• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.447-460
• /
• 2017

This study asked preservice elementary teachers to conduct an inquiry of observing the moon, and analyzed the phenomena observed, difficulties experienced, and pedagogical suggestions by the preservice teachers. Participants were 31 undergraduate students enrolled in a science course in a university of education. As a part of the course, the preservice teachers observed the moon for about a month and completed personal journals which described the phenomena they observed, difficulties they experienced, and the pedagogical suggestions to help elementary students conduct the same inquiry activity. The analysis of the journals revealed that the preservice teachers observed the moon mostly during the evening or night and that they noticed lunar phases, directions, altitudes, and color and brightness more frequently than other phenomena. The preservice teachers experienced difficulties related to the observation time, lunar phases, directions, and altitudes, and, reflecting on their own experiences, suggested a variety of pedagogical ideas about these difficulties. The pedagogical suggestions by the preservice teachers also included how to help elementary students keep their interest and perform the moon observation for a rather long period of time. Implications for moon investigations in the elementary school science classroom and relevant research were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.297-310
• /
• 2021

This study explores the characteristics of within-school and across-school science teacher professional learning communities (hereafter, PLC) qualitatively. In-depth focus group interviews were conducted with science teachers belonging to seven PLCs within the science core school and three PLCs across schools. Interview questions include identity and motivation, major activities, and outcomes of PLC, as well as shortcomings and support plans for PLC. The results include both within-school and across-school science teacher PLCs formed for professional development related to science teaching and learning. Both science PLCs participated in the study showed the characteristics of a 'practice community' that developed a cooperative relationship through reciprocal participation, focusing on shared issues among members. Regarding issues, within-school PLCs focused on microscopic problems such as curriculum reconstruction of subject-matter, while across-school PLCs focused on macro problems such as teacher professional development. Regarding activities and roles as PLC, within-school and across-school science PLCs shared such features as collaborative professional development, and interpersonal education such as mentoring for novice teachers. In terms of PLC's influence and outcomes, science teacher PLCs has a positive effect not only on the teachers themselves, but also on the students and the teacher culture in the school. In addition, science teacher PLCs need improvement of the physical conditions for community operation, and software support such as protocol provision for PLC operation and joint research or re-education with universities. In particular, joint research between universities and science teacher PLCs shows the future orientation of the PLC as an 'inquiry community'. Based on the results, the necessity of active support for science PLC, the necessity of developing a cooperative system between science teacher PLC and universities, and ways to spread the PLC of science core schools to that of general schools were proposed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.657-670
• /
• 2020

The knowledge-information-processing competency is the most essential competency in a knowledge-information-based society and is the most fundamental competency in the new problem-solving ability. Data-driven science inquiry, which emphasizes how to find and solve problems using vast amounts of data and information, is a way to cultivate the problem-solving ability in a knowledge-information-based society. Therefore, this study aims to develop a teaching-learning model and strategy for data-driven science inquiry and to verify the validity of the model in terms of knowledge information processing competency. This study is developmental research. Based on literature, the initial model and strategy were developed, and the final model and teaching strategy were completed by securing external validity through on-site application and internal validity through expert advice. The development principle of the inquiry model is the literature study on science inquiry, data science, and a statistical problem-solving model based on resource-based learning theory, which is known to be effective for the knowledge-information-processing competency and critical thinking. This model is titled "Exploratory Scientific Data Analysis" The model consisted of selecting tools, collecting and analyzing data, finding problems and exploring problems. The teaching strategy is composed of seven principles necessary for each stage of the model, and is divided into instructional strategies and guidelines for environment composition. The development of the ESDA inquiry model and teaching strategy is not easy to generalize to the whole school level because the sample was not large, and research was qualitative. While this study has a limitation that a quantitative study over large number of students could not be carried out, it has significance that practical model and strategy was developed by approaching the knowledge-information-processing competency with respect of science inquiry.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.720-733
• /
• 2011

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an effective teaching-learning strategy for enhancing students' motivation, problem solving ability, and creativity. Its educational values coincide with the aim of open-inquiry activity introduced in 2007 revised national curriculum. From this aspect we designed the PBL open-inquiry program and implemented to 202 first year middle school students in Gyeonggi provincial office of education for one semester. We developed an energy related PBL problem. The program was designed in four steps: 'understand the problem,' 'investigate information,' 'solve the problem,' and 'present and evaluate the result.' Through the program, students did such activities as 'make Know/need to know chart,' 'group discussion,' 'search information,' and 'preparation of group report.' After completing the program, a survey was conducted to understand the students' perception of the program. The results are as follows: First, 40.6% of students showed positive attitude toward the program. Especially, students responded that 'make Know/need to know chart' was very useful. However, some students responded that 'search information' and 'preparation of group report' were difficult to perform. Second, male students showed positive attitude toward the PBL program compared to female students. Also students had higher scores in attitude toward science, showed more positive attitude toward the PBL program. Third, there was a significant correlation between attitude toward science and perception of PBL steps. Based on survey results, some suggestions were made for teachers who were planning to implement PBL in open-inquiry program.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.201-220
• /
• 2022

