• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.356-370
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• 2008

The study aims to explore sequence of earth science content in elementary school science curriculum in Korea and the U.S.. The analysis is focused on a) general content structure of earth science part; b) concept relationship between grades in the specific field of 'geology'; c) longitudinal connection of concepts and content in 'geology.' The findings are as follows. First, earth science curriculum content in Korea is structured according to sub-scientific disciplines centering on not science concepts but topics or inquiry activities whereas the U.S. curricular content is organized through integrative earth science topics with basic concepts and sub-concepts. Second, it is a common feature that basic concepts are interrelated to sub-concepts in all grades in both countries. However, basic concepts are scattered all over the grades, presented in a linear pattern in Korea while those are provided together in 3rd grade and repeated with extended concepts in a spiral structure in the U.S.. Last, it is not clear how concepts and content are longitudinally connected between grades in Korean curriculum. On the contrary, concepts and content in the U.S. curriculum have a strong longitudinal connection between grades with conceptual hierarchy. Such results indicate that Korean elementary school science curriculum would limit students' comprehensive understanding of science concepts through grades. The study suggests Korean science content should strengthen interrelationship among concepts as well as longitudinal connection between grades, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of science education, 'scientific literacy'.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.295-306
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• 2022

This study aims to analyze the aspect of inquiry activity for seven national science textbooks, which were recently authorized and developed for elementary schools. The study reviewed seven of the abovementioned textbooks, which were introduced to the authorized textbook system for 2022 in elementary schools. In-depth analysis was conducted on inquiry activities, which were frequently emphasized since the third curriculum. A chapter entitled "Stratum and Fossils" was selected to analyze the detailed types of inquiry activity using the framework. First, analysis was conducted on six types of inquiry activity. The result indicated that two out of seven inquiry activities different among the national and authorized textbooks. In other words, the two slightly differed from the inquiry activities presented in national textbooks. It was not reasonable that the introduction of the authorized textbook exerted an effect on the increase of autonomy and variety of teaching and learning activities compared with those of national textbooks. Second, science process skills, material, and inquiry process were established as standards for the detailed types of inquiry activity. The study demonstrated a slight difference among textbooks in terms of material and inquiry process, whereas the inquiry activities of the seven authorized textbooks were the same or similar. This finding indicated that students could experience seven types of inquiry activities. Moreover, the study examined inquiry activities related to essential learning contents in detail and found that there were more diverse than types of inquiry activities.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.125-145
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• 2023

This study investigates the integration of astronomy-related topics in the Korean national science curricula spanning from 1945 to 2023. We analyze the placement and extent of astronomy content across different school levels. Astronomy contents in the science curricula have changed in response to social needs (e.g., practical knowledge required for agriculture and fishery) and advancement in astronomical research (e.g., the discovery of exoplanets and the suggestion of new cosmological parameters). Contents addressing the motions of celestial objects and stellar physical properties have remained relatively consistent. In the latest 2022 revised national curriculum, scheduled for implementation in 2024, several elements, such as coordinate systems, have been removed, while the inquiry activities using digital tools are emphasized. The incorporation of the cosmic perspectives in the national curriculum, as well as astronomy education within the context of education for sustainable development, remains limited even in the most recent curriculum. For future life revisions, the active participation of researchers is needed to reflect the latest astronomical research progress and scientific characteristics in the field of astronomy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.292-308
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of climate change education program focused on the keeling curve activities highlighting inquiry process on elementary students' climate literacy. Most of the students have not been able to correctly understand just how serious phenomenon that the temperature rise of the last 100 years is. As a result, there is educational limitations in order to bring about a substantial change in the attitudes toward climate change. So the development program was applied to various questions and explored strategies in order to compare with past climate change data. The results described that 46 students in the experimental group had statistically significant effects on cognitive domain, critical thinking of affective domain and practical domain. In addition, as a result of the analysis of teachers' instructional perspectives and students interview, they supported the researcher's opinion that the developed program could help students improve the climate literacy.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.637-646
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Microcomputer Based Laboratory (MBL) on the middle school students' graphing skill and science process skill in Earth Science classes. MBL teaching materials for inquiry-based instructions were developed to teach five experimental topics related to the middle school 'Earth Science.' Thirty three middles school students participated in this study, and the pre- and post-tests were conducted. Results indicated as follow: First, MBL classes were effective in developing the graphing skill of middle school students. They were efficient both in graph construction and graph interpretation, especially in data transformation. Second, MBL classes were effective in helping participants to use science process skills, especially, in the subordinate areas including formulating hypotheses, making operational definition, graphing, and interpreting data.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.273-284
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• 2022

