• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.125-143
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• 2014

In this study, we analyzed a mathematical discussion in the Calculus II course of the Gifted Science Academy and individual interviews to determine the relationship between cognitive conflicts and commognitive conflicts. The mathematical discussion began with a question from a student who seemed to have a cognitive conflict about the osculating plane of a space curve. The results indicated that the commognitive conflicts were resolved by ritualizing and using the socially constructed knowledge, but cognitive conflicts were not resolved. Furthermore, we found that the cause of the cognitive conflict resulted from the student's imperfect analogical reasoning and the reflective discourse about it could be a learning opportunity for overcoming the conflict. These findings imply that cognitive conflicts can trigger the appearance of commognitive conflicts, but the elimination of commognitive conflicts does not imply that cognitive conflicts are resolved.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.93-122
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• 2018

It is crucial to understand the characteristics of learner questioning due to the effects it has on learning. This study focuses on the effects of middle school students questioning on their academic achievement in an online inquiry learning environment. A survey of 827 middle school students was conducted; the students took part in an online math and science program offered by a center for the gifted. Throughout the survey, learner questioning was analyzed, and its correlation with academic achievement was investigated. An analysis was based on questioning categories of a low- and high-level questions from previous studies. Through the survey, it was found that the number of learner questions asked in the online environment was small, but the number of low- and high-level questions were almost equal. Secondly, the higher the academic achievement level of the student, the higher the possibility they would ask either low- or high-level questions. Lastly the group of students in both low- and high-levels of questioning earned the highest average scores on formative evaluations and inquiry tasks. This indicates that regardless of the level of questions, the act of questioning itself is highly related to the academic achievement. However, in the case of advanced learning projects, the quality of questioning and high-level questioning affected the academic achievement of students. Based on these results, implications for the encouragement of learner questioning and support for asking high-level question are suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.825-833
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• 2017

The Korean Ministry of Education has emphasized human resource development with creative and convergent ability for future science and technology development. Korean STEAM Education aims to enhance students' interest and their understanding of science and technology as well as to develop students' creative problem-solving skills. Through STEAM R&E project, students experience self-directed research in order to solve the problem in the context of everyday life. In this study, we aim to find out whether the creative leader competency of high school students changed after they experienced the STEAM R&E project. The creative leader competency consisted of three domains: cognitive, affective, and societal domain. We measured the creative leader competency using the questionnaire scales. The questionnaire was administered to 612 high school students who participated in the 2016 STEAM R&E project. Pre- and post- test scores were collected, and we analyzed it. We compared the mean difference between pre- and post- test scores as well as the mean differences among science high school, gifted school, science core school, and general high school. From the result, we found that all student' creative leader competency improved after participating in the STEAM R&E project in all three domains. The result also showed that students' test scores of science high school and gifted school showed no significant mean differences, while student's scores of both science core school and general high school improved significantly. From the results, we concluded that STEAM R&E activities could be an effective tool in cultivating creative leader competency, especially for general high school students and science core school students. We also suggested that further researches are needed to find how we could enhance students' creative leader competency.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.129-145
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• 2012

This study investigated factors of creativity and interaction between factors that are revealed when gifted students designed scientific experiments. For this, we firstly developed items which required the written process of designing experiments to explore creativity factors. Then, we used these items as a part for letters of self-introduction to students who applied for 2011 correspondence education of general physics for the Korea Physics Olympiad. 513th letters of self-introduction which were analyzed to investigate factors of creativity in view of creativity definition after researchers' consultation, which specifically means a combination of divergent and convergent thinking. The results were as follows; (1) in the step of hypothesis building, we could not only find Originality and the Flexibility & Fluency, which were factors of divergent thinking, but also Coherency and Elaborateness, which were factors of convergent thinking. (2) in the step of the hypothesis testing, we could explore Originality, Flexibility & Fluency in divergent thinking and Coherency, Reliability, Clarity, Elaborateness in convergent thinking. (3) we also figured out three creativity types of gifted students from the viewpoint that creativity is a consequence of interaction between divergent thinking and convergent thinking; a) Type A showed divergent and convergent factors of creativity in the step of hypothesis building. However, type A did not include divergent factors of creativity on the process of the hypothesis testing. b) Type B had divergent and convergent factors of creativity on the process of the hypothesis testing, but it had not convergent factors of creativity on the step of hypothesis building. c) Finally, in Type C, only divergent factors of creativity appeared on the process of the hypothesis testing, but convergent factors of creativity could be found on the step of hypothesis building and hypothesis testing.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.69-77
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• 2022

Physical experiment through MBL has been used in many schools for a long time since students can check the experiment results immediately and conduct the experiment easily. However, conducting the experiment, not knowing the principle of the device or simply concentrating on the derived data has been raised as the problem of MBL experiment. To supplement this problem, this study measured the acceleration of gravity with the picket fence method, which is often used in MBL experiment, utilizing Arduino, calculated the error rate through a comparison to the actual acceleration of gravity and discussed the educational application of the experiment to measure it. As a result of the experiment, the error rate between the acceleration of gravity calculated by the experiment and the actual acceleration of gravity was about 1%, so it turned out that relatively accurate measurements were possible. Also, the sample mean of the experimental value was included in the confidence interval of 95%, so it could be concluded that it was a significant experiment. In addition, this study showed the possibility of the educational application of the experiment to measure it through the following: It can supplement the structural disadvantages of MBL; it can consider the interaction between Physics and Math; it is possible to converge with information course in STEAM education; and it is inexpensive to be equipped with the equipment. Hopefully, the physical experiment utilizing Arduino will further be revitalized in science gifted education based on this study.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.425-443
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• 2013

