• The Mathematical Education
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• v.44 no.2 s.109
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• pp.159-167
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• 2005

As the 7th mathematics curriculum reform in Korea was implemented with its goal based on Freudenthal's perspectives on mathematization theory, the research on the effect of mathematization has been become more significant. The purpose of this thesis is not only to find whether this foreign theory would be also applied effectively into our educational practice in Korea, but also to investigate how much important role teachers should play in their teaching students, in order that students accomplish the process of mathematization more effectively. Two case studies were carried out with two groups of middle-school students using qualitative-research method with the research instrument designed by the researcher. It was found that we could get the possibility of being able to apply effectively this theory even to our educational practice since the students engaged in their mathematization using the horizontal mathematization and the vertical mathematization in geometry. Also, it was mentioned that teachers' role was so important in guiding students' processes of mathematization, although mathematization is the teaching-learning theory, stimulating students' activities. Since the Freudenthal's mathematization applied in the thesis is so meaningful in our educational practice, we need more various research about this theory that helps students develope their mathematical thinking.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.211-231
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• 2007

Communication anxiety (CA) in L2 has been identified as one of the important predictors of determining success in the attainment of L2 communication competence. L2 professionals have attempted to explicate its nature in L2, but seemingly failed to achieve the goal. This is probably because they have tended to rely on studies dependent on the use of surveys, which are usually constructed on the basis of their own perspectives rather than L2 students' on CA. To solve this problem, some L2 professionals have utilized diverse research methods that can gather opinions directly from L2 students who are the main constituent in L2 learning; regretfully, they have barely listened to L2 students' voices about controlling CA in L2. This descriptive study explored the nature of CA and the way of controlling it by analyzing data from 57 Korean EFL undergraduates who voluntarily responded to the oral interview questions. The findings of this study pointed out that CA in L2 negatively influenced L2 performance. However, it seemed to have the potential to promote L2 learning. Provided are some important implications that can assist L2 teachers to help their students control CA by maximizing the positive nature of CA.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2003

This study aimed to discern the educational meaning of nature experience activity in a nonformal educational program in Korea, focusing on the interaction between a teacher and learners. To achieve this objective, an ethnographic research method was employed using an environmental educational program for children in a nonformal setting. The results of study are as followings. Firstly, the teacher's belief-"young ecologist" shaped its own characteristics of the program. Secondly, the children had a understanding that they learn something about nature(e.g. learning by seeing, dlscovering, recollecting, and awakening). The analysis of teachers' ideas and learners' attitude toward nature experience shows that there exists a gap between the teachers' expectations and the actual ecological changes in the learners' ideas. However, the educational meaning of nature experience can be understood by the unique type of interaction between a teacher and learners. In conclusion, on the basis of this study, it is suggested that educators should be aware of the fact that nature experience can conttribute significantly to the education of children not just from the encounter with nature but also philosophically with regard to our connectedness with nature. Bringing nature into educational contexts can help children to take part in thoughtful perspectives of learning and to devise their own appropriate nature experience.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.47-61
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• 2023

Rather than an abstract discourse, the purpose of this study is to outline the core concepts in the 2015 revised curriculum as a concrete teaching and learning method in the school context. We interviewed eight secondary science teachers and reported their perceptions and perspectives on core concepts using a backward design model based on the cyclical process of the platform, deliberation, and design for developing teaching and learning materials to understand core concepts. The participants perceived these core concepts differently, such as big ideas corresponding to the ultimate principle, minimum science concepts required for daily life, and primary and significant key concepts. In addition, this affects the association of teaching and learning. When core concepts are understood as transferable and expandable big ideas, there is a tendency to focus on the relationship between concepts and design project learning in a specific direction. However, if core concepts are identified as minimum science concepts at the level of science literacy, that can be recalled within the context of life, there is a tendency to emphasize on activities that make a meaningful difference to the lives of students with focus on case studies that are relevant to everyday life. Once core concepts are identified as key scientific content elements, such as basic or significant concepts, teachers recognize that it is essential to emphasize concept changes by correcting misconceptions, acquiring accurate scientific knowledge, and developing problem-solving items through paper-and-pencil evaluation. As the 2015 revised curriculum is finalized and the 2022 revised curriculum is scheduled for release, effective policy support is required to ensure that the curriculum is revised, which emphasizes the purpose of big ideas by naming core concepts as core ideas, to be stably implemented in schools.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.185-200
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• 2024

This study explored the changes in the elementary science teaching expertise of teachers who participated in an in-school professional learning community for elementary science instructional research. Six elementary school teachers from grades 4, 5, and 6 at an 18-class S elementary school in a medium-sized city in Chungcheongbuk-do conducted collaborative instructional research on elementary science lessons as part of an in-school professional learning community, which was held 26 times over 7 months in 2020. During the professional learning community, video and audio recordings of the activities, research lessons, course materials, and professional learning community reflection activities were collected for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative research methods; data processing, reading, note-taking, description, classification, interpretation, reporting, and visualization; and the instructional professionalism elements were extracted based on the instructional professionalism framework. In the early professional learning community activity stages, the participating teachers first discussed their teaching perspectives, their experiences, and their goals for teaching science, which resulted in a selection of research questions. The teachers then collaboratively designed and implemented research lessons for each grade level, after which lesson reflections were conducted. The teachers' abilities to engage in qualitative reflection on the research questions improved after each reflection iteration. It was found that this professional learning community collaborative lesson study experience positively contributed to teaching expertise development. Based on the study findings, the implications for using professional learning communities to improve elementary teachers' science teaching expertise are given.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.288-298
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• 2018

