• English Language & Literature Teaching
• /
• no.5
• /
• pp.49-62
• /
• 1999

Education systems throughout the world encourage their students to learn languages other than their native one. In Australia, our Education Boards provide students with the opportunity to learn European and Asian languages. French, German, Chinese and Japanese are the most popular languages studied in elementary and high schools. This choice is a reflection of Australias European heritage and its geographical position near Asia. In most non-English speaking countries, English is the foreign language most readily available to students. In Korea, the English language is actively promoted by the Education Department and, in less official ways, by companies and the public. It is impossible to be anywhere in Korea without seeing the English language alongside or intermingled with Korean. When I ask students why they are learning English, I receive answers that include the word globalization and the importance of English throughout the world. When I press further and ask why they personally are learning English, the students mention passing exams, usually high school tests or TOEIC, and the necessity of passing the latter to obtain a good job. Seldom do I ever hear anything about communication: about the desire to talk with other people in English, to read novels or poetry in English, to understand movies or pop-songs in English, to chat on the Internet in English, to search for information on the Internet in English, or to email pen-pals in English. Yet isnt communication the only valid reason for learning a language? We learn our native language to communicate with those around us. Shouldnt we set the same goal for learning a foreign language? In my opinion communication, whether it is reading and writing or speaking and listening, must be central to language learning. Learning a language to pass examinations is meaningless unless those examinations are a reliable indicator of the ability of the student to communicate. In previous eras, most communication in a foreign language was through reading novels or formal letters. This required a thorough knowledge of grammar and a large vocabulary. Todays communication is much less formal. Telephone conversations, tele-conferences, faxes and emails allow people to communicate regularly and informally. Reading materials are also less formal as popular novels and newspapers are available world-wide. Movies and popular songs have added to the range of informal communication available. Finally travel has ensured that people from different cultures will meet easily and regularly. This informal communication requires less emphasis on grammar and vocabulary and more emphasis on comprehension and confidence to speak. Placing communication central to language learning has important implications for the Education system and for teachers.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.25-46
• /
• 2000

These purposes are to have a necessity to be educated for the linguistic gifted among many gifted in speedy changeable age, and to find out what differences are of properties between the linguistic gifted children and nongifted children through comparing/analysing to gifted children any nongifted children using performance evaluation on writer's ability. Therefore, it intends to use as a assisting material in order to develop ability and properties of the linguistic gifted children and nongifted children as well. The studying details are 1) to compare/analyze thinking ability between the linguistic gifted children and nongifted children 2) to find out differences of thinking ability for unrealistic reasoning between the linguistic gifted children and nongifted children. The studying subjects had been chosen 3 children as a first grade in 'C' Gifted Academy and 3 children as a first grade in an elementary school from June 3, 1999 to June 12, 1999. The studying instrument was an evaluation of linguistic properties certification(Project Spectrum : Krechevsky,'1994). It had got a frequency calculation, average and standard deviation through the material anylzing with the program SPSSWIN. The conclusions are as belows, First, as a result of performance evaluation on writer's ability to gifted children and nongifted children, the gifted children were outstandingly shown the linguistic ability getting much higher score than nongifted children in respect of vocabulary level, structure of writing, and consistency/logicality of theme. Second, it was shown the gifted children had diffusing thought than nongifted children through the esthetic question and impformation memories with listening to the realistic juvenil story and the unrealistic juvenile story.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2019

Objective : This paper aimed to measure the relationship between the performance of Korean handwriting and visual fixation for children. Methods : Twenty-one typically developing children aged 7 to 9 years participated in the study. The children performed Korean handwriting task wearing Tobii Pro Glasses 2. The Korean handwriting task consisted of 10 words from elementary school textbooks. The handwriting skill was measured by the coefficient variation of the letter size and the fixation cound and duration. Correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relation between visual fixation and the coefficient variation of the letter size. Results : The results showed that the visual fixation per second was positively correlated with Korean handwriting vertical size coefficient variation, indicating that the more consistent the vertical size of the letter, the smaller the fixation count per second. Conclusion : The results suggested a relation between the performance of Korean handwriting and visual fixation in typically developing children. This study is the first attempt to measure eye movement during the Korean handwriting process, and suggests a future direction for research on students' development in writing Korean.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.73-88
• /
• 2022

Mathematics is a way of thinking. To do mathematics means to think mathematically. In other words, mathematics education and mathematics literacy are related. In elementary and secondary school mathematics education in many countries, teaching of mathematics using textbooks is conducted mostly in their native language. So mathematics education takes place while reading, writing, listening, and speaking mathematics. Analysis of mathematics textbooks for the lower grades of undergraduate mathematics shows that most advanced countries in mathematics use excellent undergraduate mathematics textbooks written in their native language. However, the ratio of using imported textbooks from foreign countries is particularly high in the case of textbooks for mathematics majors at Korean universities. In this article, the effect of language used in university mathematics education is analized. In particular, the importance of high-quality leading-edge university mathematics textbooks in native language is introduced by analyzing the case of Bourbaki in France and 'War of language' at the Israel Institute of Technology. The innovation of French university mathematics education in the 20th century began with Bourbaki's 'Fundamentals of Mathematics', a French textbook written in his native language. Israel's Technion and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem continue to teach all subjects in their mother tongue. This has led to produce many Nobel Prize and Fields medal winners in these two countries. This study shows that textbooks and languages used in university mathematics education has affected mathematical literacy.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.417-428
• /
• 2022

