades with greater depth. The incoming elementary science textbooks also need to include science contents about evolution in greater depth, along with human health.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.74-79
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• 2009

We have investigated the magnetic education in elementary science of Korea. Text books and other related materials are analysed. Students learn playing with magnets in third grade and learn making electromagnets in sixth grade. Arrangement of topics are in accord with the historical development of electromagnetism in physics although the order is not well suited to other field of science. Teacher's guide books need to be developed to consider various environments in school such as city and country, and rich and poor town. Several details in the science textbook are pointed out for better education. Overall course looks sound.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.199-216
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• 2022

This study explored the possibility of introducing modern physics into the elementary school science curriculum. The study discussed the need of introducing modern physics to elementary school students and examined the results of certain projects and studies on teaching modern physics to elementary school students. Furthermore, this study proposes several teaching and learning techniques to introduce modern physics into the elementary school science curriculum. Modern physics can be linked to various everyday situations experienced by students and can increase their interest and curiosity in science. Additionally, introducing modern physics to elementary school students who are yet to establish a background on the classical view of nature can help them build a new perspective. Recently, several global projects to introduce modern physics at the elementary level have also reported positive results regarding the increase in student understanding and interest in modern physics. The study briefly proposed specific topics and teaching and learning techniques that could be suitable for the elementary school level. These proposals are expected to advance discussions on the possibility of introducing modern physics. However, appropriate follow-up studies are warranted to confirm the possibility and effectiveness of this initiative.