• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.193-214
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• 2017

This study was carried out to identify the reality of students' understanding of Korean traditional scientific knowledge (TSK), the educational contexts influenced their understanding of TSK, and their sense of value of TSK, through the science activity 'Being a commentator on Korean traditional scientific culture' as a way of finding direction to apply TSK to science education while maintaining the inherent meaning of our traditional science. Seventh grade students have discovered TSK contents in Changdeok Palace, prepared their own scripts for seven months, and finally, explained to fifth to sixth grade students. The video recordings of all lessons, scripts of explanation, reports of field activities, and individual interviews were all analyzed. Students understood TSK in four viewpoints: the traditional view of nature, the traditional science and technology, the traditional life using science, and the natural science contents. During their activities, communication with peers or elders both in classroom and in Changdeok Palace, the interaction with place, and the sense of responsibility as a commentator helped students understand the scientific aspects of TSK, form contextual and sensible scientific knowledge, and apprehend various scientific explanations of contents. Depending on their internalization of experiences, the students' experiences produced three types of interpretation: delivery, persuasion, and understanding. Students formed their TSK sense of value as scientific characteristics, the need of new perspective about science, the need to protect and maintain TSK as our culture. The results of this study show that TSK can provide integrated and actual contextual education in science education and can be used to understand the cultural diversity of scientific and scientific methods and the characteristics of oriental scientific thinking. In addition, the simultaneous approach of TSK and school science to traditional culture can contribute to ideal concept formation and subjective attitude toward our traditional culture.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.143-157
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the possibility of science education using Korean TSK(Traditional scientific knowledge). In this study, we have developed five Korean TSK units including science concepts, historical knowledge and cultural experience and applied them to 10th graders. The five units are as follows: (1) Calendars(western and eastern), (2) Our traditional sundial, Angbuilgu, (3) A great scientist in the King Sejong Era, (4) Data interpretation of ancient record of natural phenomenon in Korea, and (5) Gyeongbokgung Palace. The analyses included a pre- and post test of students' perception, classroom observation, students' activity sheets, and interview. The results show that the students' perception of Korean TSK has changed toward recognizing the value of Korean TSK as a kind of natural science. They expressed their expectation of Korean TSK in scientific, practical, and emotional perspectives, wherein some students thought the practical and emotional perspectives of Korean TSK as non-scientific characteristics. Students showed five types of worldview about the relationship between Korean TSK and WMS(western modern science). Most students favored and cherished the Korean TSK but at the same time, they were confused about its scientific value. The results support the rethinking of the meaning of science and what students learn in school. We should consider how we teach the Korean TSK to students. It is important that a profound research of the Korean TSK should be continued to make our science education varied.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine North Korean defector students' characteristics in science learning through their voice in an "Angbuilgu" program, one of the Korean traditional science knowledge (TSK). We compared them with two other groups of contrasting backgrounds. The Angbuilgu program contains meaningful questions of time, everyday-life knowledge, Korean TSK, and western modern science (WMS). The teaching strategy consists of interactions between teacher and students, and scientific experiments. We applied this program to three groups and analyzed: North Korean defector students, elementary science gifted students, high school students in an advanced class. The characteristics of their science learning show the following: First, their interpretation of time as nature itself in their everyday life. They have rich experience and are familiar with time in nature. Second, they prefer science with complementary, caring, and humanist perspectives, which is in contrast to other groups with preference to the updated and practical science. Third, they lack scientific concepts but possess an abundance of everyday-life knowledge. Their linguistic expressions are ordinary rather than scientific. Fourth, they are familiar with narrative thinking more than scientific thinking. The results show that the science program using Korean TSK can help them accept new scientific knowledge as well as cultural pride, which plays a role in reconfirming their identity as one ethnicity. We expect that the contents of Korean TSK can be an intercultural field between North Korean defector students and our science curriculum.