• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.460-479
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• 2021

The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in education systems worldwide, including in Korea. Due to COVID-19's social distancing policies, the education system was suddenly switched to distance learning, resulting in many problems in primary schools without preparation. The purpose of this study was to investigate a teacher's awareness of science education techniques, responses to issues in science classes, including inquiry activities, advantages and disadvantages, and roles after experiencing distance learning. Survey and focus interviews were conducted for primary school teachers who had previously participated in distance learning, such as online content classes and real-time interactive classes. The study findings showed three conclusions: 1) Primary school teachers conducted one-way and interactive lectures in online classes. It is vital to improve a teacher's digital literacy to improve other teaching methods such as investigation and discussion in online classes. 2) Primary school teachers acknowledged the challenges of field feedback, inquiry item preparations, and safety in inquiry activities of science classes, by providing individual experimental packages and videos and using online discussion and feedback among teacher - student and student - student interactions. 3) Primary school teachers recognized that various types of classes using IT devices and individualized learning were possible as advantages of distance learning. As for disadvantages, it was acknowledged that inquiry activities, cooperative learning, immediate feedback, and interaction among students were challenging. Furthermore, learning gaps were wider in distance learning.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.240-249
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• 2011

The purposes of this study is to compare the beliefs in the nature of science, science teaching and learning of the elementary teachers in charge of the gifted and the general teachers. For this study, a survey on beliefs of the nature of science, science teaching and learning was conducted to 88 elementary teachers for the gifted and 90 elementary general teachers. Data was analyzed by their academic career and major. The results of this study were as follows: There were no significant differences in beliefs in the nature of science and science teaching between the elementary science teachers in charge of the gifted and the general elementary teachers, but the former has a more constructivism in science learning than the latter. In the some sub-domains of the beliefs of the nature of science, science teaching and learning, there were statistically significant differences according to their academic career and major. Implications from findings of this study were suggested, such as recruiting and in-service training system for teachers in charge of the gifted.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Thinking Science program on the cognitive acceleration and cognitive processing skills of the elementary school students. Subjects included 305 5th grade students in three elementary schools. Subjects were divided into the experimental and the control groups. Thinking Science program was implemented to the experimental group over a period of two years. Statistically significant gains on the cognitive acceleration were shown by the experimental group compared with the control group. The intervention effects on the cognitive acceleration were shown for the girls of the elementary schools. It was also found that Thinking Science program exerted significant effect on the development of the cognitive processing skills of the students. The experimental group gained higher scores of attention and simultaneous processing skills compared with the control group. This implied that Thinking Science program was effective not only on the cognitive acceleration but also on the development of the cognitive processing skills as a far-transfer.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.338-355
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• 2022

This study explored the effects of pre-service elementary teachers' inquiries into science class dilemmas. By closely examining the characteristics of the pre-service teachers' inquiry processes and changes in their educational decisions, the effectiveness of using dilemmas as part of teacher education was determined. Twenty fourth-year university pre-service teachers participated and conducted inquiries into science class dilemmas over seven weeks. Based on pre- and post-questionnaires, KWHL tables, inquiry reports, discussions, and group class presentations, the major factors that influence the pre-service teacher's decision-making changes were extracted. The pre-service teachers found the science inquiry process meaningful when exploring the science topics covered in the dilemmas, and claimed that elementary school students would be able to engage in meaningful science explorations if they learned science through inquiry. Furthermore, the pre-service teachers explored the thinking processes and background knowledge of the students in different ways. Documents such as teacher's guides and the curriculum were examined and the students' thought processes were identified through interviews with the teachers and students, which were found to reflect their educational decision-making. Moreover, it was recognized by the pre-service teachers that depending on the situation, alternative teaching methods were possible. The focus on the unstructured dilemma problems provided the pre-service teachers with problem-solving situations that triggered scientific inquiry and exploration of student thinking and revealed the complexity of science teaching and learning. Based on these results, the teacher education implications for using dilemma cases are discussed.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
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• 2020.07a
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• pp.633-634
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• 2020

