• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to explore characteristics of sixth grade students' opistemological beliefs in science and the relationship to learner's characteristics: learning motivation, learning strategies, and logical thinking. The subjects were 265 sixth graders and data was collected through two types of questionnaires, translated and modified by researchers: opistemological beliefs regarding science, learning motivation & strategies. The results of this study were as follows. The students believed that the goals of science were related to activations such as 'Science is experiment', or 'Science is invention: These beliefs were connected with the emphasis of science classes or the focus of the science curriculum. However, the students' beliefs related to the changeability of science knowledge, the source of science knowledge, and the role of experiments in developing knowledge were oriented to modern opistemological views. Moreover, the beliefs were meaningfully related to students' characteristics: learning motivation, learning strategies, and logical thinking. Among the students' characteristics, logical thinking was especially related to all of the factors of students' beliefs: the changeability of science knowledge, the source of science knowledge, and the role of experiments in developing knowledge. However, the students who believed that scientific knowledge came from scientists, science teachers, or science textbooks had high levels of self-efficacy. Therefore, the belief that scientific knowledge is formed by self-discovery, in order to generate high self-efficacy, needs to be encouraged. From the results, it is possible to check the orientation of current science education based on the students' opistemological beliefs. In addition, the resources can be accumulated for persevering in our efforts to achieve a positive orientation for science education.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.571-582
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• 2005

In spite of the importance of cognitive conflict in conceptual change, there has been little research on the characteristics of cognitive conflict in students enrolled at vocational high schools. The purpose of this study was to expose these students' cognitive conflict types and investigate characteristics of cognitive conflict according to the type of cognitive conflict. This paper examined how vocational students' motivational beliefs and epistemological beliefs affect the process of cognitive conflict when students are confronted with an anomalous situation related to the action and reaction concept. Results indicated that many vocational students experienced low levels of cognitive conflict and remained passive during the explanation of anomalous phenomenon or easily desisted any attempt to resolve the conflict situation because of their epistemological belief to depend on the external absolute knowledge of teachers, an extrinsic motivation to choose easier tasks, or reliance on the teachers' reputations. Therefore, Instructors need to recognize these characteristics in order to facilitate vocational students' conceptual change when presenting cognitive conflict tasks.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.328-344
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• 2013

This study investigated the types of elementary science-gifted students' coping strategies and teachers' desired teaching strategies in anomalous situations. Their epistemological beliefs about science were then analyzed on the bases of the types. To do this, 5th and 6th year science-gifted students (N=72) were asked to respond to an open-ended question with some of them being interviewed deeply. The analyses of the results indicated seven types of coping strategies in anomalous situations and were identified as follows: Abandoning, asking a teacher for help, trying the experiment again with same methods, trying the experiments again with different methods, trying the experiment again after actively analyzing the causes, recognizing the experimental results, and explaining the experimental results. Seven types of teachers' desired teaching strategies emerged and were also identified as follows: Encouraging, providing successful experimental results, explaining, providing the opportunity for trying the experiment again with same methods, providing the opportunity for trying the experiments again with different methods, providing the opportunity and help for trying the experiment again after actively analyzing the causes, and providing the opportunity and help for explaining the experimental results. The fourteen types were grouped again into four categories such as 'transferring facts', 'constructing facts', 'transferring meanings', and 'constructing meanings' on the bases of the epistemological beliefs toward knowledge and the epistemological beliefs toward relation. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1087-1098
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• 2012

This study investigated the types of elementary school students' coping strategies for anomalous situations in science classes. Their epistemological beliefs were then analyzed on the basis of types. To do this, the students (N=75) from 2 elementary schools were asked to respond to an open-ended question about their coping strategies on anomalous situations and some of them underwent in-depth interviews. The analyses of the results indicated five types of coping strategies and were identified as follows: Abandoning, asking a teacher for help, trying the experiment again with same methods, trying the experiments again with different methods, and trying the experiment again after actively analyzing the causes. Among these, the major types were 'trying the experiment again with same methods', 'trying the experiments again with different methods', and 'asking a teacher for help'. The five types were grouped again into four categories such as 'transferring facts', 'constructing facts', 'transferring meanings', and 'constructing meanings' on the basis of the epistemological beliefs toward knowledge and the epistemological beliefs toward relation. The results revealed that 'trying the experiment again after actively analyzing the causes' was only included in 'constructing facts' and the others were included in 'transferring facts'. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.309-323
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• 2002

