• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.315-329
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics and the relationships of PCK components of elementary school teacher in the chapter of electric circuit unit. The subjects of this study were two teachers serving as main teachers in the 5th grade and data were collected through qualitative research methods such as questionnaires for teachers, classroom observations and teacher interviews. The collected data were transcribed and then analyzed. Results of analysis showed that teacher A thought that science was a class to explore and study the principles of nature phenomena and scientific knowledge by themselves In addition, teacher A helped students to understand the content by using strategies of analogy. The teacher B conveyed the contents of text without any reconstruction. But teacher B understood the standards of curriculum, and didn't want to teach students over the standards. Based on the analysis, we could conclude that PCK is formed on the basis of knowledge and belief about curriculum and knowledge and belief about learners.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.588-596
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for improving the STEAM class by examining elementary school teachers' difficulties in the STEAM class and discussing solutions. For this research, 25 elementary school teachers in Seoul City and Gyeonggi-do were asked to write their difficulties in the STEAM class in the open-ended questionnaires. After classification of the collected data, an in-depth interview was conducted with one in-service elementary school teacher who is richly experienced in STEAM education to find solutions for each type of difficulties. The study result showed that most of elementary school teachers had difficulties in the STEAM class, due to selection of integrated subjects, production of teaching devices and materials, guidance of group activities, reorganization of the curriculum, assessment and uncooperative co-teachers. One teacher that participated in the interview to discuss solutions for teachers' difficulties was solving the problems in various ways. She said that many of her solutions came from her experience and also, knowledge obtained through a participation in the STEAM training or opportunities to share information with other teachers who belong to the STEAM research institution, was highly helpful.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2005

This study examined the effects of the result of ascertaining predictions on cognitive conflict and conceptual change when students teamed the concept of weightlessness. Participants were 200 pre-service elementary teachers. They answered the pretest composed of two items. Through the demonstration on either of two items of the pretest, they identified whether their predictions were correct or not. In addition, students' cognitive conflicts were measured. After brief instructional treatment, the posttest was conducted. The results of this study are as follows: The more students who identified their own predictions on the experiment were incorrect there were, the more effective it was on cognitive conflict and conceptual change. And cognitive conflicts and conceptual changes of students who identified that their predictions were incorrect were generated meaningfully more than those of students who identified that their predictions were correct. From these results, it is concluded that students who identified that their predictions were correct experience cognitive conflicts, but their cognitive conflicts and conceptual changes were smaller than those of students who identified that their predictions were incorrect.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.287-304
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• 2019

Teaching with technology has been widespread in practical classroom settings, and increased the needs to enhance pre-service teachers' capability with a variety of technologies. The purpose of this study is focused on designing and implementing a training program to develop pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK) which promotes them use technologies tactically in integrated science classes. Based on the theoretical framework of TPACK and Practitioner's Guide to TPACK, the authors developed ten periods of lessons comprised instructional skills in elementary science education. Subsequently, the program was applied into a teacher trainee course in Korea. The results of this study indicate that the TPACK training program for pre-service teachers significantly influenced on attitude toward convergence, TPACK, and science teaching efficacy of the engaged participants. The developed program, meanwhile, caused a significant TPACK improvement of female participants of the teachers college more effectively. Furthermore, it mitigated the gap between science and humanity tracks coming from their high schools. Consequently, there are possibilities to improve pre-service teachers' teaching strategies for integrated classes, if they have opportunities to review the comprehensibility of technological, pedagogical, content knowledge, and intersected areas with metacognitive perspectives.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