In this study, we surveyed pre- and post-perceptions of fourteen science teachers related to the atmosphere composition of molecules with different masses by the developed test. As a result of the test, the teachers were classified into two types of thoughts; One of them is considered the atmosphere to be a homogeneous solution, and the other is a thought that the composition ratio of the atmosphere was not homogeneous considering the different weights of particles. The two types were reclassified into three categories; one of them is considering large gravity effect, another is considering small gravity effect, and the other is considering medium scale gravity effect. Total six types of thoughts were found from the pre-test. After introducing crosscutting concepts which are related to the composition of atmosphere. The teachers discussed the phenomena with the molecular motion by weights of atoms and temperature, the homogeneity of the solution of air in chemistry domain. They also discussed with the relationship between mass and gravity and distance in physics domain. And the discussion included distribution of the atmosphere, convection phenomena, etc. After the discussion, the teachers changed their pre-conceptions to post-concoctions considering combined perspectives of gravity, mass, temperature, altitude etc. Through these changes, we are able to confirm the importance of crosscutting concepts covered in various disciplines. In the integrated science, we should help teachers to provide students with these types of thinking in order to form a coherent world-view and to carry out inquiry thinking as an intellectual tool.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.280-288
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to draw implication for scientific inquiry study by investigating level of understanding and actual state regarding the elementary school teachers' scientific inquiry. The survey was conducted toward 42 elementary school teachers who work at the D city by using questionnaire of Views About Scientific Inquiry. Actual state of understanding of scientific inquiry was investigated by categorized the responses to the level of understanding of the eight aspects of scientific inquiry in three levels (informed, mixed, naive) based on analysis criteria. And analyze whether the characteristic of the subjects affect to level of understanding about aspect of scientific inquiry. As a result of the analysis, the two aspects among the eights aspects of scientific inquiry; 'Inquiry procedures are guided by the question asked' and 'Research conclusions must be consistent with the data collected' were appeared to have high rates of informed level of understanding. In the remaining six perspectives, most of elementary school teachers had naive and mixed level of understanding, so informed level of understanding took a relatively low proportion. It implies that elementary school teachers who teach inquiry in the field have limit to understand about scientific inquiry. These results indicated that experiences that have taught students and science related training courses that open sofar have a little influence to increase comprehension about scientific inquiry. Therefore, it is required to reinforce the teachers' understanding about scientific inquiry and to formulate different form of plan unlike existing way of teaching for teaching scientific inquiry.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.235-256
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of pre-service mathematics teachers who attended at a university course combined with teaching practicum based on design thinking process to identify the change of their awareness of its activities. For the research, 8 pre-service mathematics teachers participated in a mathematics major course, consisting of 5 phases of design thinking formed by Stanford d.school. In the end of the course, qualitative data were collected through individual and focus group interviews and the course activities. By data analysis, the results of this study were as follows. Firstly, the participants' perspectives of design thinking activities were changed from the difficulty and ambiguity of its activity in the beginning of the process to positiveness with competence of solving authentic problem in terms of teaching practicum over time. Secondly, the participating pre-service teachers emphasized that design thinking activities helped them prepare well teaching practicum and raise understanding of students they met in the school fields. Thirdly, some research participants went through the difficulty in utilizing their products drawn from 4th phase (prototyping) of design thinking process depending on the acceptance of their guidance teachers. Fourthly, the research participants also pointed out that the design thinking was a significant activity in that they learned how to understand and communicate with their students and how to collaborate with team members and it gave an insight about the preparation for a class. Through these results, this study identified the possibility of using the design thinking process for pre-service mathematics teachers' teaching practicum. In addition, the research put forward some implications for better use of design thinking in teacher education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.72-86
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine what epistemological beliefs pre-service teachers have about science depending on the situation, and to explore in-depth changes in epistemological beliefs through disciplinary reading. For this purpose, 77 essays written by pre-service elementary school teachers after reading Feynman's 'the meaning of it all' were analyzed using an inductive analysis method. As a result of the study, the epistemological beliefs of pre-service teachers were divided into two situations: 'science in subject learning' and 'science in daily life', and the epistemological beliefs formed in the 'science handled by scientists' situation were analyzed after reading the book. Each situation was divided into sub-categories of 'Impression of Knowledge', 'Source of Knowledge', 'Justification of Knowledge', 'Variability of Knowledge', 'Structure of Knowledge', and 'Value of Knowledge Acquisition' to reveal differences in sophisticated beliefs and naive belief levels. As a result, it was derived that Feynman's science lecture influenced pre-service teachers in terms of establishing new perspectives and recontextualizing existing epistemological beliefs. This study is meaningful in that pre-service teachers' scientific epistemological beliefs may vary depending on the situation, and that the scope and depth of epistemological beliefs may be expanded to include scientists' beliefs in science through disciplinary reading.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.621-635
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• 2010

Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been known as an effective strategy for dealing with various aspects of education such as the enhancement of students' motivation, interest in subjects, academic achievement, and cooperative abilities. However, PBL has not been widely implemented in secondary schools. The purpose of this study is to investigate secondary school teachers' perception of problem-based learning and their way of applying it. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine secondary school teachers. Five of them had experience in implementing PBL, while four of them had interest in using PBL but had not yet had the experience. Different concepts were extracted and categorized. Nvivo 2.0 was used for analysis. The results were as follows: Changes in student attitude toward class, improvement on cooperation with others, self-regulated learning skills, and satisfaction from students' positive comments on PBL enabled teachers to become more enthusiastic and positive toward PBL. The stress of developing proper problems and the enormous amounts of time and efforts required in using PBL were shown as barriers for teachers in implementing PBL. However, some negative perspectives about PBL changed into positive after teachers experience PBL. By examining each teacher's way of implementing PBL, several teaching strategies suitable to their school systems were suggested.