• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.1139-1153
• /
• 2013

Misconceptions are one of the most important and long-lasting studied themes on science education. It is because their nature is obstinate and settled as well as they corrupt students' understanding of science concepts. This study examines whether preservice elementary school teachers enrolled in biology teaching material research course changed positively on science teaching efficacy and correcting life science misconceptions when they used the handbook developed for this study. The handbook comprises 203 life science concepts surveyed among preservice teachers holding from advanced researches and arranged by 2007 Revised Science Curriculum. 107 preservice elementary school teachers participated in the study. Forty-six (46) of them were assigned to the experimental group and the other 61 to the control group. ANOVA was conducted for analyzing data. Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) and the life science misconception test which was developed for this study, were administrated as assessing instruments for pretest and posttest. The experimental group, using the handbook, acquired higher scores in both tests on statistical significance level than the control group who were not using the handbook. The results indicate the handbook developed for correcting life science misconceptions for this study is effective in enhancing science teaching efficacy and correcting life science misconceptions.

• Journal of Science Education
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.246-259
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service biology teachers' perception of the evolution. This study was to compare the views of pre-service biology teachers with no religion with those of christian preservice teachers. Subjects were 77 pre-service biology teachers who enrolled in an university and graduate school of education located in Seoul. The instrument of this study was a questionnaire which consisted of 14 items on 2 domains: the nature of science, the origins of human beings. The key results are as follows. Most pre-service teachers showed highly understanding of the characteristics of science. However pre-service biology teachers still possessed naive views on the distinction of law and theory. In terms of the methods of science, many of the pre-service biology teachers considered scientific theories to progress through the accumulation of observation and experiments or through changes and modifications in existing theories. Compared with the pre-service teachers with no religion, christian pre-service teachers had conflicting views and misconceptions about the origins of human beings. The factors of religion were found to be one of the important barriers which prevent them from understanding the origins of human beings. The results suggested that the education program for pre-service biology teachers integrating the concepts and development process of the scientific knowledges should be effective for understanding the nature of science. For pre-service biology teachers, It is important to understand conflicting views of the christian pre-service teachers who understand creationism as a science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.80-93
• /
• 2010

The scope of this study is: (1) to review or summarize the theoretical explanations of diffusion; (2) to investigate the preservice teachers' understanding of diffusion utilizing the inquiry experiment of diffusion that was developed in this study. The data was collected through questionnaires given to 41 preservice teachers in 3 universities and interviews with 20 subjects from this population, who conducted the inquiry experiment. During the experiment, the data was collected from the students' reports and 3 small groups' audio/video recordings. To understand preservice teachers' conceptions, reports, audio/video recordings, questionnaires and interviews were analyzed and discussed with co-workers. The results follow: (1) The differences between effusion and diffusion as well as equal-pressure experiment and equal-flux one on diffusion were discussed; (2) Most preservice teachers understood effusion and diffusion connected to Graham's law of diffusion by rote and have misconceptions about the diffusion process; (3) They observed two kinds of diffusion experiments (equal-pressure and equal-flux) by inquiry experiment, but the majority of them failed to find conceptual differences between these experiments. After the inquiry experiment, about 40% of the samples modified their conceptions about diffusion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.121-133
• /
• 1996

This study investigates the effect of instructional program using Nott & Wellington's" your nature of science profile" to facilitate the understanding about the nature of science for elementary preservice teachers. To do this. this study used posttest only control group design. The students in control group studied the topic by instructional program using textbook and reference book. Experimental group studied by instructional program: (1)evaluating personally one's understanding of the nature of science using Nott and Wellington's "your nature of science profile"; (2)studying the way of understanding the nature of science focusing five dimensions presented in it; (3)knowing other's understanding the nature of science; (4)discussing and evaluating reflectively the various aspect about it. Because the true understanding about the nature of science is not only to know about the method of science but also to know the target of science. We planned to evaluate the effect of instruction by such dichotomous way as evaluating simultaneously the understanding about the method of science and the target of science. Therefore the Questionnaire to evaluate the effect of instruction consisted two pairs of open-ended Questions: first pair is consisted of questions for the representation and judgement of scientific theory, second pair is consisted of questions for components and sources of scientific manipulation of the structure of science. The results of questionnaires by experimental group(n=75) and control group(n=77) are as follows: (1) Analysing responses about first pair of questions in dichotomous way, we identified four different patterns in students' understanding about scientific theory. And the instructional program using Nott & Wellington's "your nature of science profile" is not significantly effective in the distribution of patterns of understanding about scientific theory, but effective in driving out scientifically valid understanding, naturalistic realism, about scientific theory from the students having realistic aspect in representation of scientific theory; (2) Analysing responses about second pair of questions in dichotomous way, we identified five different patterns in students's understanding about structure of science. And the instructional program using Nott & Wellington's "your nature of science profile" is significantly effective in the distribution of patterns of understanding about structure of science, and effective in driving out scientifically valid understanding, dualistic-circular view or dualistic-circular view, about structure of science from the students having dualistic or dualistic aspect in components of structure of science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.31 no.8
• /
• pp.1077-1091
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of argumentation-based general chemistry laboratory on preservice science teachers' chemistry concepts understanding and writing. Five topics about argumentation-based general chemistry laboratory activities were developed using Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. Summary Writing Test, and Chemistry Concepts Test were developed as tools to examine the effects of this approach. Both Argumentation-based general chemistry laboratory activities and traditional general chemistry laboratory activities were implemented for the experimental group (23 students), and traditional general chemistry laboratory activities were implemented for the comparative group (16 students). Results of this study indicated that there were significant differences in both groups' chemistry concepts understanding and summary writing. The experimental group showed significantly higher mean score than comparative group in chemistry concepts understanding and summary writing. In the analysis of the sub-component of Summary Writing, there were no significant difference between both groups in 'Big Idea.' However, the experimental group gained significantly higher mean score in 'argumentation,' 'understanding of science concepts,' and 'rhetoric structure.' The results showed that argumentation-based general chemistry laboratory programs were effective in achieving chemistry concepts understanding and writing in general chemistry laboratory.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.437-451
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyse beginning science teachers' PCK. For the purpose of this study, two beginning science teachers were chosen in public middle school. Qualitative data were collected through classroom observation recording, semi-structured interviews, and other document data. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. The results indicated that the two beginning science teachers' PCK had little differences; both have insufficient knowledge of science curriculum and assessment, and their PCK had quite differences in the instructional strategies and the orientations toward teaching science. Though they were aware of students' various levels, their common teaching method focused on delivery of science text knowledge for poor understanding about student. In conclusion, the two beginning teachers' PCK were still similar with preservice teachers. To develop beginning teachers' PCK, it needs to change the paradigm of pre-service teachers education program and to expand in-service teachers training and supporting program.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.699-706
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of pre-service teachers, which directly affect the concepts and ways of thinking of students who are studying Earth science. This work further seeks to identify pre-service Earth science teachers' Earth science-centered ways of thinking regarding the components and the process of water cycle. The concept sketch method was used to survey 50 pre-service teachers who majored in Earth science education at a National Teachers' University. The survey analyzed the preservice teachers' perceptions of a subordinate concept of Earth systems from the applied components of water cycle, and to code the applied concepts with the components of the water cycle based on a subordinate concept of Earth systems including Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Geosphere, and Biosphere. The preservice teachers only perceived the components of the water cycle as ones in Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. In Biosphere, many participants lack the knowledge about how the actions of plants and animals, and human beings impact the water cycle. About the process of water cycle, the majority of the participants only perceived evaporation and precipitation as the process of cycling: their understanding about the underground flow of water was more lacking than the surface flow.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.186-192
• /
• 2007