This study suggests a theoretical model of information literacy instructions in the context of the Extended Essay included in IB(International Baccalaureate) Diploma Program Core. The study particularly analyzed I-LEARN model as a model to teach and learn with information for inquiry-based learning since the model was developed for the purpose of learning with information. Some school districts in Korea adapted IB programs to address the need for better education. Findings indicate the followings. First, students can achieve deep understanding by applying a model of information literacy instructions that provides scaffolding. Second, the expected roles of school librarians in information literacy instructions for Extended Essay are process specialists, teachers, and instructional partners. Third, I-LEARN model is appropriate as a framework to teach information literacy skills for inquiry needed for Extended Essay. Fourth, I-LEARN assessment rubric is useful in assessing the process and outcomes of students' information seeking and use. Implications include that school librarians should develop themselves as experts in information literacy instructions for inquiry-based learning such as Extended Essay, and that Korean schools recognize the crucial role of school librarians in teaching information literacy skills for inquiry-based learinng.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.89-101
• /
• 2011

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) initiated by the Thailand Astronomical Society in 2007 is an annual competition for high school students. One of its aim is to enhance the development of international exchange in the field of school education in astronomy and astrophysics. This paper first provides the overview of the IOAA in terms of key regulations based on its statutes, history and current status. Secondly, the published syllabus of the IOAA is used for content analysis according to subject areas regarding the exam questions of the IOAA in theoretical, observational and data analysis parts from 2007 to 2010. Also, a scientific inquiry framework is applied to the same questions for assessment based on scientific inquiry in the cognitive aspect with two sub-classes of scientific knowledge and scientific reasoning. Among a dozen astronomy subject areas listed on the syllabus, the theoretical part of the IOAA makes more frequent use of the Sun, the solar system, properties of stars, and concept of time. In content knowledge, a factor of scientific knowledge, the IOAA questions, especially in the theoretical part have a lesser degree in difficulty than the IAO (International Astronomy Olympiad) exam questions for the same period whose degree in difficulty is comparable to college level. With regard to scientific reasoning, the IOAA questions tend to involve convergent rather than divergent thinking. Lastly, in light of these findings, discussions are given on the outcome of Korean participation in the previous IOAAs and ways to help better in preparing Korean students for future astronomy Olympiads.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.227-238
• /
• 1996

This study primary aim is to investigate students' responses to experimental results which conflict with their preconceptions regarding electrical circuits. Eighty-eight students of both sexes were randomly selected from a science high school in Korea. They were questioned about their preconceptions regarding an electric circuit, and sixty-eight students with relevant misconceptions were selected. These students were presented with experimental results obtained by some other experimenter, and asked to interpret these results. The second aim of this study is to explore how students' responses vary according to the type of inquiry-skills required to obtain the result. To do this, two type of experimental results were developed: one obtained by observation and the other obtained by controlling variables. We found that many students doubted results for the simple reason that they conflicted with their preconceptions. They rejected results by mentioning other factors which could have affected the result, or simply by reiterating their preconceptions. This behaviour varied considerably by inquiry-skill type. 41% of students rejected conflictual result obtained by observation, but only 6% of students rejected results obtained by controlling variables.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.760-774
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristic of the linguistic interaction according to leadership type of the leader in the scientific inquiry activity groups and examine how leadership factors affect the linguistic interaction within a group. In this investigation, leaders among 12 elementary school students were chosen by considering results of the leadership diagnosis that tested 3 leadership factors: vision and promotion, assignment responsibility, and decision-making. The members of the groups were organized according to scientific inquiry ability and academic achievement; the groups were assigned to perform scientific inquiry activities. The linguistic interaction was largely divided into the cognitive domain and the affective domain for analysis. According to the results, the frequency of linguistic interaction within a group sorted by leadership type is more influenced by the cognitive domain than the affective domain. The highest frequency of linguistic interaction appeared within the group that had vision and promotion type leader. Assumedly, the vision and confidence of the vision and promotion type leader produced such an outcome. While solving the assignments, linguistic interaction in all three groups had more cognitive domain than affected domain. Linguistic interaction in cognitive domain displayed only low level of linguistic interaction in relation to the experiment itself: high level of linguistic interaction barely occurred. In the case of affected domain, active participation appeared more frequently than maintaining the mood: Interactions related to restricting the group members actions to solve the assignment appeared more frequently than those for maintaining the mood.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.71-87
• /
• 1987

The purpose of this study is to compare the status of high school science education in 1982 and 1986. The same questionaire was used for the survey of high school science education which was developed by Yu in 1982. The questionaires were responded by the principals. science head teachers. science teachers and students. The major findings are as followings: 1. The perception for the importance of science education has been declined. 2. The support for sciene science education has been reduced. 3. The entrance exanination for university or college is the serious bottleneck of high school science education. 4. It is very hard for science teachers to teach science as inquiry through the true experiment under the current situation of high school science education.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.90-103
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine the anxiety arising from the budgetary and mental problems of graduate school students. Three graduate students majoring in Earth science examined conflict situations by using a narrative inquiry technique. First, participants become psychologically unstable due to a lack of knowledge in the field of Earth science, lack of mentors, lack of information related to academic schedules, late start compared to others, financial difficulties, and discrimination in the scholarship system. Second, participants felt hope from the perception that their lives are valuable, that they can change students for the better, and that they are developing themselves. Third, with their hope, the study participants bore the previously mentioned inferior situation mentioned above. They are, however, torn between becoming secondary school teachers and attempting to reroute their career path due to certain circumstances. Based on the results of the examination, the following conclusions were drawn. First, there should be improvements from graduate school management based on collecting and scrutinizing the demands of students in the to fulfill their needs. Second, providing psychological counseling for students who have problems overcoming their anxieties. This study expects graduate schools to not only emphasize training of incumbent teachers, but also suggest ways that can satisfy students to make better learning environment for all its members.