• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.903-927
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• 2012

The study aimed to analyze middle school students construction of physics inquiry problems for open inquiry from the viewpoint of variable isolation and clarification, and investigate students' difficulties during the processes of variable isolation and clarification to get implications for teaching and learning strategies for small group open inquiry activities which have been included in the 2007 national curriculum. The participants were 4 students who had attended an outreach program for the science gifted run by a university institution located in Seoul area. They performed an open inquiry on egg drop for 13 lessons for 30 hours. Level descriptions for variable isolation and clarification have been developed and applied to analyze students' inquiry problems and variables included by the problems. Students iterated inquiry processed 5 times and the inquiry problem showed progress gradually. Dependent variables have been isolated ahead and the levels of variable isolation and clarification showed higher than the independent variables. Many kinds of independent variables isolated extensively and the independent variables and control variables have been mingled. One of the reasons why students had some difficulties in isolation of independent variables could be the absence of theoretical models. The realities of school lab could restrict the variable isolation and clarification as well as topic selections. Some sensory or extensive variables such as broken eggs and drop height seem to be salient to be focused on as core variables. Lack of background knowledges could be one of the reasons for students' difficulties in variable clarification, such as theoretical definitions and operational definitions. As a result of lacking background knowledges, students could not construct theoretical models even though they could isolate and clarify variables as scientific lexical definitions. Some perceptions of inquiry as trial and error or reckless establishment of causal relations between variables could be accounted as one reason.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.225-238
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that are critical for successful scientific inquiry activity in the classroom and to analyze the students' abilities of 'Doing' scientific inquiry. Two hundred and forty gifted science students in grades $7^{th}$ and $8^{th}$ participated in this study and demonstrated their abilities of framing questions and designing investigation through a survey questionnaire. The survey was developed for measuring factors in terms of personal and interactive variables that are needed for 'Doing' a successful scientific. Additionally, two other questionnaires were developed to measure students' abilities of framing testable questions and designing the investigation in a sequence. The results were as follows: Students' learning motivation factors as personal variable (self-confidence about group and inquiry activity, views about inquiry value) also considered as influential for students' group inquiry activity. Other four components of interactive variable (grouping, kinds of task, physical context, and teachers' role) were found to be influential in successful students' 'Doing' group inquiry activity. In students' evaluation of group inquiry activity, the grouping factor was the most critical one for a successful 'Doing' inquiry activity. Participating students showed some level of inability of in the process of framing inquiry question and designing investigation.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.541-557
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• 2012

Interest is acknowledged to be a critical motivational variable that influences learning and achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interest of the elementary students when free inquiry activities were performed through a brain-based evolutionary scientific teaching and learning model. For this study, 106 fifth grade students were chosen and performed individually free inquiry activities. The results of this study were as follows: First, after free inquiry activities, as to free inquiry science related attitude, a statistically significant difference was not observed. But they came to have positive feelings about the free inquiry. Especially students marked higher mean score in openness showed consistency in sub-areas of free inquiry science related attitude. Second, students had interests in various fields, especially they had many interests in area of biology. They chose inquiry subjects that seems to be easily accessible from surrounding and as an important criterion of free inquiry they thought the possibility that they could successfully perform it. And students who belong to the high level in the science related attitudes and academic achievement diversified more topics. Third, most of students failed to further their topics. However, the students who specifically and clearly extended their topics suggested appropriate variables in their topics. On the other hand, students who couldn't elaborate their topics were also failed to suggest further topics and their performance of inquiry was more incomplete. In conclusion, the experiences of success in free inquiry make the science attitude of students more positive and help them extend their inquiry. These results have fundamental implications for the authentic science inquiry in the elementary schools and for the further research.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.452-458
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• 1995

