• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.299-309
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to categorize specific factors and characteristics of positive science experience by qualitatively analyzing the positive science experience cases in the memories of pre-service elementary school teachers. For this purpose, 101 essays written by pre-service teachers on the theme of 'my enjoyable science class experience' were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed using an inductive analysis method, and as a result, the characteristics of positive science experience cases in the memories of pre-service teachers were categorized into 4 categories and 12 topic groups. Specifically, 'experience of exploratory activities using special materials', such as long-term raising and observation of animals and plants, experiments using edible materials, and using special experimental tools had a positive effect on scientific experience. In addition, 'experience of activities emphasizing scientific inquiry' such as emphasizing observation activities, experiments accompanied by clear experimental results, making activities, and using various materials also had a positive effect on science experience. In addition, 'student-centered activity experience' such as strengthening student autonomy, emphasizing collaboration between students, and performing science activities outside of the curriculum also had a positive influence on the science experience. Lastly, 'positive influence of teachers', such as teachers' encouragement and enthusiasm, helped to positively recognize science.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.194-209
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• 2023

This study aims to present implications for the appropriate establishment and development of a science-authorized textbook system through an understanding of the process of selecting science-authorized textbooks and analyzing the perception of teachers. Toward this end, this study conducted interviews with five elementary school teachers who participated in the science textbook selection process, surveys on 32 teachers, and analysis on the authors of the textbooks. The result demonstrated, first, that the "opinion gathering" stage was the most important one, and a council was formed in consideration of career and major. Moreover, the evaluation standard was reorganized and used according to the situation of the school. Second, in the process of opinion gathering, the teachers used a method for reviewing the entire textbook for each teacher. Inquiry activities and textbook composition (readability) were crucially considered as internal factors, and teaching and learning materials, such as videos, were deemed extremely important as external factors. The variable of the author, which is an indicator of the reliability and expertise of textbooks, was also recognized as vital. Third, the deliberation by the School Committee and the report by the principal were recognized as the administrative final step after selection. Finally, selecting the most suitable textbooks for each grade group was recognized as more important than arbitrarily unifying textbooks for the third and fourth grades and for the fifth and sixth grades.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.267-277
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• 2015

This study explored elementary school teachers' perspectives on science inquiry teaching. First, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to elicit teachers' experiences of their approach to inquiry teaching. These self-reported approaches revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning in science: 'science process skills-centered' category focused on observing, classifying, measuring, and fair testing; 'generating scientific questions' category focused on students' question-generating; and 'illustrate concept and/or content' category focused on science content demonstration by making use of experimental procedures to obtain expected results. Second, teachers were asked to place 18 activity cards either close to or further from an 'inquiry-based science classroom' card. The relative distances from the activity card to the central classroom card were measured. The teachers perceived that students' activity of 'designing and implementing appropriate procedures' was the most important in supporting an inquiry-based science classroom. Understanding teachers' views has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.164-180
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• 2011

In this study, pre-service elementary teachers (n=68) participated in an inquiry of exploring children's science ideas as group work. After conducting interviews with children, the pre-service teachers analyzed their science ideas on specific concept and propose a teaching plan based on their findings. This paper aimed to find the positive learning experiences of the pre-service teachers by looking into their inquiry process. Questionnaire, researcher's journal, classroom videos and final reports were collected and analyzed for this multiple case study. Four representative groups were chosen and interviewed after submitting their final reports for in-depth understanding of their inquiry process. The positive learning experiences found in the process of their inquiry into children's science ideas were as follows: (1) exploring children's ideas have brought the opportunity for enhancing pre-service teachers' science content knowledge. (2) the pre-service teachers developed their ability in creating questions that probe into children's understanding. (3) the pre-service teachers recognized that children have various incomplete and unstable science ideas. (4) the pre-service teachers could suggest teaching strategy based on their findings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.328-339
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the astronomy-related concepts formed by elementary school pre-service teachers and analyze the distribution of misconceptions. The study was conducted on 43 pre-service teachers enrolled in the second year of an elementary teacher training college located in the central region of Korea. As a result of the study, first, pre-service elementary school teachers' misconceptions about astronomy concepts showed a diverse distribution. In particular, pre-service elementary school teachers still had misconceptions regarding seasonal changes, which were pointed out in many previous studies. Second, pre-service elementary school teachers had formed concepts at the level of simple memorization of astronomy concepts and were having difficulty applying the concepts they knew to various cases. Based on these research results, future astronomy-related education should be directed toward understanding astronomical phenomena through the application and application of various cases rather than simple memorization, and astronomy education in teacher training courses and teacher training should also reflect this content.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.109-126
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• 2023