This study analyzed the frequency and level of scientific practices presented in secondary science textbooks. A total of 1,378 student activities presented in 14 middle school science textbooks and 5 high school integrated science textbooks were analyzed, using the definition and level of scientific practice suggested in the NGSS. Findings show that most student activities focus on three practices. Compared to the textbooks for the previous science curriculum, the practice of 'obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information' was more emphasized, reflecting societal changes due to ICT development. However, the practice of 'asking a question', which can be an important element of student-led science learning, was still rarely found in textbooks, and 'developing and using models', 'using math and computational thinking' and 'arguing based on evidence' were not addressed much. The practices were mostly elementary school level except for the practice of 'constructing explanations'. Such repeated exposures to a few and low level of practices mean that many future citizens would be led to a naïve understanding of science. The findings imply that it is necessary to emphasize various practices tailored to the level of students. In the upcoming revision of the science curriculum, it is necessary to provide the definition of practices that are not currently specified and the expected level of each practice so that the curriculum can provide sufficient guidance for textbook writing. These efforts should be supported by benchmarking of overseas science curriculum and research that explore students' ability and teachers' understanding of scientific practices.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.893-910
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to identify changes in mental models of students in the elementary school about causes of seasonal changes. During a total of eight sessions, eight sixth graders were asked to describe the causes of seasonal changes through pictures, writing and thinking aloud by using microgenetic research methods, and the changes in mental models were examined. When the research was conducted, linguistic and behavioral factors and contents of interviews of participants were recorded on video. Moreover, a variety of materials such as field observation chart were written by a researcher and mental models records were written by a student. The protocol was written by integration of collected results, and it was repeated to read and was inductively categorized. The results of this study were as follows: First, participants' mental models about causes of seasonal changes were changed in various paths within and across sessions. Participants' mental models that had been more changed in various ways were closer to the scientific model. In addition, like rotation and revolution, students who correctly established the preconceptions related to seasonal changes formed the mental models consistent with scientific concept based on new information. On the other hand, students who did not correctly establish the preconceptions did not deviate from non-scientific mental models. Second, prior knowledge, experience and information which participants held in advance, accuracy of prior knowledge, resolution of inconsistency between new knowledge and existing mental models, activation of mental models through operation of models and drawing an picture affected the changes of mental models. Teachers should provide to learners with sufficient experience which can be configured to various mental models in order to form the scientific concepts. And they need to let learners feel the doubt and resolve it through presentation of new teaching material which is inconsistent with the existing mental models.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.245-250
• /
• 2005

This study was executed from June first to 30th. 2005. The target was first and second graders of Bok-Hyun elementary school and their mothers. The total of participants was 275 persons and the component ratio was 135 first graders and 140 second graders, also 82 boys and 193 girls. They answered to the question sheet by writing out with their own hands. Among the 300 question sheets that were answered, 275 sheets were analyzed, excepting 25 sheets that got poor answer. The results were as follows; (1) About the behavior of mothers and their children for oral health, In mothers' case, 68.8% of them answered that they brush teeth more than 3 times a day and 31.3% answered that they brush teeth less than 2 times a day, so those who brush teeth more than 3 times were more than those who brush teeth less than 2 times In children's case, on the contrary, 14.2% of them answered that they brush teeth more than 3 times a day and 85.8% answered that they brush teeth less than 2 times a day, so those who brush teeth less than 2 times were more. (2) In 7 questions for researching mothers' knowledge level about fluorine, 55.3% of them answer 3~4 questions correctly. In 7 questions for researching mothers' knowledge level about Periodontal disease, 47.3% of them answer 3~4 questions correctly and it was highest. (3) In a case of the relation between oral health knowledge and behavior of mother and frequency of brushing teeth of children, statistical similarity on frequency of brushing teeth was shown(p < 0.05). (4) In a case of the relation between social-anthropological features of mother and frequency of brushing teeth of children, there was no statistical similarity on age, mothers' educational level, monthly income. However, statistical similarity was shown about existence of mothers' occupation(p < 0.05).

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.209-217
• /
• 2003

Object：This study examined the diagnostic validity of the K-ABC and the K-LDES for identifying the cognitive deficits and the learning difficulty of children with learning disorder and to diagnose the learning disorder. Method：The clinical group consisted of 15 children with learning disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accompanying learning problem(LP) and 14 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They were diagnosed either learning disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder based on DSM-IV criteria by child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists visiting Seoul National University Children’s Hospital. The normal group was composed of 15 children be going to an elementary school. All groups were between the age of 7 and 12. The K-ABC was administered to the clinical and the normal group. The K-LDES was also administered to mothers of all groups. Result：There were no significant differences on sequential, simultaneous, mental processing subscales of the K-ABC in three groups. However, The LP group showed slightly lower scores on Achievement scale and significant low scores on Reading/Decoding than the other groups. On K-LDES, LP group showed significant low scores on Listing, Thinking, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Mathematical calculation, Learning quotient(LQ) than the other groups. Also there were significant correlations between K-ABC and K-LDES subscales. Conclusion：The result of present study showed that the K-ABC and the K-LDES are a valid and effective instruments for evaluating and diagnose the learning disorder.