• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.853-874
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• 2010

This study examines the acceptability of nuclear facilities using the latent class analysis. Even though, nuclear power is useful in terms of economic and energy security aspects, it is very difficult to expand the existing nuclear power plants or build a new one. Many studies analysed the cause of unacceptability of nuclear facilities but it has not been focused how large portion of people are divided pro and con. It is very important to know the distribution of people by the attitude toward nuclear facilities in order to meet the long term National Energy Plan. Through the latent class analysis with 1,025 respondents, people are classified into three groups(favor-class, support-class, opposition-class). The favor-class is the largest group which has moderate good attitudes toward the nuclear facilities in terms of economy, cleanness. and necessity but concerns a little about safety. The second largest group is the support-class which comprises 1/4 portion of people. The people in the class show the aggressive support for the nuclear facilities. 15% of the respondents belong to the opposition-class which show the negative attitudes to expansion of neclear facilities. In order to increase the acceptability of nuclear faculties, the most urgent work for the government to do is to less people's concern about nuclear safety.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.107-144
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• 2012

Recently concerns on the energy future are rising in Korea after nuclear disaster of Fukushima in Japan last year. However, even after Fukushima disaster Korean government keeps on insisting nuclear oriented energy policy. Contrary to it, some of civil society's organizations(CSOs) including environment groups and progressive political parties are making strong voices for phase-out nuclear. As a way of phase-out nuclear activity researcher groups based on CSOs have presented several alternative energy scenarios against the official government scenario so that contest between the two senarios seems not to be avoided. This article aims to analyse the politics of expertise around energy scenarios in Korea by highlighting differences between two scenarios of government and CSOs in terms of epistemological and methodological base, value orientation, institutional foundation, and the socio-political contexts of scenarios. Our research shows that government's energy scenario is based on scientific-positivist epistemology, firm belief in value neutrality and forecasting method, and is built by neo-classical economists at government-sponsored research institutes in accordance with the 'Business As Usual' approach. In contrast, alternative scenarios of CSOs can be said to be based on epistemological constructivism, value oriented attitudes and backcasting method, and be built by collaboration of researchers and activists with different academic and social backgrounds after Fukushima nuclear disaster.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.373-386
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• 2016

This study aims to investigate the kinds of content and science communication included in the exhibits and the exhibition panels in order to suggest a direction of desirable educational development in the nuclear power information halls in Korea. The four local nuclear power information halls in Korea and the nuclear power science center in Japan are selected as the subject. The results of this study show that the 'conceptual' exhibits are a dominant topic among the four topics of contents, and the concept (CON) and interest (INT) are found as the most dominating component of science communication. Meanwhile, the nature of science (NOS), awareness (AW), enjoyment (ENJ), and opinion (OP) components are little exhibited. The findings of this study indicate that the nuclear power information halls can be more professional to enhance scientific literacy, as the informal education institutions, providing information of nuclear energy and radiation on various perspectives for visitors to make decisions by themselves and to improve their scientific attitudes and understanding of science communication. In addition, the limited science communication can be fully reinforced by docents or commentators. Further research needs to investigate the development of a specialized program to produce professional docents or commentators.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.63-99
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• 1994

The international environmental activities and environmental education began in 1970's. Environmental education in Korea was emphasized since the Forth National Curriculum. 'The Environmental Education Curriculum' will be separated as one of the most important parts in the Sixth National Education Curriculum in Korea. The purpose of this study was development. of 'Environmental Science' of high school appropriate to Sixth National Education Curriculum. First step was to state goals of environmental education in detail based on analysis of goals about environmental education in our country and other countries. Second was to analyse seven environments-related texts of Korea, America and England. Third, to measure how much environmental education has achieved in Fifth National Curriculum of Korea. Fourth, to develop a new environmental text of high school level. Fifth, to verify the effect of developed environmental text. The environmental part of 'Science I'(unit V. Life and Environments) and high school environments-related reference text(Survival and Environments) in Korea, American knowledges. American 'Environments' was stressed in many skills but they didn't include various teaching strategies. On the other hand, American 'Science-Technology-Society(S-T-S)' and British 'Science and Technology in Society(SATIS)' were stressed in knowledges and skills, and they included many teaching strategies and student actions. American 'S-T-S' was the only one stressed in values and attitudes. And all seven texts were not interested in behaviors and participations. To measure the achievement of environmental education by questionnaire, 497 high school students in total were selected from five different schools. Actually, most students had a positive thinkings and attitudes in their hearts about environmental problems, about environmental problems, but many of them did not take actions to solve environmental problems and to protect environments. The higher the score students got in 'knowledges and informations', the higher the score in 'skill'. It implies that learning of skills is based on learning of knowledges and informations about environments. On the other hand, much knowledges and information about environments has not always ensured positive thinkings and attitudes or active behaviors and participations to solve environmental problem. In view that ultimate aim of environmental education is forming responsible environmental behaviors and the goals of values and behaviors are as important as knowledges and skills. A new environmental text of high school level was developed and it was based on analysis of seven texts and environmental education in Fifth Korean Curriculum. This text have seven units, 1. Habitates : What're the meanings?, 2. Nuclear Energy : Can't be Avoid?, 3. Acid Rain : What're the Messages?, 4. Ethanol : Is this Future Fuel?, 5. Wastes : A New War!, 6. What're the National and Gloval Environmental education and avoided from the array of knowledges. Therefore included various teaching strategies and independent actions of students. 'Open-ended value learning' and 'free behavior learning' in text were special learning parts for aquisition of values and formation of behaviors. To verify the effects. of new developed environmental text, the direct learning was carried out by 286 students in total. Post test scores of experimental groups per each units were significantly higher than those of control groups from five different schools were as follows. For validity of selecting contents for units, 74% of respondent replied positively. For classification and presentation of four goal-groups, 90% replied positively in validity and 82%, in utility. For validity of various teaching strategies, 88% and for the degree of including student-centered independent actions, 86% replied positively, For importances and expected effects of 'open=ended value learning' and 'free behavior learning', showed positive responses respectively, 88%, 92% Therefore this text is effective to achieve four goals of environmental education equally.