Science textbooks are very important materials in order to know elementary science learning in Japan and Korea. In this research the 5th grade science textbooks in Japan and Korea are analyzed by an analyzing category. The analyzing category is consisted of knowledge and scientific inquiry. Knowledge is divided by fact, concept, and rule. Scientific inquiry is divided by problem cognition, variable control, experiment planning, observing, measuring, categorizing, inferring, data transformation, predicting, correlation, cause and effect, result, communication, which are 13 subcategories. Analyzing methods are counting the frequency of each subcategory and tabulating the data. The results of this study are: 1. The frequency of scientific inquiry appeared in Korean 5th grade science textbooks is three times more than that in Japanese textbooks. 2. In scientific inquiry category, Japanese science textbooks emphasized observing, predicting, measuring and problem cognition; Korean science textbooks emphasized experiment planning, observing and problem cognition. 3. In knowledge category, fact subcategory is mostly emphasized in both countries.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.301-311
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to construct a structural equation model and to analyze causal relationships among variables related to attitudes to science using structural equation modeling(SEM) with LISREL VII. The sample consisted of 483 10th grade boys from a general high school in Pusan, Korea. The questionnaires (ABC-attitude scale: affection, behavioral intention, cognition scale of attitude towards science) were developed by the researcher through a pilot study. And other instruments have modified previous ones. Five instruments were used in this study: GALT(group assessment of logical thinking), MTSlS(modified test of science inquiry skill), ABC-attitude scale, MSAS(modified scientific attitude scale), CSAT(common science achievement test). Structural equation modeling with LISREL VII($J\ddot{o}reskog$ & $S\ddot{o}rbom,$ 1993) was employed to estimate the causal inferences about hypothesized relationships among observed data sets. Three competing models consisted of five latent variable(scientific thinking ability, science inquiry skill, attitude towards science, scientific attitude, science achievement) - lP(inquiry preceding) model, AP(attitude preceding) model and AM(attitude mediating) model - were developed. Among these competing models, IP model satisfied the observed data sets. The causal relationships among "attitudes to science" and other latent variables were reliably identified. According to the results of the present study, science inquiry skill was the most significant variable that can predict science achievement. But scientific thinking ability has not directly influenced science achievement. This study suggests that inquiry based teaching-learning processes should be offered to students for improvement of science achievement. At the same time, it seems to be important to develop positive attitude towards science. Understanding of relationships among variables related to attitudes to science will be helpful to the development of science curriculum and to the design of science teaching and learning process. LISREL has been recognized as a useful approach in testing a SEM. However, in this study, LISREL approach was estimated as much more useful method for research design.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.371-377
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• 2012

In this study, open inquiry reports of 165 eighth graders in Daegu were analyzed in terms of content area, the types of inquiry hypothesis, and the types of inquiry variables. Before summer vacation, students learned about inquiry process and explored their own inquiry topic for two class hours. During summer vacation, students performed open inquiry including problem selection, designing and performing experiment, data collection, data analysis, and writing report. After the vacation, students submitted their reports, and answered to additional survey regarding the source of inquiry idea, the definition of hypothesis, and the most difficult step of inquiry process. As a result, chemistry was the most dominant content area of the reports and biology and life science were the next. 130 out of 165 reports included inquiry hypotheses, and most of them were predictive hypotheses. In many reports, dependent and independent variables could not be identified because of their ambiguity. However, inquiry variables described in experimental design, which were mostly categorical variables, were clearer than those described in inquiry subject and inquiry hypothesis. The most difficult step of inquiry process for students was to generate an idea for open inquiry.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.773-783
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• 2014