This study investigated pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of the planetary revolution movement of Mars and their explanatory models to show how the Sun-Earth-Mars system worked. An assessment item set using five celestial maps drawn from the Stellarium was designed to probe pre-service teachers' understanding of the prograde-retrograde motion of Mars. Among 23 participants, only four showed scientifically accurate understanding of Mars movement and drawing correct explanatory models for the planetary movement. Even the pre-service teachers who construed correctly prograde and retrograde motions of Mars showed a clockwise movement model due to their intuitive perceptions of Mars movement data from the celestial maps. Pre-service teachers with poor understanding of planetary movement also showed weak explanatory models due to their limited observation or lower spatial thinking. Although the planetary motion is not an easy topic for pre-service elementary teachers, it can be argued if the alternative approach, such as using appropriate observational data of a planet and changing the frames of reference between Earth-based view and Space-based view, is employed effectively in teaching planetary motion, pre-service teachers can reach the upper level of leaning planetary motion in terms of the planet's revolution.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.36-54
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service elementary school teachers' understanding about alternative energy and to identify their alternative conceptions. The two-tier instrument had been developed by Cheong et al. (2015) were used for this study. Twelve items from the instrument consisted of four categories: 'source of alternative energy', 'greenhouse gas emission', 'cost in electricity and construction' and 'advantages and disadvantages'. One hundred and fifteen pre-service elementary school teachers were participated in online survey during the semester. The results analyzed using SPSS 26.0. were as follows: First, the correct response rate varied depending on the content of item. Items related to characteristics and advantages & disadvantages of alternative energy showed high percentage of correct answers. Whereas, items regarding the principles of alternative energy showed relatively low percentage of correct answers. Second, there are some items showing statistically meaningful differences according to students' high school track. Nevertheless, there are no significant differences in overall. Third, we identified twelve alternative conceptions about alternative energy from students' answer distribution. Educational implications were discussed based on the results.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.173-185
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to present a reflective review of the earth and universe units from the revised elementary curriculum of 2007-2015 and suggest changes in the 2022 revised curriculum. For this purpose, we conducted an FGI with earth science educators and elementary school teachers regarding the content elements and system, the achievement standards and inquiry activity composition, and the vertical and horizontal curriculum connectivity. Free response and weighted hierarchical analysis items were incorporated into the FGI to ensure logical consistency of the inductively derived improvement. This analysis revealed that the composition of units by grade group had been unevenly distributed among each of the "earth systems" until the 2015 revised curriculum was finalized. Furthermore, the basic concept was still insufficient. We suggest that achievement standards centered on the learning content and skills must state specific scientific core competencies, and inquiry activities should include rigorous critical thinking, student written responses, and student inquiry and analysis. In the hierarchical analysis items, FGI emphasized the inclusion of essential content elements rather than reduction of content elements, understanding-oriented concept learning rather than interest-centered phenomenon learning, basic concept division learning before integration between subjects, and expanding vertical-horizontal connectivity rather than repeating and advancing learning. There is a limit to the generalizing the suggestions proposed in this study to the common opinion of elementary earth science experts. However, since the main vision of the 2022 revised curriculum is to gather opinions through educational entities' participation in a variety of educational subjects, it is suggested that our results should be incorporated as one of the opinions proposed for the 2022 curriculum revision.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.235-250
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• 2012

This paper aims to find out whether or not elementary school students recognize and understand scientific units that they encounter in their everyday life. To select appropriate units for the survey, first, scientific units in elementary textbooks of science and other science related subjects were analyzed. Then it was examined how these units were related to the learners' daily life. The participants in the current survey were 320 elementary school 6th graders. A questionnaire consisted of 11 units of science, such as kg for mass, km for distance, L for volume, V for voltage, s for time, $^{\circ}C$ for temperature, km/h for speed, kcal for heat, % for percentage, W for electric power, pH for acidity, which can often be seen and used in daily life. The students were asked to do the following four tasks, (1) to see presented pictures and select appropriate scientific units, (2) to write reasons for choosing the units, (3) to answer what the units are used for, and (4) to check where to find the units. The data were analyzed in terms of the percentage of the students who seemed to well recognize and understand the units, using SPSS 17.0 statistical program. The results are as follows: Regarding the general use of the units, it was revealed that almost the same units were repeated in science and other subject textbooks from the same grade. With an increase of the students' grade more difficult units were used. As for the use of each unit, it was found that they seemed to relatively well understand what these units kg, km, L, $^{\circ}C$, kcal, km/h, and W stand for, showing more than 91% right. However, the units of V, s, in particular, %, and pH did not seem to be understood. With respect to the recognition of the units, most students did not recognize such units as L for volume and pH for acidity, probably because the units are difficult at the elementary level in comparison to other scientific units. The students indicated that schools were the best place where they could learn and find scientific units related to life, followed by shops/marts, newspapers/broadcasting, streets/roads, homes, and others in that order. The results show that scientific unit learning should be conducted in a systematic way at school and that teachers can play a major role in improving students' understanding and use of the units.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.642-657
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• 2022

This study aimed to investigate how elementary school students' science reading ability is influenced by collaborative problem-solving for competency instruction strategy using science reading text. This study recruited two groups of elementary students in fifth grade. The experimental group underwent an instruction strategy using science reading text, while the comparative group experienced a science class using a textbook. Afterward, data from the science reading ability tests, voice recordings of the discussion process involving each group, and class videos were collected and analyzed. The results showed that science classes that used collaborative problem-solving for their competency instruction strategy via science reading text were effective in enhancing elementary school students' science reading ability. Meanwhile, the science reading ability test results indicated that the experimental group had statistically higher total scores than the comparative group in the three subelements, especially "introspection and evaluation" and "integration and interpretation" owing to their significant improvement in high-level cognitive processes. In these classes, the students read the materials that the teacher provided, participated in the discussion based on what they have read, and had the chance to reflect on their reading processes. Overall, students' science reading ability was enhanced through this process.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.177-190
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• 2006

Numerous aims of laboratory activities have been suggested by a number of researchers in science education; however the lists of aims very according to researcher. As such, there is still no agreement educational goals on the in science laboratory activities by experts in science education. The purpose of this study was to obtain a consensus using the Delphi technique on the aims of laboratory activities from expert community. This expert community consisted of four scientists, four science educators, six elementary school teachers, and seven secondary school teachers. The list of aims obtained from the expert community were tested with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to determine whether IQR between 2nd and 3rd was convergent. Results of this study produced, lists of aims of laboratory activities according to school science level. There were seven aims for elementary school science, nine aims for secondary school science, and thirteen aims for university science.