This qualitative study investigated preservice teachers' understandings of the ontology and epistemology underlying constructivist notions of learning through four in-depth interviews. Of the sixteen participants in a larger study, five significantly changed ontological and epistemological beliefs and eleven did not. This study focused on these eleven teachers who have hardly changed their philosophical beliefs throughout the teacher education program. Ten teachers who consistently maintained the scientific realist beliefs were presented as a composite case (Young's case). Among the eleven teachers, there was one outlier who had consistently maintained an idealist and relativist epistemological position from the beginning of the study and was subjected to another case analysis (Ben's case). These cases corroborated the assertion that each individual's deeply entrenched ontological and epistemological beliefs are very hard to change. For researchers, this study offers insights into the reasons that preservice teachers give for non-changes in their thinking about learning to teach. The study also examines preservice teachers' perceived constraints in implementing their ideal pedagogies and the influence of the teacher education program on their pedagogical beliefs changes. The benefits and influences of the M.Ed. program's theoretical coursework and the field experiences on these teachers' learning-to-teach experiences are addressed with rich data. The implications for teacher educators as well as for the instructional practices of preservice teacher education programs are discussed. This research emphasize necessity of the field-based teacher education program and the need of empowering experienced school teachers as teacher educators in teacher preparation and professional development.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.638-644
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' views on the scientific model and to compare their views by grade, gender, and achievement. Relationships between students' views on the scientific model and epistemological beliefs were also investigated. Participants were 137 8th- and 112 11th-graders in Seoul. The results indicated that the students' views on the scientific model, on the whole, were adequate except the items concerning the 'models as exact replicas'. Male students or high-achieving students had more adequate views on the scientific model than female students or low-achieving students. However, there was no significant difference between 8th- and 11th-graders. In correlation analysis, students with inappropriate views on the scientific model were found to have traditional epistemological beliefs.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1157-1168
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• 2012

This study examined the effect of simulated instruction activities based on a constructivist teaching approach on epistemological belief, science teaching efficacy belief, and teaching motivation. The RTOP (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol) played a role to guide preservice biology teachers to obtain insights on current reformed teaching and to further practice teaching based on constructivism. The results indicated that preservice teachers changed their epistemological beliefs toward more sophisticated views, especially for 'simple knowledge'. They also improved their science teaching efficacy beliefs, both personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTEB) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). In addition, these perservice teachers decreased their scores of extrinsic teaching motivation. The Pearson correlation represented the negative relationship between personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTEB) and extrinsic teaching motivation. After intervention, the preservice teachers mentioned inquiry, active participation and discussion as ideal science teaching methods and qualifications for science teachers.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.261-275
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• 2016

Many students have dualistic beliefs about mathematics and its learning- for example, there is always just one right answer in mathematics and their role in the classroom is receiving and absorbing knowledge from teacher and textbook. This article investigated some epistemic implications and limitations of common mathematics teaching practices, which often present mathematical facts(or procedures) and treat students' errors in a certain and absolute way. Langer and Piper's (1987) experiment and Oliveira et al.'s (2012) study suggested that presenting knowledge in conditional language which allows uncertainty can foster students' productive epistemological beliefs. Changing the focus and patterns of classroom communication about students' errors could help students to overcome their dualistic beliefs. This discussion will contribute to analyze the implicit epistemic messages conveyed by mathematics instructions and to investigate teaching strategies for stimulating students' epistemic development in mathematics.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1158-1172
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• 2004

This study searched secondary school students' epistemological views and ontological views about nature and the root causes of such their views. The subjects were 156 secondary school students and data were gathered by the questionnaire developed based on preceding researches. As a result, many secondary school students had epistemological views of unknowable nature. There were various root causes of their epistemological views such as regularity and harmony of nature, predictable and circular natural phenomenon, causation, the relation between human and nature. On the other hand, a lot of secondary school students had ontological view of supernatural nature. Their religious beliefs were very powerful influence their supernatural ontological views. The nature is the object of science and the physical world. Because those views supply science educators basic backgrounds how leaners understand science class, secondary school students' epistemological views and ontological views are precious information. From now on, it is necessary to study relations between students' epistemological views and ontological views and their science class processes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.243-254
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of collaborative learning and explore the learners' experiences in three dimensions: cognition, emotion and motivation. Another purpose of this study was to make an in-depth examination of learners' experiences during collaborative learning. Data were collected from 44 students at N university who participated in collaborative learning for 7 weeks. The results were as follows: First, collaborative learning had significant effects on the higher group of collaborative tendencies on academic achievements. Second, collaborative learning had no significant effects on their epistemological beliefs, the higher group of collaborative tendencies and the lower beliefs involving simple knowledge and tentative knowing. Finally, learners amassed cognitive, emotional, and motivational experience during collaborative learning. We suggest that the for the effective implementation of collaborative learning.