• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.140-154
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• 2010

The core of subject matter education is determined by the choice of subject matter taught to students and by the organization of content according to educational objectives. The purpose of this research is to suggest ways to improve the present content of science education so as to prepare students and schools for a radically different future. We deduced the main issues the solution of which could lead to significant improvements in the contents of science education by analyzing previous studies and investigating the changes in content that were effected during curriculum revisions in the past. The main issues thus revealed through this study are as follows: the essence of the contents of subject matters in science education, the social and cultural background of change in the science curriculum, the rational steps on the way to choosing contents as part of the science curriculum, the processes of choosing the main contents of each subject, the international comparative study of contents, the updating of contents for the benefit of future society, and the reorganization of subject contents. In order to find a concrete improvement on the issues deduced, we organized an expert group. Then, we proceeded to collect and analyze the experts' opinions. A survey was administered to 19 science education experts working with universities and colleges of education. We examined their degree of agreement on the issues and problems, and on the steps that may be taken to us the improvements on these issues. we suggested that: collecting opinion and reaching an agreement on the essence of the contents of the subject matters in science education, the necessity to choose core contents within the scientific domain, developing a structure map in order to integrate and connect various subject domains, presenting explicitly the objective of inquiry by grades, moving toward integrating science contents, diversifying the construction of science textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.284-300
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• 2024

This study elucidates the achievement standards statements of the 2022 revised elementary school science curriculum to identify specific achievement standards for the upcoming curriculum. Therefore, the researcher analyzed the statements of the overall elementary school achievement standards based on Bloom's taxonomy of new educational objectives. The results are as follows. First, the achievement standards statements are biased toward certain knowledge and cognitive process dimensions; this aspect is not consistent with the goals of the 2022 revised curriculum and the teaching and learning directions of the science department. Thus, achievement standards that enable various types of activities and inquiry learning should be developed. Second, a need emerges for the hierarchization of knowledge and cognitive levels by grade level. The proportions of low levels of knowledge and cognitive process dimensions increased in the upper grades, such that a systematic hierarchy should be considered. Third, the need to diversify the use of the descriptors of achievement standards is also identified. Although the tendency to rely on specific descriptors decreased during the previous curriculum, approx imately half of the descriptors were only used once or twice. Therefore, balancing the use of various descriptors is necessary. To ensure that the results are reflected in the achievement standards for elementary school science textbooks under the revised science curriculum for elementary schools in 2022, a discussion is required on the design of achievement standards statements. As a follow-up study, the researcher proposes a comparative analysis of the achievement standards of science curricula for middle and high schools to explore the wording of achievement standards appropriate for elementary school science education considering its nature, goals, and contents and to analyze the hierarchy and continuity of the entire science curriculum.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.313-329
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to develop an integrated teaching model that integrates mathematics and ethics with social justice theme centric approach. To solve the research problems, the investigator conducted literature studies on the 2015 revised mathematics curriculum, 2015 revised mathematics 3rd to 6th grade textbooks, and the 2015 revised ethics curriculum.. Based on the results of analysis, the mathematics and ethics integrated model for social justice was devised by using the three axes of mathematics subject, ethics subject, and social justice. The integrated class of mathematics and ethics for social justice consists of the steps of problem recognition (ME 1), analysis (ME 2), discussion (ME 3), inquiry and practice (ME 4), and it can be implemented in a total of 27 ways. In order to confirm the effectiveness of the integrated model, two classes of sixth grade were selected as experimental and comparative classes. As a result of the study, the integrated class of mathematics and ethics can be used as a tool to improve the value perception of mathematics, However, it should be conducted with full consideration of students' mathematical tendencies in advance. Also, it can improve students' social consciousness. However, practice and experience-oriented classes are effective to overcome 'reserved agency' problem. Finally, it can improve students' perception of integrated classes and their creative thinking and critical thinking skills.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.477-485
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• 2015

