• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.30-45
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• 2012

Educational communities around the world have concentrated on integrative efforts among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: STEM) subjects. Korea has focused on integrative education among STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school subjects to raise talented human resources in the fields of science and technology. The purpose of this study was to analyze secondary school science, technology, and mathematics teacher's perceptions and needs toward integrated education and integrative STEM education. A total of 251 secondary school teachers from all areas of the country who have taught science, mathematics, and technology were surveyed by using a self-reported instrument. The findings were as follows: First, teachers have used little integrated education in their classes due to insufficient time in the actual preparation of the integrated education and the lack of expertise, teaching experience, and teaching-learning materials for the integrated education, while they have positive thoughts about the need of integrated education. Second, they presented several needs to facilitate the integrated education: development of a variety of integrated programs, school administrative and financial support, and in-service teachers' training. Third, overall perception toward integrated STEM education was not sufficient, but most teachers perceived the need toward integrated STEM education due to students' development in their creativity, thinking skills, and adaptability. Fourth, they perceived that it was imperative to develop the various integrated STEM education programs, distribute the materials, and help STEM teachers' understanding toward integrated STEM education. Fifth, they perceived that the most relevant method to integrate STEM subjects was the problem solving approach. In addition, they appreciate that the integrated STEM education is highly efficient in not only developing integrated problem solving skills and STEM related literacy, but also in positively impacting the rise of talented human resources in the fields of science and technology. In order to increase the awareness of STEM-related secondary school teachers and vitalize the integrated STEM education, it is necessary to develop and spread a variety of programs, effective teaching and learning materials, and teachers' training programs.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.63-78
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• 2014

Integrative STEM education is an engineering design-based learning approach that purposefully integrates the content and process of STEM disciplines and can extend its concept to integration with other school subjects. This study was part of fundamental research to develop an integrative STEM education program based on the science inquiry process. The specific objectives of this study were to review relevant literature related to STEM education, analyze the key elements and value of STEM education, develop an integrative STEM education model based on the science inquiry process, and suggest an exemplary program. This study conducted a systematic literature review to confirm key elements for integrative STEM education and finally constructed the integrative STEM education model through analyzing key inquiry processes extracted from prior studies. This model turned out to be valid because the average CVR value obtained from expert group was 0.78. The integrative STEM education model based on the science inquiry process consisted of two perspectives of the content and inquiry process. The content can contain science, technology, engineering, and liberal arts/artistic topics that students can learn in a real world context/problem. Also, the inquiry process is a problem-solving process that contains design and construction and is based on the science inquiry. It could integrate the technological/engineering problem solving process and/or mathematical problem solving process. Students can improve their interest in STEM subjects by analyzing real world problems, designing possible solutions, and implementing the best design as well as acquire knowledge, inquiry methods, and skills systematically. In addition, the developed programs could be utilized in schools to enhance students' understanding of STEM disciplines and interest in mathematics and science. The programs could be used as a basis for fostering convergence literacy and cultivating integrated and design-based problem-solving ability.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2011

The purpose of the research is examine the effect of STEM integration education using educatinal robot on academic achievement and subject Attitude of mathematics and science. The participants were 73 students of two classes, sampled from 6th graders of an elementary school. They were divided into a control group who learned a traditional mathematics and sciences education based textbooks and an experimental group who learned STEM integration education using educational robot during 12 sessions. The results are summarized as follows : First, there is a significant difference in academic achievement between two groups. STEM integration education using educational robot based group accomplished higher achievement than textbook based instruction group. Especially, post test analyzes results on the three factors of academic achievement, knowledge, understanding and adaptation, indicate statistically meaningful difference between two groups in understanding and adaptation area except knowledge area. Second, it shows that it greatly affected a positive influence on experimental group's attitude toward subjects in affective area. So we can expect STEM integration education using educational robot to be an alternative for stimulating children's higher learning interest on mathematics and science subject.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.207-219
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• 2009

This study aims to investigate the key common topics identified and discussed in relevant literature associated with the integrative efforts among STEM disciplines. The key methodology and pedagogy were examined and the significant benefits of using the design method for STEM education were discussed. Meta-analysis was employed and qualitative approach was mainly used to synthesize the major findings and conclusions of the 33 empirical studies. The findings of this meta-analysis revealed that the types and names describing the design methods used the various terms, but the key features have reflected the similar pedagogical benefits and key characteristics. The engineering design is an effective strategic methodology and pedagogy for STEM education. In addition, the design methods show the key benefits including (1) to improve academic achievement, (2) to promote students' affective gains, (3) to facilitate collaborative learning, and (4) to explore STEM related careers and jobs. The collaborative works among STEM professions are needed to promote the benefits of using design methods for integrating STEM subjects.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to identify the main issues of international STEM education by synthesizing the findings in the field of global STEM education. The data in this study are the results of meta-analysis or systematic literature studies that reflect key issues of STEM education through the review of selection criteria and groups of experts. The following issues of STEM education were selected by conducting a qualitative meta-analysis of a total of 23 studies. First, STEM education is a global educational trend and has been studied in many countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, and Turkey. Second, STEM education contributes positively to the improvement of students' cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and career domains. Third, STEM education has been studied with the use of various instructional tools and technologies. Furthermore, the growth of teachers' expertise in STEM education is one of the main factors for the implementation of successful STEM education. In addition, issues such as diversity, equity, and valid and reliable research design were discussed for the successful practice of STEM education. This study provides implications for the direction of convergence education and practical strategies in South Korea and gives suggestions for future research.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.81-89
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• 2010

