• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-47
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• 2004

Two project-centered secondary school programs were studied as part of an effort to elucidate successful components for science reform-based curriculum development. The Teachers for Exciting Science (TES), and Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) programs in Korea and U.S., respectively, are project-centered programs because their curricula are centered on the activities initiated and engaged in by the students. Students serve as principal investigators in their projects, and teachers serve as guides. Both programs were analyzed based on criteria such as curriculum design, teaching, lives of students, lives of teachers, evaluation of program, from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In the programs, teachers and students directed the development of curricula and their implementation. Students assumed teacher roles as mentors of other students. And emphasis was on development of communication skills through student-delivered talks and written papers, and professional development of teachers as educators and scientists. Participation in TES stimulated secondary school student interest in science, encouraged inquiry thinking, increased achievement in learning science, and promoted better awareness of science related to real life. FAST students practice laboratory and field techniques, experimental design, hypothesis formation, generalization, and practical implications of research as academic and applied disciplinarians. These project-centered programs have been successfully implemented in field, lab, and classroom curricula for secondary science education. Comparison of these programs will provide an opportunity for identifying key elements instrumental in successful implementation of guidelines for science education, as measured through successful outcomes.