We developed problem-solving type inquiry learning programs reflecting scientists' research process and analyzed the activities of science-gifted high school students, and the understanding and the effects of the programs after implementation in class. For this study, twelve science-gifted students in the 10th grade participated in the program, which consisted of three different modules - making a cycloidal pendulum, surface growth, and synchronization using metronomes. Diet Cola Test (DCT) was used to find out the effect on the improvement of the ability to design experiments by comparing pre/post scores, with a survey and an interview being conducted after the class. Each module consisted of a series of processes such as questioning the phenomenon scientifically, designing experiments to find solutions, and doing activities to solve the problems. These enable students to experience problem-solving type research process through the program class. According to this analysis, most students were likely to understand the characteristics of problem-solving type inquiry learning programs reflecting the scientists' research process. According to the students, there are some differences between this program class and existing school class. The differences are: 'explaining phenomenon scientifically,' 'designing experiments for themselves,' and 'repeating the experiments several times.' During the class students have to think continuously, design several experiments, and carry them out to solve the problems they found at first. Then finally, they were able to solve the problems. While repeating this kind of activities they have been able to experience the scientists' research process. Also, they showed a positive attitude toward the scientists' research by understanding problem-solving type research process. These problem-solving type inquiry learning programs seem to have positive effects on students in designing experiments and offering the opportunity for critical argumentation on the causes of the phenomena. The results of comparing pre/post scores for DCT revealed that almost every student has improved his/her ability to design experiments. Students who were accustomed to following teacher's instructions have had difficulty in designing the experiments for themselves at the beginning of the class, but gradually, they become used to doing it through the class and finally were able to do it systematically.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.565-575
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• 2017

This study analyzes the epistemic considerations and the argumentation level revealed in the discourse of the key concept of natural selection for science-gifted elementary students. The paper analyzes and discusses the results of a three-student focus group, drawn from a cohort of twenty gifted sixth-grade elementary students. Nature, generality, justification, and audience were used to analyze epistemic consideration. Learning progression in scientific argumentation including argument construction and critique was used to analyze students' scientific argumentation level. The findings are as follows: First, Epistemic considerations in discourse varied between key concepts of natural selection discussed. The nature aspect of epistemic considerations is highly expressed in the discourse for all natural selection key concepts. But the level of generality, justification and audience was high or low, and the level was not revealed in the discourse. In the heredity of variation, which is highly expressed in terms of generality of knowledge, the linkage with various phenomena against the acquired character generated a variety of ideas. These ideas were used to facilitate engagement in argumentation, so that all three students showed the level of argumentation of suggestions of counter-critique. Second, students tried to explain the process of speciation by using concepts that were high in practical epistemic considerations level when explaining the concept of speciation, which is the final natural selection key concept. Conversely, the concept of low level of epistemic considerations was not included as an explanation factor. The results of this study suggest that students need to analyze specific factors to understand why epistemological decisions are made by students and how epistemological resources are used according to context through various epistemological resources. Analysis of various factors influencing epistemological decisions can be a mediator of the instructor who can improve the quality and level of the argumentation.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2018

In this study, the trend of research and practice of science education for students with special educational needs was discussed in consideration of the aim of science education. Since the 1980s 'science for all' has been suggested as an important goal of science education and it has been pursued in the National Curriculum of Korea with differentiated teaching and learning approach. The meaning of 'science for all' should be expanded to science education for all students including minorities. However, comparing to 'normal' students, there have been relatively little researches and practices for those who need special educational supports as to meet their special talents or as to meet their special mental or physical challenges. Especially, the efforts for handicapped students or students with special educational needs (SEN) have been deficient in comparison to that of talented or gifted students. In this study the authors introduced the history and procedures of a 'Science Fair of Hope' with SEN students as an example of practice of science education for all, and then described the change among pre-service science teachers' attitudes towards disability and inclusive education, so as to discuss the practice and significance of science education for all students including SEN students.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.31-51
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to develop "Movie Production Project" Science-Arts convergence STEAM program for elementary students and investigate the effects of the program on career orientation of science, career awareness and creative personality. Participants were 82 elementary school students. The results of this study were as follows: First, experimental group's total score of career orientation of science was significantly higher than that of comparative group. Among sub-areas, science learning preference, science career preference and perception on science career worth were significantly different between two groups. Experimental group's scores were significantly higher than those of comparative group. Second, experimental group's career awareness total score was significantly higher than that of comparative group including all sub-areas. Third, experimental group's creative personality total score was significantly higher than that of comparative group including 2 sub-areas, independence, openness. Finally, experimental group student's perception on the program showed that it was interesting, a little easy and they hoped to study again.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.65-94
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to acquire the information on the current situation of students' selection process in order to renovate the system of picking up the students. As a first step of the study, we examined the validity of the factors of the single-out system such as qualification and the process for the application and the standards and proceeding of the selection. Then we analysed the result of the entrance examination of Hansung Science Highschool in 2002. The analysis was on the correlation between the result of entrance examination and the achievement in the school and the decision of the course after graduation. To know on the achievement of the students, we investigated the records of regular tests and asked the teachers' opinion in math and science classes. As a result, we gained the following points: First, the present single-out system has a danger of excluding students who are much talented in science and math field because it is based on students' achievements in middle schools; Second, the new selection system should consider the character and attitude of the applicants in addition to their knowledge; Third, the continuous observation of the teacher in middle school should be an important factor of the picking up system; Fourth, more questions requiring divergent thinking ability and inquiry skill should be developed as selective examination question. Also examination questions should cover the various contents from mathematics to science, and do not affect pre-learning; Finally, the system of present letting all students stand in one line should be changed into that of letting students in various lines. We can consider using multi-step selection system.