본 논문에서는 소외계층 초등정보영재를 위한 온라인 머신러닝 교육 프로그램을 개발하였다. 교육 프로그램은 초등정보영재 전문가가 개발하였으며, 인공지능 교육 전문가가 검증하였다. 교육 프로그램은 15차시로 구성하였으며, 인공지능에 대한 이해, 데이터 수집 및 표현, 모델 선택, 훈련, 평가, 실생활 사례 제작, 예측으로 내용을 구성하였다. 교육 프로그램에서 학습 모형은 이재호와 홍창의(2009)의 문제 중심형 e-PBL 학습 모형을 본 연구에 맞게 수정하여 활용하였다. 향후 연구에서는 개발한 교육 프로그램을 소외계층 초등 정보영재에 적용하고, 교육 프로그램을 통한 소외계층 초등정보 영재의 변화를 분석하고자 한다.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.306-319
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to pursue suggestions for the activation of the elementary science camp through the present status of operation and preference survey; examined 50 elementary science camps conducted since year 2004, and surveyed 590 people of students, parents and teachers around Seoul and Gyeonggi province. This study also explores ways of issues and solutions through interviews with five officials of the elementary science camp. This study drew data from the present status of the elementary science camp, the state of camp participation, student's preference, interviews with camp managers. The following are suggestions for the activation of the elementary science camp based on the results of this study; First, the elementary science camp especially in charge of science-related association or office of education should be enlarged, and other private institute or organization should prepare for specialized programs and expert teachers. Second, insufficient camp spot should be solved and participation fee differentials should be alleviated. Third, the period of the camp and its announcement should be various, so that students have more opportunities. In conclusion, managing elementary science camp needs specialism, and continuing effort, because it is related to many important matters such as theme, period, place, participation expenses, guiding teacher, number of student, program organization, student's preference, and method of notice. Therefore, this study insists steady cooperation, continuing endeavor, and appropriate support system for elementary science camps on a nationwide scale.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.44-64
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• 2022

This study explored the elementary school teachers' experiences while teaching students with low achievement in science based on the grounded theory. In-depth interviews and analysis were conducted on 13 teachers with experiences in teaching students with low achievement in science within the last three years and more than five years of field experience until the theoretical saturation of data on the teaching experiences for students with low achievement in science. The analysis results were as follows. First, the teaching experiences of elementary school teachers for underachievers in science were classified into 119 concepts, 41 subcategories, and 17 categories. Based on the paradigm model, the categories were structured and presented as causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, action/interaction strategies and consequences based on the central phenomenon of 'difficulty in teaching students with low achievement in science'. Second, the core category of elementary school teachers' teaching underachievers in science was assumed to be 'overcoming difficulties and teaching underachievers in science'. And according to the properties and dimensions of the core category, teachers who teaching students with low achievement in science were divided into four types: 'compromising-', 'overcoming-', 'accepting-', and 'conflicting-reality type'. Third, a conditional matrix was presented to summarize and integrate the results of this study by classifying the teaching experience of elementary school teachers for underachievers in science into educational providers and educational demanders. On the basis of these findings, educational implications for teaching students with low achievement in science were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.171-191
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• 2004

This study presents revision scheme of Korean Decimal Classification appropriate for classification of children-related materials, mainly centered on social science(300) and pure science(400) occupying the majority of children-related materials in school Libraries. Towards this goal, 1 have studied the development and use of classification system for children-related materials available in domestic and overseas school libraries or children's libraries, and researched elementary school 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students' degree of understanding on classification item terms and children-related materials terms used for KDC's social science and Pure science. Based on the results of analysis, f have presented revision scheme of Korean Decimal Classification item terms and class numbers for children-related materials.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.185-200
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• 2024

This study explored the changes in the elementary science teaching expertise of teachers who participated in an in-school professional learning community for elementary science instructional research. Six elementary school teachers from grades 4, 5, and 6 at an 18-class S elementary school in a medium-sized city in Chungcheongbuk-do conducted collaborative instructional research on elementary science lessons as part of an in-school professional learning community, which was held 26 times over 7 months in 2020. During the professional learning community, video and audio recordings of the activities, research lessons, course materials, and professional learning community reflection activities were collected for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative research methods; data processing, reading, note-taking, description, classification, interpretation, reporting, and visualization; and the instructional professionalism elements were extracted based on the instructional professionalism framework. In the early professional learning community activity stages, the participating teachers first discussed their teaching perspectives, their experiences, and their goals for teaching science, which resulted in a selection of research questions. The teachers then collaboratively designed and implemented research lessons for each grade level, after which lesson reflections were conducted. The teachers' abilities to engage in qualitative reflection on the research questions improved after each reflection iteration. It was found that this professional learning community collaborative lesson study experience positively contributed to teaching expertise development. Based on the study findings, the implications for using professional learning communities to improve elementary teachers' science teaching expertise are given.