• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.459-467
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to find out the level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers and to find out the students' science process skills and scientific attitudes according to the level of the teacher's science teaching efficacy belief. After measuring science teaching efficacy belief of 109 teachers from nine elementary schools, three teachers who received the high score and three teachers who received the low score were selected from each 5th and 6th grade. Science process skills and scientific attitudes of 331 students who were in the selected 12 teachers' classes were measured. The results of this study were as follows; First, there were significant differences on the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's gender and career. The men's average score was clearly higher than women's average score on personal science teaching efficacy in science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's gender. There was a obvious difference between the group of more than six-year less than ten-year and the group of more than fifteen-year less than twenty-year, the group of more than twenty-year on science teaching outcome expectancy in science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's career. Second, there was not a evident difference on the elementary school students' science process skill according to the level of the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy. Third, there was a distinct difference on the elementary school students' scientific attitude according to the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy. There was a significant difference on the openness and the endurance in each scientific attitude. The level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers had few effects on the elementary school students' science process skill, on the other hand the level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers had an positive effect on the elementary school students' scientific attitude.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.239-251
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• 2019

The study aims to run a 'Process-based Evaluation' and find out its effectiveness in science classes for prospective elementary school teachers. The Process-based Evaluation performed in this study was performed during unit classes and scored when significance was recognized in the student's learning behavior. The conclusions based on the results of the study are as follows. First, students scored an average of 3.6 points on whether the process-oriented assessment conducted during class was appropriate as an assessment. Second, on the basis of the assessment presented by the students, the main positive content is "assessing the process, not the outcome", "contributing positively to class participation" and "promoting accident activities". Third, the negative contents of the assessment grounds presented by the students include 'lack of objectivity in evaluation methods and results', 'the individual tendencies of students are involved in evaluation results' and 'poor learning effects of the textbook knowledge'.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.347-358
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• 2020

He purpose of this study is to design and apply a pilot assessment tools for scientifically gifted and talented elementary school students with lower grades. The assessment tool consists of three parts: homeroom teachers' recommendation, paper and pencil test and performance tests. The tools are verified whether they are suitable for unique characteristics of young children and enable to attract active participation. For suitability check, students' performance tests were inductively analyzed and 30 behavioral patterns were shown which were included and partially exceeded the level of lower elementary students' performance expectation in NGSS. As a result, we concluded that assessment tool developed in this study will be effective in discriminating young pupils' scientific talents. Then for participation check, we compared the number of coding references as an indicator of participation. Two cases were found that students with high interest participated passively in performance tests. We found these 'passive participants' had excessive scientific experiences and extremely narrow region of interest, during the process of complex interpretation between the results of this assessment tool and in-depth interviews with homeroom teachers. We found out in this study that newly developed tools can be used in school scene after modifying and elaboration through accumulation of more case studies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.488-497
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• 2016

Given the potential of mobile applications to create new learning opportunities beyond the prevalent use of digital textbooks and Internet lectures, this study aims to derive types and themes of mobile application content that can be effectively integrated with the school curricula. Twenty primary school teachers participated in this study that examines teachers' perceptions about the advantages and disadvantages of printed and digital textbooks' modality, the advantages and disadvantages of mobile learning, and the themes relevant to develop mobile applications. Findings indicate that it is necessary to develop activity-centered applications for vertical use rather than theme-centered applications for horizontal use. In addition, while most ideas derived from teachers center on multimedia access, there was lack of ideas that leverage the affordances of mobile devices for collaborative interaction and location-awareness. Lastly, to promote the diffusion of mobile learning in school environments, this study suggests the need to overcome teachers' epistemology that perceives mobilization against inquiry activities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.212-221
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• 2006

The purposes of this study were to examine the characteristics of teacher help in small group Thinking Science(TS) activities and analyze the way students respond to teacher help. For this study, twenty-four 5th grade and twenty-four 7th grade students were selected, to undertake TS activities. Out of the 8 activities students participated in, the verbal interactions in activity 4 and 6, by students in four small groups, which incorporated relatively active argumentation was analyzed. Students' cognitive level was identified through a science reasoning task and the students were grouped heterogeneously according to their cognitive level. This study showed that teachers predominately used simple confirmation questions in preference to metacognitive question. Also, teacher help varied according to one's personal traits, work experience and degree of activity recognition. It was discovered that when the teacher provided student appropriate metacognitive questions and sufficient feedback, students actively engaged in argumentation. On the other hand, when the teacher asked simple confirmation questions and interfered in the activity, students did not participate in argumentation actively.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.214-229
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of science-based STEAM program on the positive science experience of elementary school students. The participants of this study were 64 fourth graders of S elementary school located in Gyeonggi-do. They were divided into the experimental group of 30 students and the comparative group of 34 students. The program was reorganized into the STEAM program, which emphasized communication with students in the second semester of 4th grade, centered on 'Earth and Moon' unit which were carried out in total 16 times. The experimental group was giving the science-centered STEAM program, and the comparative group was giving the general instruction model based on the instructional book guidelines. The results of the study are as follows. The science-centered STEAM program showed a further influence on the positive science experience of elementary school students. Based on these results, it can be confirmed that the class using the science-centered STEAM program positively influenced the improvement of students' positive science experience.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.205-215
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• 2016