In this study, we tried to find the effects of carrying out infographics instruction based on visual thinking with the infographics materials presented in physics textbooks targeting specialized vocational high school students. Thus, 60 students were divided into the experimental group and the control group, the experimental group had 25 classes composed of 'infographics concept formation, infographics understanding activity, and infographics configuration activity', on the other hand, the control group were instructed by lecture-type class. The results of this study are as follows: First, features of the infographics created by the students include changes in types of presentation from 'simple arrangement' to 'simple reconfiguration' and from 'illustration' to 'comparative analysis', which were made by the visual thinking of the students activated in accordance with the increase of their configuration times. Second, instruction by using infographics, visual thinking significantly improved in the level of understanding, visibility, usability, and communicability. Third, after instruction using infographics, the mean score of the experimental group's achievement significantly improved. Fourth, there was a significant improvement in the area of 'normality of scientist, attitude on scientific inquiry, and scientific attitude' in the test of attitudes toward science. From the analysis results, we could conclude that instruction using infographics enhance students' understanding of scientific concepts and communication capability by improving visual thinking abilities, which have a positive impact on academic achievement and attitudes toward science.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.193-214
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• 2017

It is a very important time to check how SW curriculum is actually organized and what is inadequate to practical requirements of SW manpower in the present situation where there is a difference of viewpoints between software field and SW curriculum of university. In overseas cases, efforts have already been made to cultivate SW manpower based on SW training centered on practical requirements. As a result, there is a positive response to the recruitment of actual related companies. In Korea, these attempts have been attempted under government initiative. In particular, based on the SW-centered university project, it has given the role of a leading university in related fields. However, with regard to the labor supply problem in the SW sector, the requirements of the business enterprises still differ from the educational curriculum. In this study, we tried to diagnose the method that can reduce the difference between the composition and the practice of the contents according to the existing limit that the environment factor of the viewpoint of the working companies about the curriculum composition is not clearly reflected. As a result, the topic modeling based on the university's curriculum and lecture plan data is used to derive keywords for curriculum and lecture plan. Through the data analysis, this study confirmed that the practice rate of related university departments utilized in data analysis is relatively low. In addition, we found that it is important to establish a systematic curriculum and to build a lecture plan to cultivate practical skills, as the number of overlapping textbooks and the number of keyword overlapping are found.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.501-520
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• 2019

This study compared and analyzed Korean, American, Singaporean, and Japanese middle school mathematics curriculum standards and the learning contents in statistics. Through a comparative analysis of the curriculums of these four countries, I found several overall features and differences between the curriculums. First, all four countries emphasized statistical education in a real-life context. Second, all four countries emphasized the use of technological tools. Third, there is a middle school grade in which only Korea does not deal with statistical domains. Fourth, the statistical areas of the United States, Singapore, and Japan focused on identifying trends or variability in data distribution. Fifth, I have found some contents that only Korea does not deal with. Based on this, the following recommendations were developed for the development of the next curriculum and new textbooks in Korea. First, the statistics curriculum should be changed from one that focuses on understanding statistical concepts to one that focuses on statistical activity that utilizes these concepts. Second, in terms of middle school statistical curriculum contents, the addition of interquartile range (IQR) and box plots as learning contents should be considered. IQR and box plots are simple and practical techniques for the comparison of multiple sets of data that can be easily learned and drawn by middle school level students and applied to real-life-related statistical data to expand statistical literacy. Through this study, it is suggested that IQR and box plots need to be included in the statistical curriculum of middle schools in Korea.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.157-170
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• 2017

