• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.233-251
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• 2024

Meaningful learning occurs through an active process of engaging with the content in a lively interaction between teacher and student. In this study, we explored teachers' learning, challenges, and changes as they learned and practiced responsive teaching (RT), a practice that supports students to put their ideas at the center of their lessons. As a result, we found that teachers initially embraced RT from different perspectives and struggled to implement it in ways they understood. We then explored RT more deeply by focusing on the case of a teacher who was teaching science herself, and found that her experience was both rewarding and confusing. However, by the end of the learning process, the teachers were able to define RT in their own ways, which strengthened their commitment to implementing RT in elementary science education. Based on this teacher learning process, it was suggested that teachers should be viewed as curriculum experts, that they should learn and explore collaboratively through a community of teachers, and that they should be researchers who continue to explore various practices in the field.

• 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.40 no.2
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• pp.127-144
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• 2021

The purpose of this research was to conduct grounded-theory-based explorations on the types of motivation that make pre-service elementary school teachers learn science and on their type-based science-learning processes. One hundred thirty-two pre-service elementary school teachers' motivation types were analyzed, and amongst them, 12 were selected as the subjects to observe their science-learning processes to which grounded theory applied. As a result of analyzing their science-learning motivation types, it was found that the majority belonged to the type "accurators", followed in descending order by the types "directors", "explorers", and "coordinators". Coding various phenomena that appeared in their science-learning processes made it possible to derive 30 categories from them according to the grounded-theory paradigm model elements. Based on such categories derived, analysis could be made on their science-learning process flows by motivation types, according to the grounded-theory paradigm model. For example, the "accurators" were attending science lectures or reading science books to learn science knowledge and how to teach it, from a sense of obligation they took for granted as elementary school teachers. Although their experiences of science-learning processes could not be from pure intentions, due to the teacher certification examination, curriculum, or other environmental factors, they were found to have new perspectives on science with their individual efforts and participations.

• 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 Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.352-363
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of elementary pre-service teacher's science concept level on teaching difficulty, teaching satisfaction, and class evaluation. This study was conducted for 117 first grade students who are studying at P National University of Education. For this study, 117 students were divided into two groups according to the science concept level, and teaching difficulty, teaching satisfaction, and class evaluation score of the two groups were analyzed. The conclusion of this study is as follows. First, the elementary pre - service teacher group with a higher level of science concept showed significantly lower teaching difficulties than those with lower levels. This shows us that if primary pre-service teachers who have high science concept level, they can teach primary school science more effectively. Second, the elementary pre - service teacher group with high level of science concept got higher score on teaching satisfaction than the group with lower level of science concept, but it did not show statistically significant. Third, the elementary pre - service teachers with higher science concept level showed significantly higher scores on class evaluation than those with lower concept.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.75-89
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to get the more qualified elementary science teacher's guide as a major curriculum material for teachers and to find more improvement suggestions by analyzing of the teachers' perception and using status of it. To examine the problems of this study, 183 teachers from the elementary schools were surveyed by the questionnaire that was developed by researcher, and statistical technique for data analysis was frequency, using SPSS win(version 7.5). Teachers generally thought that the general remarks of the elementary science teacher's guide were helpful to understand elementary science education and the detailed subjects were useful, but teachers less satisfied about 'practice of teaching' of the detailed subjects. The most interested sector of the teachers' was the sector of the teaching methods. The results of this study were that the sector' the methods and evaluation of the elementary science education' of the general remarks and the sector' practice of teaching' of the detailed subjects were mostly interested. So it is necessary to be more detailedly guided when the development of the elementary science teacher's guide are considered.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.617-638
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• 2017

In order to make a connection in teaching similar concepts between mathematics and science in teaching similar concepts, this paper analyzed the contents related to capacity, volume, weight, and mass in the mathematics and science textbooks aligned with the national elementary curriculum. We first explored when to present such topics in both textbooks, and then analyzed in what ways the topics were addressed in terms of quantitative comparison, vocabulary, units of measurement, measurement, tools for measurement, estimation, and connections to real life. The results of this study showed that there were some aspects emphasized in common both in mathematics and science textbooks. The analysis of this study also demonstrated subtle but considerable differences according to the characteristics of two subject matters. Based on these results, this paper provides implications for elementary school teachers to consider in teaching capacity, volume, weight, and mass through mathematics and science lessons.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.942-957
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• 2011

The purpose of this research was to examine the concept of elementary school teachers of combustion. The participants were selected from the elementary school teachers who had various career experiences, 6th grade science teaching experiences, and academic backgrounds on science. For the purpose of this study, 12 elementary school teachers took the concept-test formed five questions on combustion and were interviewed. The concept-test was composed with 'The definition of combustion', 'The reason that the candle was blown out when glass was closed.', 'The existence of oxygen and carbon dioxide of before and after combustion in glass', 'Combustion of iron', 'Combustion products'. And the collected data by semi-structured interviews based on responses to the concept-test. During the analysis of the data, additional interviews by phone, e-mail and Internet messenger were conducted if necessary. The answers to each question were classified into three levels: (Scientific-concept(S), Partial-concept(P), Misconcept(M)). The research results showed that all teachers had misconceptions or partial-concept of more than 50 percent of each question. Teachers who had the 6th grade science teaching experience acquired scientific concepts of the combustion more than teachers who did not have the 6th grade science teaching experience. We should develop visualization materials about the change of gases during combustion and use these materials for implementation of the scientific concept.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.109-120
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• 2022

Fraction division is the content that is important but difficult to learn because it includes the process of finding a numerical expression in the real-world context, the process of making a context that matches a numerical expression, how to solve division, and the justification of standard algorithm. This study analyzes the word problems and problem solving methods about fraction division which elementary pre-service teachers represented. Pre-service teachers have more difficulty in making word problem where the dividend is less than the divisor and they also show typical errors in making the word problems. There were differences in the methods presented according to the contexts of division in problem solving. Through this study, it is necessary to rethink the teaching methods for fraction division instruction in the curriculum for pre-service teachers and analyze the formation process of 'knowledge for content and teaching' because of the differences in responses between grades.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2015

This study aims to find out the effect of pre-service elementary teachers' experiences of inquiry performance in the life on their images about a scientist and science teaching anxiety. Thus, this study selected 162 college juniors who completed 'Science Teaching Material Research & Teaching Methods' for one semester at a university of education. Groups of 3 to 4 pre-service teachers were made to select one of the 10 experimental topics and inquired it for themselves, and make a presentation about the results before the other pre-service teachers. The results of this study can be summarized as below. Firstly, as a result of investigating pre-service elementary teachers' opinions about the characteristics of scientists, it was found that they thought of scientists prudent, intellectually superior, creative, and hard-working, but did not consider them artistic or religious, no matter if they had inquiry performance experiences. Especially, to such characteristics as intellectually-superior, creative, open-minded, outgoing and responsible, they showed more positive responses after inquiry performances. Besides, in scientists' activity types shown in pre-service elementary teachers' drawing pictures of a scientist, 'Experimental Activity' increased most after their inquiry performances, and in the place of activity, 'Laboratory' was most since it was related to activity types. Secondly, as a result of examining per-service elementary teachers' science teaching anxiety before and after inquiry performances, it was found that they showed statistically significant differences in all the domains, scientific knowledge, inquiry class preparation and inquiry class management. This finding could be interpreted as their inquiry experiences had positive effect on their having confidence in teaching science.