In National Curriculum of Science revised in 2007, the Free Inquiry was newly introduced to increase students' interest in science and to foster creativity by having students make their own question and find answer by themselves. The purpose of the study was to analyze characteristics, in cognitive domain, appeared in the processes of performing the Free Inquiry activities applying a brain-based evolutionary science teaching and learning principles. For this study, 106 fifth grade students participated, and they performed individually Free Inquiry activities. In order to characterize of the diversifying, estimating-evaluating-executing, and extending-applying activities in cognitive domain (C-DEF), the Free Inquiry diary constructed by the students, observations by a researcher, and interviews with the students were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The major results of this study were as follows: First, at C-D step, many students (71.5%) had difficulty in searching the meanings of their results and the contents of interpretations were at the level of simple description of their results. A few students (15.2%) derived interpretations based on causal relationships between specific variable and result. Also, the tendency that the numbers of interpretation about meaning of their results were increased as the scores of science attitude and achievement was appeared. Second, at C-E step, the students showed tendency of considering facts exactly explaining inquiry topic and being appliable to daily life rather than objectivity or accuracy of scientific knowledge. Third, at C-F step, there were three types of extension and application: simple repetition (8.2%), extension (64.0%), and upward application (17.6%) types. Based on these findings, implications for supporting appropriate interpretation, evaluation, and application of inquiry results are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.18-34
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• 2024

This study aimed to examine the effects of a science-learning program based on data visualization on the science inquiry and creative problem-solving abilities of elementary school science-gifted students. Accordingly, this research developed a data visualization science-learning program using Tableau, which had twelve sessions. The subjects encompassed 61 students in three gifted classes taught by the researcher. The scientific inquiry ability test and creative problem-solving ability test modified to suit the environment and situation were given to the subjects before and after the treatment. The results confirmed that science learning based on data visualization had no significant impact on basic science inquiry skills. Among the subdomains, significant results were obtained only in the reasoning subdomain. Moreover, integrative inquiry ability was significantly affected, unlike basic inquiry abilities. Among the five subdomains, significant differences were observed in three subdomains (data conversion, data interpretation, and variable control). However, concerning the generation of hypotheses and the control of variables, students exhibited confusion regarding the process of variable control and the exact concept of hypothesis development. This study also evaluated the effects of the program's application on creative problem-solving abilities and found a significant impact. Additionally, it was significantly different in all four subdomains. The results were interpreted to be owing to the students' mastery of Tableau's features, collaborative learning through discussion and debate, and the thematic impact of the data visualization program emphasizing procedural thinking. Finally, this study presented implications for science learning based on data visualization and the future direction of education.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.41-55
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• 2017

The physical computing education, as the emerging field, is a form of education that helps learners to develop the attitude of scientific inquiry by developing meaningful and creative output through the integration of hardware and software elements. Based on the literature, the authors of the study used science experience, school support and learning flow as the variables that predict the outcome variable which is the attitude of scientific inquiry. The authors collected data from 64 fourth and sixth graders who studied physical computing at an institution for the gifted and talented in Korea and then analyzed them using descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression and simple mediation analysis methods. As a result, science experience and learning flow significantly predicted the attitude of scientific inquiry. In addition, learning flow mediated the relationship between science experience and the attitude of scientific inquiry, and the relationship between school support and the attitude of scientific inquiry. Based on these results, the authors propose that to promote the attitude of scientific inquiry in physical computing education, strategies must be implemented for improving science experience, school support and learning flow in instructional design.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.674-683
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to compare the ideas of pupils with that of the scientists about controlling and identifying of variables, in the two cases: open or guided inquiry. The subjects were the 7th grade boys and girls in a school, in Seoul, Korea. For the guided inquiry, the problems were given by the experiments of pupils' text. Pupils were asked to identify the variables in the experiments. For the open inquiry, pupils set their own inquiry problem. The pupils whose marks are within upper one-third of three classes were chosen. Pupils' ideas on variables were investigated in the design of experiment for their problems. In that, questionnaire developed by researchers was used. In the former, many of the pupils identify just only one variable despite of the fact there were two independent or dependent variables in the experiments. In the latter, the number of independent variables increased two or three. However, pupils do not control independent variables: they vary two independent variables simultaneously in the design of experiment. From these, we compared the pupils' ideas on variables with the scientists'