• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.645-653
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the cognitive levels of 11th grade students and those required in high school chemistry I textbooks standardized by the 7th national education curriculum. For this study, the cognitive development stages of 456 11th grade students were surveyed using short-version GALT (group assessment of logical thinking). Furthermore, 15 basic concepts were extracted from the contents on water and air, 2 units in chemistry I order to analyze the cognitive levels necessary for understanding high school textbooks, using CAT (curriculum analysis taxonomy). The results showed that 52.5% of the surveyed 11th grade students reached the formal operational level, 28.3% transitional levels, and 19.5% concrete operational levels. 68.9% of the academic high school students and 6.6% of the technical high school students reached the formal operational levels, and the ratio of formation was very different in each logics. As a result of the analyzing the cognitive levels needed for understanding chemistry I textbook contents, in spite of a change in national education curriculum, there were no great change in cognitive levels required by scientific concept except some inquiry activities. The cognitive levels in high school chemistry I textbooks by the 7th national education curriculum appeared higher than the cognitive levels of 11th grade student, but cognitive levels of inquiry activities were similar to the cognitive levels of the students. Chemistry teachers thought of chemistry I textbooks by the 7th national education curriculum as desirable because scientific concepts were reduced and a lot of real life materials were adapted. However, they pointed out a problem of difference in contents levels compared with chemistry I textbooks because scientific concepts were greatly reduced in chemistry I textbooks. The cognitive levels required in chemistry I textbooks still appeared higher than those of the students. Consequently, various teaching and learning methods and materials will have to be developed to be suitable for the students' cognitive levels.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of conceptions of mixing phenomena related to dissolution and diffusion in high school students. The subjects of the investigation consisted of 108 students who took chemistry I course at 11th grade and 29 students who took chemistry II course at 12th grade. For this study, it was found that the many students had the alternative conception that chalk didn't dissolve in water because chalk was a nonpolar material. Most of the students understood the phenomena which carbon tetrachloride and water will not mix as the attraction conception. But many of the other students understood the phenomenon as characteristic of the materials such as difference of density. Many of the students understood the phenomenon of mixing ethanol and water constantly as ‘Attraction conception'. The phenomenon which is mixed ink and water was just accepted by the most students as the spreading of ink in water without understanding the reason of mixing. The phenomena of mixing iodine and carbon tetrachloride was understood as ‘Space conception' or ‘Attraction conception'. It could be inferred that the diverse alternative conceptions related to dissolution and diffusion phenomena were generated by the absence of entropy concept. Therefore, the explanations of science textbooks related to dissolution and diffusion phenomena need to change for students to understand them correctly.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.52-76
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• 2000

Following the previous study focused on the period until the middle of the 20th century, this study tried to show how STS-related ideas have been developed historically in British science education, particularly focused on the period of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Like the USA, the UK witnessed the development of numerous academically-oriented programs, such as Nuffield projects, during the 1950-60s. However, during the 1970s, there had been growing criticism against the discipline-centered science education and some new noticeable approaches had been made to compensate the contemporary trend. For example, although its main focus was on the integrated approach in school science, the SCISP was quite successful to illustrate the importance of the relationship between science and society. Following this example, Science in Society and SISCON-in-Schools were more ambitious in developing genuine STS programs. These two projects were developed simultaneously and took the form of modules, rather than of textbooks. Nevertheless, Science in Society was more concerned with the applied and industrial aspects of science while SISCON-in-Schools was more inclined to the historical, philosophical and social aspects of science. During the 1980s, far more ambitious attempts had been made to develop full-scale STS programs, i.e. Salters' Chemistry/Science and SATIS. These two programs have been developed with the active corporation from the ASE and soon became the typical examples of the STS approach across the world. Besides the similarities between them, Salters' approach is more application-oriented, subject-oriented, and textbook-like while SATIS is more socially-oriented, issue-oriented and module-style. In summary, the history of STS approach in school science shows that the STS programs were developed under the different social backgrounds and initiated by different groups of the people who have different views towards the purposes of school science and that the STS approach is certainly not the exclusive characteristic of the last period of the 20th century. Finally, the features of the major STS programs developed in Britain during the 20th century are summarized and compared in relation to the Ziman's criteria of the possible approaches in STS education. And some general conclusion are drown based on the study of the history of the STS approaches in Britain.