Mathematics was the main domain of PISA 2012, and both paper-based and computer-based assessment of mathematics (CBAM) were conducted. PISA 2012 was the first large-scale computer-based mathematics assessment in Korea, and it is meaningful in that it evaluated students' mathematical literacy in problem situations using dynamic geometry, graph, and spreadsheet. Although Korea ranked third in CBAM, the use of ICT in mathematics lessons appeared to be low. On the other hand, this study focused on Singapore, which ranked first in CBAM. The Singapore Ministry of Education developed online programs such as AlgeTools and AlgeDisc, and implemented the programs in classes by specifying them in mathematics curriculum and textbooks. Thus, this study investigated influential factors on computer-based assessment of mathematics by comparing the results of Korea and Singapore, and aimed to provide meaningful evidence on the direction of Korea's ICT-based mathematics education. The results showed that ICT use at home for school related tasks, attitudes towards computers as a tool for school learning, and openness and perseverance of problem solving were positively associated with computer-based mathematics performance, whereas the use of ICT in mathematics class by teacher demonstration was negatively related. Efforts are needed to improve computer use and enhance teaching techniques related to ICT use in Korean math classes. Future research is recommended to examine how effectively teachers use ICT in mathematics class in Singapore.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.163-174
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• 2008

In this study, we compared textbook knowledge organization with students' mental models to contribute to a more well-designed instruction scheme. The selected science content was the cause of moon phases. We investigated 9 textbooks and 25 third-year middle school students. Patterns and features in participants' mental models were identified through cross inter-rater data analysis by 9 researchers, including in service teachers and experts in science education. According to the results, observing and modeling are the main activities engaged in when dealing with moon phases. The activities consisted of such concepts as: lunar revolution, the sun's parallel rays, the illuminated half of moon, and the relative positions of the sun, moon, and earth. Each concept involved inquiry skills such as: creating and manipulating models, utilizing the relationship between time and space, and communicating. However, the most important skills which are required for authentic scientific inquiry, namely controlling variables and formulating hypotheses, were missing. We categorized students' mental models into three types: scientific models, mixed models, and alternative models. The knowledge structure of each of the models was also discussed in this paper. Consequently, it was found that, typically, students were not given enough opportunities to strengthen the connection among ideas.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 1985

In this study, I compared and analyzed the new and old secondary school science textbooks to find the charateristics of them and the differences between them. The results of the study are the following. Major concepts in the new textbook are almost similar to those in the old one. The-new textbook reinforces the functions of the introudction and checking the result of learning, and presents more and diverse learning materials and reduces the degree of learning difficulty by omitting the several abstract knowledges and mathematical formulas which can be understood through formal operational thinking. The results show that the new textbook is more effective in arousing student's interest and curiosity there fore it increases the efficiency of learning. But the new textbook is less suitable for inquiry because it is mainly composed of explanation and fact rather than experiment and observation. I think that this is the result from the actual approach to the real conditions of school when the curriculum was reformed and the new textbook was written.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.283-294
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• 2022

Although the concept of light is important in the elementary school curriculum, substantial research suggests that students and teachers have difficulties in understanding it. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the reasons for these difficulties-whether it is due to the content or due to the presentation method of contents, structure, and expression. The national curriculum and textbooks of Korea, the US, China, and Japan were comparatively analyzed from the following perspectives: 1) key concepts of light, 2) structure of light units in the textbook, 3) materials, light sources, and optics used in light units. Consequently, there were differences between countries in their inclusion of the concept of light in the curriculum. In particular, the Korean curriculum studies the concept of refraction by a convex lens, whereas the concept of light, light source, and vision is not introduced. Furthermore, countries also differed in their structuring of units. The Korean curriculum was presented segmentally by concept rather than structured according to core ideas or perspectives, and the connection between concepts was unclear. In addition, there were differences between the countries in materials, light sources, and optical instruments to explain key concepts. On using light, the US curriculum provides a purpose and uses light to achieve it, and China and Korea understand the concept. It was divided into the method of using the material to deepen. Based on the results of this analysis, the implications for the elementary science curriculum in Korea were derived as follows. First, it is necessary to introduce concepts sequentially and organize them so that the connection between concepts is well expressed. Second, it is necessary to introduce light and light sources as the predominant concepts. Third, it is necessary to include the principle of seeing objects. Fourth, it is necessary to adjust the material and content level of the refraction concept included in the light and lens unit. Fifth, an integrated approach is required because light has a deep connection with various concepts included in the elementary science curriculum.