• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.365-380
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• 2021

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of scientific observation and reasoning of gifted middle-school students in rock identification. Five rock samples that are considered important as per science textbooks, including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, were provided to 19 first-year middle-school students attending a gifted education center. Students were asked to infer the formation process, type, and name of each rock. The results showed that the characteristics of rocks that students primarily paid attention to included color, texture, and structure. Students immediately succeeded in identifying common rocks based on memory; however, meaningful inferences were not made. In case of rocks that students faced difficulty discriminating, significant reasoning processes were revealed through discourse. In addition, although scientific reasoning was properly constructed based on meaningful observations, there were cases wherein rock identification failed. These results will contribute to determining the current level of understanding of middle-school students in rock identification activities and finding ways to provide students with meaningful scientific observation and inference experiences through rock identification in the school field.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1245-1255
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable evaluating instrument for elementary school fifth and sixth graders. The instrument is developed through R&D procedure, which includes two checks of science specialist and two field trials of the instrument. Evaluating items are content-free for each science inquiry skill. Each science inquiry element is based on SAPA and the 7th curriculum. This study has selected 10 science inquiry skills(observing, classifying, measuring, predicting, inferring, recognizing of a problem, controlling variables, interpreting data, drawing a conclusion, designing an experiment), formulated a clear definition of the elements of science inquiry skills, and established the objectives of evaluation. The content areas are divided into three categories, material and energy, life and environment, and the earth and circulation. Each category contains 10 items. So the instrument consists of 30 items. The content validity of items, objectivity of the scoring keys, and clarity of the items has been checked twice by specialists in science education. At the same time, two field trials were performed to produce the reliability of the instruments, discrimination index, and item difficulty index. The instrument has the content validity is 91.6%, reliability 0.79, objectivity 93.3%, discrimination index 0.30, and item difficulty index 66.1%.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.931-938
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• 2015

In the study, epistemological beliefs, metacognition, and scientific inquiry skills all directly affected the science academic achievement levels of high school students. Also, epistemological beliefs indirectly affected science academic achievement mediated by scientific inquiry skills and metacognition, while metacognition had an indirect effect on science academic achievement level mediated by scientific inquiry skills. We found that scientific inquiry skills had the biggest direct effect, while epistemological beliefs showed the most robust indirect effect on academic achievement level. Thus, we argue that students' scientific inquiry skills should be nurtured for the advancement of their academic achievement. In addition, more careful scholarly attention must be given to both epistemological beliefs and metacognition, which directly and indirectly affected academic achievement level. We believe that epistemological beliefs, metacognition, and scientific inquiry skills should all be considered in an integrative manner when developing educational programs and strategies.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.267-275
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to estimate the ability of inquiry performance for students gifted in science in elementary school. 56 sixth graders were included in this study. Initially, a question 'How does the dust effect on human health?' was posed to students. Then, an assessment framework for analysis of the inquiry report was developed. It is composed of 5 domains: data collection, prediction, the inquiry process, results, conclusion and presentation. The findings reveal that the students achieved high scores in the domain of 'data collection' and followed by prediction, inquiry process, results, conclusion and presentation. The results of our study are as follows : first, in spite of high scores obtained in basic inquiries such as data collection, students needed to improve their skills in prediction, the inquiry process, results, conclusion and presentation. Second, the reason why students were outstanding in data collection is that they have improved their ability to handle data in a know-ledge-based information society. Third, even though students were good at citing and applying some information, they didn't fully understand the meaning of data and exhibited weaknesses in arguing their own opinions.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.297-310
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• 2021

This study explores the characteristics of within-school and across-school science teacher professional learning communities (hereafter, PLC) qualitatively. In-depth focus group interviews were conducted with science teachers belonging to seven PLCs within the science core school and three PLCs across schools. Interview questions include identity and motivation, major activities, and outcomes of PLC, as well as shortcomings and support plans for PLC. The results include both within-school and across-school science teacher PLCs formed for professional development related to science teaching and learning. Both science PLCs participated in the study showed the characteristics of a 'practice community' that developed a cooperative relationship through reciprocal participation, focusing on shared issues among members. Regarding issues, within-school PLCs focused on microscopic problems such as curriculum reconstruction of subject-matter, while across-school PLCs focused on macro problems such as teacher professional development. Regarding activities and roles as PLC, within-school and across-school science PLCs shared such features as collaborative professional development, and interpersonal education such as mentoring for novice teachers. In terms of PLC's influence and outcomes, science teacher PLCs has a positive effect not only on the teachers themselves, but also on the students and the teacher culture in the school. In addition, science teacher PLCs need improvement of the physical conditions for community operation, and software support such as protocol provision for PLC operation and joint research or re-education with universities. In particular, joint research between universities and science teacher PLCs shows the future orientation of the PLC as an 'inquiry community'. Based on the results, the necessity of active support for science PLC, the necessity of developing a cooperative system between science teacher PLC and universities, and ways to spread the PLC of science core schools to that of general schools were proposed.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.697-709
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• 2015