This study was conducted to examine the practical and educational implications of teachers' operation of the curriculum through science and online classes based on data collected for 4 months from 4 teachers who had experience in science subject online classes among homeroom teachers in the 3rd to 6th grades of elementary school in D city. This study was conducted through narrative inquiry. As a result of conducting interviews and in-depth interviews based on the online class experiences of the Earth Science Unit of the study subjects, and conducting field classes with related documents such as online class-related materials and teacher journals, teachers were more likely to take online classes compared to traditional face-to-face classes. They spent more time preparing and showed difficulties in the process of adapting to the new medium used in online classes. In addition, they demanded the provision of scientific materials produced in a pandemic situation and a teaching platform for smooth class operation. In particular, in the case of experimental classes, there is a burden of completing the planned curriculum, and in a pandemic situation, students felt the need for individual experimental tools for intensive science classes. As a result, it is necessary to introduce a blended learning learning system that combines the advantages of face-to-face and online classes as a new class form for the transition to future education in preparation for the pandemic. Continuous teacher research on the format and online class experience is required.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.459-469
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the difference in the affective characteristics between science-gifted students and general students through the positive experiences about science (PES) index. We also explored ways to apply the characteristics of gifted classes suggeseted by the teachers of this study, which had a positive effect on science-gifted students, to general science classes. For this study, a PES survey was carried on middle school science-gifted students enrolled in the gifted education center in the central region and general middle school students in the same area who had no experience in gifted education. Based on the survey result, we conducted in-depth interviews with teachers, having teaching experience with both science-gifted and general students. The results revealed that science-gifted students showed a significantly higher PES index than general students in all five areas of PES. The area with the largest difference between the two groups was science-related self-concept and the smallest was science academic emotion. Teachers suggested ways to apply the characteristics of science-gifted classes to general science classes, such as organizing general science classes around inquiry activities, supporting class materials such as MBL or tablets, reconstructing the classes using materials reflecting students' needs, and changing the textbook content and narrative style, to induce students' interest and curiosity. Based on the study results, ways to enhance the PES through science classes for general students were proposed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

20 preservice teachers at college level participated in this study and interacted with students at elementary and middle school levels during science camp offered by science center in Taiwan. Preservice teachers displayed moderate (above the average, 4 point out of 5) understandings about scientific literacy and scientific views in all aspects of the nature of science before the camp. Then, the researchers designed science camp programs which were expected to promote students' scientific literacy; scientific knowledge, inquiry skills for experimentation as well as for argumentation, affective domain such as the attitude toward science and the understandings about nature of science and the relationship among STS (Science-Technology-Society), all of which were embedded in the programs. Preservice teachers seemed to perceive scientific literacy pretty well (over 4 point) before the camp, however, preservice teachers' understandings about scientific literacy were not much scored (around 3 point, but still moderate scores of average) as expected after concrete inquiry activities. The reasons why this happened could be that preservice teachers were not trained to employ theory into the context to be more practical or the researchers did not develop camp program which included the aspect of scientific literacy successfully. The discussion and implication were made in teacher education in that preservice teachers must be prepared how to bridge theory into practice, and informal science education in that educators at science centers must be trained to be experts in providing the envisioned educational programs to meet the goal of science education, scientific literacy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.276-285
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pattern and characteristics of elementary school teaching and learning processes in science based classes. The study participants' class was recorded in video and instructional conversation transcription. The pattern of the observed class was analyzed using the classification frame suggested by Mogan &Saxton(2006). In result, the questioning for elicit information was most frequent and questioning for shape understanding and the questioning for press for reflection in its priority. In result, the presence of elicited questioning for the attainment of knowledge and understanding is more prominent in science-based classrooms. It was revealed that the participating teachers used the questioning sentence pattern more frequently and the self-sustained inquiry that accelerates creative thinking of the student was lacking. It was discovered that teaching elicited questioning, which accelerates creative thinking, as well as fact confirmation pattern is a necessary element of training for teachers.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.700-716
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• 2021

This study is based on the importance of observation or exploration in contemporary scientific inquiry and the need to expand the learning materials of science inquiry. It aims to analyze students' characteristics of exploration in abduction by developing and applying an educational program using art materials. For this study, a program named "Scientist going to the museum" utilizing artistic materials such as Oriental and Western paintings, mythology, orchestral suite, and traditional houses, was developed and five middle school students participated. Students who found and explored interesting phenomena in the work were divided into three main groups depending on the characteristics of the exploration activity. Some students observed and described elements that could be connected to scientific concepts, while others mainly explored everyday elements that were relatively unrelated to such concepts. Moreover, another type of students explored the works based on their subjective evaluations. This study shows that learning materials that cannot be visually explored are not suitable for abductive activities that students' prior knowledge has a significant impact on their exploration, and that educational materials for earth science inquiry could be expanded. This study also provides an example of learning materials and methods, and that abduction may be utilized for learning astronomy.