The purpose of this research is to verify the influence of STEM integrate education using educational robots on improvement of the level of attitude towards Mathematics. The following hypothesis was formulated in order to achieve this purpose: There will be a meaningful difference in the level of attitude towards Mathematics between elementary school students educated by STEM integrated education with robots and by the traditional method of teaching Mathematics. To prove this hypothesis, 56 of first grade students were tested under the nonequivalent control group in the pretest-posttest designs. As a result of the study, it is showed that STEM integrated education has a positive effect on promoting the level of elementary school students' attitude towards Mathematics. Therefore, we need the instructional activities which can combine the knowledge gained from a variety of curriculum with activities by using educational robots.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.719-730
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate how engineering design-based STEM research experience affects gifted students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity and attitude toward engineering. The students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity and attitude toward engineering were measured before and after the STEM research experience. The pre-/post-tests results were analyzed by paired t-test with the significance level of p <.05. The conclusions of the study are as follows: First, the engineering design based STEM research experience had a positive effect on the students' creative engineering problem-solving propensity. Over all, the average score of the creative engineering problem-solving propensity increased significantly (p <.05) after the STEM research experience. Second, the average score of gifted-students' attitude toward engineering had increased significantly after the integrated STEM research activities (p <.05). In addition, we analyzed the difference between pre-post results of both instruments based on the gifted students' desired career paths (natural science and engineering) and gender. The result shows that the students' career paths or gender did not affect the results in most of the sub-categories in both instruments. However, the STEM research experience had more positive effect on the female students than male students in term of their 'engineering design ability', which is one of the sub-categories of the creative engineering problem-solving propensity instrument.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.709-723
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• 2015

Since 2011, after beginning of the systematic study on STEAM education, South Korea has developed a number of related programs. At this point we see that this is the time to clarify the challenges. The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of their education through the review of many domestic and foreign papers in order to propose the challenges of STEAM education of Korea. The results are as follows. First, the course of integration cannot be separated by the difference in superiority but should be separated in accordance with the purpose of integration. Second, curriculum integration such as STEAM education is characterized by the emphasis on horizontal linking than vertical depth fusion. Accordingly, the content knowledge and vertical linkages are inevitably weakened. In order to overcome this problem, the key concepts and features that were emphasized in the previous curriculum need to also be emphasized in STEAM training, and the comparative study on the core concept and function of each subjects should be preceded. Third, after looking upon the current situation of our country's fusion research and talent training, the limits and the challenges that need to be overcome has been suggested. Fourth, with the basis on research results, we offered an example of the approach on STEAM education which is applicable to the current situation and proposed the challenges and implications that need to be addressed in the STEAM education of Korea in educational contexts such as curriculum, teaching and learning, and evaluation.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply activity-centered STEM education program of electricity and electronics technology are in middle schools. The program was developed on the emphasis of problem solving in real world in relation to knowledge, attitude, and skill of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Basically the activity-centered STEM education program was developed through three steps of preparation, development and improvement. In the preparation stage the fellowing was included: (1) need analysis of student, educator, society (2) selection of integration type (3) analyzing subject matter of electricity, electronics area (4) establishing criteria for selecting activity tasks. In the development stage the fellowing was conducted: (1) selection of activity tasks (2) setting up educational goals (3) analyzing activity and clarifing the detailed activity (4) selecting program content, (5) organization of instructional content (6) statement of instructional objectives (7) structuring STEM education program In the improvement stage the fellowing was consisted of: (1) verification of validity by experts (2) execution of pilot test and field test by students and correction of program. The results of the applied the Activity-Based STEM Education Program to 'Afterschool' activities of S middle school were as follow: First, student' satisfaction level was high. Second, student' achievement in the cognitive domain, and affective domain was positive change. Third, student' problem solving ability was positive effect.

• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.12
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• pp.1356-1363
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate science high-school students' creativity and scientific attitude when an integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project themed 'lighting of quantum dot solution' was applied to them. The subjects were a one team composed of 3 students in the 11th grade desiring to participate in the Korea Science Exhibition. They began with a scientific inquiry related to the physical properties of the QD solution and then gradually showed the process of expansion of their ideas into the integration of engineering, technology, and mathematics. Also, during the process, they showed problem solving ability and scientific attitudes, such as cooperation, endurance, and satisfaction of accomplishment.