In this study, the effects of concept mapping on the preservice elementary teachers' achievement, conceptual understanding, anxiety toward science, and science teaching efficacy belief were investigated in the undergraduate general chemistry course. The aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) between preservice teachers' learning approach and concept mapping strategy was also investigated. Sixty-nine freshmen from a university of education were assigned to a control group and a treatment group. Tests regarding students' learning approach, anxiety toward science, and science teaching efficacy belief were administered as pretests. Treatment lasted for 9 weeks. In every class, students in the treatment group constructed concept maps, while those in the control group solved the problems of the textbook after the lecture. After the instructions, tests of achievement, conceptual understanding, anxiety toward science, and science teaching efficacy beliefs were administered. The results indicated that students in the treatment group significantly outperformed those of the control group in the achievement test. In the conceptual understanding and the science teaching efficacy beliefs, however, no statistically significant differences were found between two groups. Students of the treatment group showed significantly higher anxiety than their counterpart in the test of anxiety toward science. No aptitudetreatment interaction between students' learning approach and the concept mapping strategy was found.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.353-366
• /
• 2011

An alternative vision for science inquiry that appears to be important and challenging is model-based inquiry in which students generate, evaluate and revise their explanatory model. Pre-service teachers should be given opportunities to develop and use their mechanistic explanatory models in order to participate in the practice of science and to have a sound understanding of science. With this view, this study described a case of pre-service elementary teachers' scientific modeling in magnetism. The aims of this study were to explore difficulties preservice elementary teachers encountered while they engaged in a model-based inquiry, and to examine how their understandings of the nature of scientific models changed after the model-based inquiry. The data analysis revealed that the pre-service teachers had difficulties in drawing and writing their own thinking because they had little experience of expressing their own science ideas. When asked to predict what would happen, they could not understand what it meant to make a prediction "based on their model". They did not know how to use or consider their model in making a prediction. At the end of the model-based inquiry they reached a final consensus of a best model. However, they were very anxious about whether the model was the "correct" answer. With respect to the nature of scientific models, almost all of the pre-service teachers initially viewed models only as a communication tool among scientists or students and teachers to help understand others' ideas. After the model-based inquiry, however, many of them understood that they could create, test, and revise their "own" models "by themselves". They also realized the key aspects of scientific models that a model can be changed as evidence is accumulated and a model is a knowledge production tool as well as a communication tool. The results indicated that pre-service elementary teachers' understandings of the nature of scientific models and their previous school science experiences could affect their performance on a model-based inquiry, and their experience of scientific modeling could help them enhance their understandings of the nature of scientific models.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.259-271
• /
• 2018

This study examined the effect of the SSI argumentation program based on social and emotional learning(SEL). The program consisted of 3 stages: (1) express their own feelings about SSI, identify the issues of SSI, and define a goal; (2) think of many possible solutions and envision results through argumentation; (3) select the best solution and make a decision based on warrants, data, and rebuttals. In each stage, the social-emotional strategies of self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, relationship-management, and responsible decision making were used. Seventeen preservice biology teachers participated in this study during one semester dealing with four socioscientific issues. The results indicated that the preservice teachers, as time went on, became accustomed to expressing identifiable rebuttals, dispute talk, and asking questions. At the first SSI argumentation, argumentation mainly consisted of cumulative talk with no rebuttals, representing level 2 argumentation. Level 3 argumentation represented rebuttals that were implicit and weak, with cumulative talk. In level 2 and 3 argumentation, the preservice teachers represented understanding of others and compassion for self and others. Level 4 argumentation had rebuttals that were explicit, asking critical questions of the opposite sides. In addition, level 5 argumentation represented more than two controversial points with several instances of dispute talk. In levels 4 and 5, the preservice teachers became actively engaged in communication, inquiry self with others, managing vulnerability and negotiation.