In this study, I took the evidence-explanation (E-E) continuum perspective to examine the epistemological implications of scientific reasoning cases designed by preservice elementary teachers during their simulation teaching. The participants were four preservice teachers who conducted simulation instruction on the seasons and high/low air pressure and wind. The selected discourse episodes, which included cases of inductive, deductive, or abductive reasoning, were analyzed for their epistemological implications-specifically, the role played by the reasoning cases in the E-E continuum. The two preservice teachers conducting seasons classes used hypothetical-deductive reasoning when they identified evidence by comparing student-group data and tested a hypothesis by comparing the evidence with the hypothetical statement. However, they did not adopt explicit reasoning for creating the hypothesis or constructing a model from the evidence. The two preservice teachers conducting air pressure and wind classes applied inductive reasoning to find evidence by summarizing the student-group data and adopted linear logic-structured deductive reasoning to construct the final explanation. In teaching similar topics, the preservice teachers showed similar epistemic processes in their scientific reasoning cases. However, the epistemological implications of the instruction were not similar in terms of the E-E continuum. In addition, except in one case, the teachers were neither good at abductive reasoning for creating a hypothesis or an explanatory model, nor good at using reasoning to construct a model from the evidence. The E-E continuum helps in examining the epistemological implications of scientific reasoning and can be an alternative way of transmitting scientific reasoning.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.162-174
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of questions raised by pre-service elementary teachers when planning a science class utilizing smart technology and the characteristics of their lesson plans. For this purpose, lesson plans and questions written by the 96 pre-service teachers were collected. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) Pre-service teachers used simulation apps, information offering apps, clicker evaluation apps, astronomical observation apps. Simulation apps and clicker evaluation apps were used the most in the introduction stage of the class, simulation apps in the development stage, and clicker evaluation apps in the finishing stage. (2) In the lesson plans, the activities that elementary school students use smart technology showed more than those used by teachers, and its characteristics were more prominent in the development stage of the class. (3) As for the content type of smart technology, experience type was the highest, followed by tool type and resource type. In comparison, there were relatively few interaction support types and learning opportunity extensions. (4) There were many cases in which pre-service teachers replaced elementary school students with virtual experiences using experience type instead of providing opportunities to experiment or experience directly. (5) Pre-service teachers asked various questions while planning science class utilizing smart technology, and a total of 25 question types appeared in 7 categories.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.341-351
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of pre-service teachers of elementary school who take courses in 'Science and Textbook Research' on science teaching efficacy and science knowledge after experimental treatment. For this purpose, this study was aimed at intensive course four classes (118 students) enrolled in the 'Science and Textbook Research' course and experimented from the beginning of September to the end of November. The experiment was about teaching textbooks and teaching methods for one semester, and the pre- service teachers of elementary school made the demonstration of science cooperation classes by group. The results and analysis of the study were analyzed by the corresponding sample test in before and after the group test. The conclusion of the study is as follows. First, after taking this class the pre - service teachers of elementary school were effective in science teaching efficacy. Second, after taking this course, pre-service teachers of elementary school were effective in acquiring science knowledge. Third, it was seemed to positive effect on Perception of pre-service teachers of elementary school in Demonstration classes. Pre-service teachers of elementary school have created science course plan by analyzing the tasks according to the principles of instructional design, and they found that they had the right mind and confidence in the lesson.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.167-180
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• 2023

Teacher interventions in science classrooms are important because they can have a major impact on students' practices. This study qualitatively analyzed what kinds of utterances teachers used to intervene in students' practices of constructing scientific explanations. Two elementary school teachers, L and K, participated in the study, and their lessons in the sixth-grade science unit, 'Structure and Function of Plants' were reorganized for students to engage in the scientific practice of constructing explanations. In each lesson, the two teachers were asked to support students' practices as part of responsive teaching. The results of the study showed that the two teachers mainly utilized empathetic and disciplinary utterances, respectively, which were used to support emotional, processual, and conceptual aspects of students' scientific practices. The empathetic utterances were employed to support students' practices in the order of noticing, actively accepting, and offering alternatives. By contrast, the disciplinary utterances were used in the order of finding deficiencies, evaluating, and urging to improve students' practices. The reasons the teachers made use of empathetic and disciplinary utterances, respectively, were discussed, and implications for science education were suggested.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.133-143
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze elementary school teachers' perception on application of STEAM education. For this study, a survey was administered to 80 primary teachers. The result showed as follows: First, even though, elementary school teachers have known about the meaning and aims of the STEAM education in detail, they often took a neutral attitude toward the actual teaching method. In addition, they take a negative attitude toward having the gathering. Second, only a few elementary school teachers prepared and used the teaching materials related to the STEAM education in class and teach students the concept based on the STEAM education. Only a few elementary school teachers said that they used the developed modules. However, the demand, developing the modules, was extremely high. This result means that the easy and available modules should be developed to establish the STEAM education. Third, only a few elementary school teachers applied the subject, activity, and estimation related to the STEAM education in actual class. Forth, even though, after applying, there much be the positive affects, most elementary school teachers could not recognize the positive affects. At the same time, elementary school teachers suggested the curriculum should be reorganized for students to connect between the results of the STEAM education and the contents of the textbook, and the easy and available program should be developed and spread, also. The attitude of elementary school teachers toward the application of the STEAM education was normally negative. Therefore, it is needed to include more STEAM related contents in the science textbooks and to develop various STEAM education materials and circulate them as well as to establish adequate teaching and assessment methods for STEAM education.