This paper aims at shaping remote observatory system environment for schools, developing astronomical observation program using that system and applying it to science-gifted elementary students in order to figure out effects on their scientific investigation ability and attitude. in order to figure out effects of astronomical observation program using remote observatory program on scientific investigation ability and attitude of science-gifted elementary students, test was conducted on gifted students class of 5th grade in A Elementary School(15) and those of 5th grade in B Elementary School(20). The summary of this paper's results are as follows. First, in order to compose remote observatory system, an astronomical telescope available for remote control to transfer actual observed images in real-time was manufactured. Second, learning program for using remote observatory system wad developed by selecting contents through analysis of the curriculum. Third, in order to figure out effects of astronomical observation program using remote observatory program on scientific investigation ability and attitude of science-gifted elementary students. As a result, both of basic investigation ability and integrated investigation abilit, sub-elements of scientific investigation ability, showed significant differences and scientific investigation ability combining basic and integrated investigation abilities showed significant differences as well. Effects of astronomical observation program applying remote observatory also showed significant differences and its sub-elements, openness, collaboration, patience and creativeness did not show significant differences while curiosity, critics and volunteering showed significant differences.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.132-143
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of inquiry activities proposed in high school physics textbooks that were developed based on the 2009 science curriculum in Korea. The inquiry activities were analyzed using the notion of scientific practices introduced in the Science Education Framework (NRC, 2012). The results showed that the inquiry activities in the textbooks emphasized two of eight types of scientific practices including "Analyzing and interpreting data" and "Constructing explanations". In contrast, the activities required students to "ask questions" only once in a total of 291 science inquiry activities. The other types of scientific practices appeared less than 10%. Also found was that the types of scientific practices were not relevant to the way inquiry activities were used for textbook content. Implications for the curriculum and science teacher education were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-184
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• 1999

The longitudinal trend of elementary and secondary students' science process skills were investigated to monitor the progress of science learning. Science process skill test, developedin an earlier study on developing a national science process skills assessment system,was revised and administered for the study on March, 1999. Subjects were sampled nation wide according to sex and region. The results of this assessments were compared to those administered on February, 1997. The results showed little difference on science process skills among elementary school students. However, secondary students showed marked increase in science process skills. More systematic and long-term research for assessing science process skills should be planned and performed periodically to provide empirical and foundational data for educational policy making.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.848-860
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• 2009

This study examined the characteristics of scientists' writing on the laboratory reports written in the authentic open inquiry, and explored the possibility that the class discussion after the inquiries could influence the laboratory report writing. The samples were 131 10th graders in a science high school in Seoul. The control group (n=45) practiced traditional school science inquiries, the experimental group 1 (n=43) practiced the authentic open inquiries, and the experimental group 2 (n=43) practiced the authentic open inquiries and the class discussion after the laboratory activities. Their laboratory reports were analyzed into three parts - prediction (prediction with background and apposite description), data analysis (data transformation and critical analysis), and conclusion (objective description based on evidence). The frequency of the characteristics of scientist's writing in the experimental group was higher than the control group. Particularly, the differences of the prediction with background (p<.01) and the critical analysis of data (p<.05) were statistically significant. However, the frequency of writing the conclusion based on evidence was very low in all of the three groups. The result from comparing descriptions of reports showed that the writing prediction in experimental groups were more elaborate, and the data transformation in experimental groups were more correct, and the evaluation to data in experimental groups were more critical than the control group. And the descriptions of the critical evaluation to data and the finding flaw in methods were found in experimental groups 2, indicating that the class discussion can stimulate students' scientific thinking.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.258-267
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the practical use of process skill under the seventh curriculum at secondary school and teachers' perceptions about hypothesis. Two hundred and twenty-two secondary science teachers responded to a survey. Among all process skills, data interpretation was found to be used most frequently by science teachers. The second most-commonly utilized skill was conclusion, and the least employed skill was hypothesis formation followed closely by data transformation. In addition to these results, the most difficult process skill practised by science teachers was hypothesis formation, followed by data transformation, and controling variables. A majority of science teachers (63.1%) properly defined hypothesis, but only a significant number (5.0%) chose the correct example about hypothesis in real-world contexts. More than ninety percent of science teachers believed the skill of hypothesis formation could be put to use in junior high to senior high school, but practical use of the skill, was too difficult for the science class