This study aims to investigate how elementary teachers use teachers' guide in preparation for science lessons. First, different uses of teacher's guide were analyzed. Second, how and why teachers use each section in teacher's guide were analyzed. For the study, 24 elementary school teachers were interviewed in depth. The semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted individually and/or in small group, and additional interviews were held when necessary. The results showed that most of the teachers used teacher's guide only substitutionally, and some teachers rarely use teacher's guide, while only 3 out of 24 teachers used teacher's guide in detail. The reasons that teachers used the teacher's guide substitutionally or rarely were that most science lessons include experiments, and science textbook itself provides enough information for preparation of science lessons for 3rd and 4th grade students. The results also revealed that only few teachers read the general guideline in teacher's guide. Some sections of teacher's guide were not used. The sections that many teachers used were the aims of lesson, the learning system of the unit, background knowledge, flow of lesson, learning contents and activities. This study specifically examined the actual use of teacher's guide for lesson preparation and discussed implications for the development of more helpful teacher's guide.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.601-614
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate significant differences between the application group and nonapplication group of integrated science education in the science class about elementary teachers' perceptions and PCK. The results are as follows. First, no significant differences were found about science teachers' fundamental background variables between the two groups. This results showed that the application of integrated science education didn't have relation with the fundamental background variables. It was found that the application group of integrated science education has a lower frequency than the application group, however, it has been analysed that the application group has been applied at the introduction stage for students' motivation, focused on biology as twice every month. Second, to apply a successful integrated education in the elementary science class, it has analysed that not only teachers should need to understand about application method and concept of integrated science education but also science textbook and teaching-learning material should be developed and diffused in the well-integrated science. Third, it was found that professionality of elementary teachers to teach the scientific content knowledge is not comparatively high and non-application group of integrated science education has a lower PCK than the application group. Therefore, it should be provided that not only training programmes to learn interdisciplinary knowledge related to science, can lead to more understanding about instructional design, teaching strategies and concept for integrated science education should be developed but also chances to participate in various training programmes should be provided to enhance elementary teachers' professionality for integrated science education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.161-177
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• 2009

This study aims to explore how teachers construct scientific explanation during instructional practices to help students' scientific inquiry. Before investigating teachers' classroom practices, elementary school science curriculum was examined to identify scientific concepts, particularly in earth science. Then, a total of six teachers' scientific explanation in actual teaching practices was analysed focusing on a) explanation of scientific concepts; b) rationale for scientific explanation; c) connection between scientific explanation and everyday explanation. The findings are as follows. First, the science curriculum provides $1{\sim}2$ main scientific concepts per unit, which are mostly appeared in the unit title. Those concepts and sub-concepts are not explicitly described but embedded in students' inquiry activities. Second, the teachers explain scientific concepts and discuss the rationale behind the scientific explanation, but rarely connect scientific explanation to everyday explanation. Also, the level of scientific explanations is low remaining level 1 or 2, not reaching 3, the highest level. Based on the results, the study suggests a) teachers need to provide explicit and clear explanations about scientific concepts; b) teachers are required to connect scientific explanation and everyday explanation; c) the level of teachers scientific explanation should be elevated by using an evidence, reasoning and claim, the components of scientific explanation as well as introducing new scientific concepts and inquiry activities.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.69-83
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influenced elementary school teachers in choosing websites that support science teaching and learning. The participants of this study were four elementary school teachers. The data was collected through semi-constructed and in-depth interview. The results of the research are as follows: First, the individual factors that influenced participants to choose a website were teacher's thinking about appropriate science teaching and learning methods and teacher's lack of ability to prepare science lessons. Second, the surroundings factors were the image of the teachers using the website, the formation of consensus, belonging to the peer teachers, and students' preferences and interests. Third, participants chose a website where they could provide ideas for science lessons that are not available in textbooks and instructional materials for all subjects, and see stories and tips related to teaching career. In addition, the website was selected according to whether the developer of science instructional materials was a teacher, whether the materials uploaded on the website were up-to-date, and whether the teachers can learn by themselves to prepare for the science class. Fourth, participants considered the design and interactivity of the website and chose a website that is easy to search for information. Finally, we suggested the implications for building the websites that support science teaching and learning.