• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to discover and develop any implications which may arise in relation to science teachers' professional growth and development by investigating the difficulties experienced by elementary school teachers in science classes. 196 elementary school teachers were requested to write an anecdotal report regarding their science lessons. 30 science teachers in middle school also answered the same questionnaire. By means of inductive categorical analyzing, the difficulties were grouped into several categories. The results were as follows: (1) The difficulties elementary teachers experience in their science lessons fall into three categories; 'professional science knowledge(9.8%)', 'science laboratory activities(78.3%)', 'teaching methodology(11.2%)'. (2) Science teachers in middle school experienced similar difficulties. However, distribution differed from that of elementary school teachers; 'professional science knowledge(39.0%)', 'science laboratory activities(35.6%)', 'teaching methodology(27.1%)'. (3) The causes of these difficulties were identified as follows; a lack of time to prepare for science classes, insufficient substantial pre-service teacher education, and a lack of adaptive support to elementary school teachers.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.189-206
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating effect of pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching on the relations among child care teachers' burnout, science teaching anxiety, and science teaching efficacy. For this study, questionnaires were distributed to 355 teachers working at child care centers in Jollanam-do. The analysis of data was conducted with SPSS WIN 18.0. The results of this study were as follows. First, child care teachers' burnout lowered their science teaching efficacy, and child care teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, as a mediating variable, reduced the negative effect of child care teachers' burnout on their science teaching efficacy. Second, child care teachers' science teaching anxiety lowered their science teaching efficacy, and child care teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, as a mediating variable, reduced the negative effect of child care teachers' science teaching anxiety as an independent variable on their science teaching efficacy. These findings imply there is a need to boost pedagogical content knowledge during in-service teacher education programs.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.87-101
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school teachers' perception and the status of education program on science museum field trips by using a questionnaire (188 teachers) and interview (6 teachers). The results of the research are as follows. First, factors influencing elementary school teachers who choose the science museum as a place for field trips were 'student's interest', 'teacher's own experience related to the science museum', 'science curriculum', 'suggestions from a fellow teacher', 'space available for field work' and so on. Second, 82% of the respondents conducted pre-education program, but they mainly conducted safety education. Third, the teacher conducted post-education program less than pre-education program. In the post-education program, the most activities were to express and share knowledge and experience gained from the science museum. Fourth, 52.2% of the teachers provided tasks or activity sheets during science museum field trips. Fifth, the teachers mainly served as safety guide. In addition, the teachers thought that safety guide was the most important role of teacher in science museum field trips. Sixth, the teachers thought that the method of viewing the science museum's collection, which emphasizes the role of docent rather than the teacher, was more educational.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to observe five teachers' science classes and analyze the patterns of their analogies. To analyze the data, investigator triangulation was used, and the results were as follows: First, among the patterns of analogy used, expressions of similes and metaphors were utilized by all the teachers; teachers with over ten years' experience used adult's daily phrases, and teachers with under ten years' experience tended to use anthropomorphism. Regarding pictorial analogies, these manifested themselves in the sixth period, while teachers with over ten years' experience drew a simple picture about circulation of water, teachers with under one year's experience made additional materials for their analogy and they put an emphasis on the concept of the circulation itself. Teachers tended to use analogs according to their interests; teachers who majored in science education used pictorial analogies for further study. Second, the patterns emerging from the correspondence of the analogy manifested themselves in all the teachers equally, but they have no relation to the teacher's background. Third, routine analogy and artificial analogy appeared equally in consideration of degree of artificiality among the patterns of the analogies used. Regarding routine analogy, most teachers tended to look for analogs from things and experiences from themselves or their own backgrounds rather than those of the students. Regarding artificial analogies, teachers tended to purposely choose analogs to help students to understand; energetic teachers sometimes failed to choose appropriate analogs because they approached the topic with too much intensity. While a teacher who lacked experience and interest in science used many expressions of analogy, a teacher who felt some degree of constraint rarely used expressions of analogy. Fourth, most of the teachers used analogs familiar to their own experiences but students often found understanding these analogs difficult. Therefore, teachers need to make greater efforts to utilize analogs which are especially familiar to students when they attempt to explain science concepts.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.95-112
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• 2017

The competence of teachers, comes out through their lesson, is one of the key factors of school education. The purpose of this study is comparing the viewpoints on the science lessons in the elementary classrooms between pre-service teachers and highly experienced teachers in order to draw implications on pre-service teacher educating system. The participants of the study are 14 junior students in a university of education and 9 elementary school teachers who are highly educated and have much career experience. Each student participant observed one video clip with science lesson of their classmate. The total number of the video subject to observation is 4. Meanwhile experienced teachers observed 1 or 2 videos which are the same to those the students watched. The participants made a class criticism according to the General Standards for Class Critique made by KICE. The in-depth analysis of the criticism yielded the following conclusions; First, pre-service teachers had narrow views on the science class mainly limited in the practical part of class, but experienced teachers had wide views covered to class-knowledge, plan, and practice. Second, most experienced teachers thought that learning is the process by which students acquire knowledge or concepts by themselves, and the main purpose of the class is to help students' learning. Meanwhile, there were many pre-service teachers who thought that conveying knowledge or concepts to students was the main purpose of the class. Third, experienced teachers thought that a good science class should maintain consistency around the learning goals from the planning, implementation, and evaluation. However, many pre-service teachers did not take the learning objectives so seriously.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.425-439
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate what elementary teachers know about students' science misconceptions and how the teachers plan for and address their students' misconceptions in instruction. The sample included 61 teachers who participated in a teacher training program irrelative to science education. A questionnaire into which Gomez-Zwiep's semi-structured interview questions was transformed was used to examine the teachers' understandings of definition, origin, examples, and so on of science misconceptions, and their instructional strategies for addressing their students' misconceptions before and while instruction. The results showed that many teachers (about 60%) did not have appropriate understanding of students' misconceptions, that the majority of the teachers (about 75%) did not consider misconceptions at all before teaching science lessons, and that almost all the teachers (about 90%) did not know particular strategies specifically designed for misconceptions.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1071-1081
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• 2002

This article describes the status of science teacher education in Taiwan. The pre-service and in-service science teacher training system, institutes, curricula, programs, and evaluation on the institutes were briefly introduced. The differences before and after the 1996 reform of science teacher training system were compared. Finally, the attempts and efforts that have been done through the channels of research to promote science teachers' professional development were addressed. These efforts include the Case studies of exemplary science teachers' teaching performances, the development of licensure instruments for the certification of science teachers, the use of computers and distance education for supervising student teachers, the exploration of promoting science teachers' understanding about the nature of science, the exploration of promoting science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, the exploration of promoting science teachers' ability of increasing effective student-teacher and student-student interactions, and the exploration of effective teaching strategies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.713-723
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• 2008

Science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy are influential factors in teachers' teaching practices and behaviors. In order to encourage elementary teachers to do better teaching practice, this study identified factors that have caused teachers' science teaching-anxiety, developed an instrument measuring science teaching-anxiety, and investigated the relationship between science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy. In addition, we attempted to suggest practical implications to enhance teachers' confidence in science teaching. The guiding research questions were 1) which factors affect science teaching-anxiety level of the preservice elementary teachers, and 2) how each factor of science teaching-anxiety is related to science teaching-efficacy. The subjects were 133 Korean preservice elementary teachers (57.1% were female) in a large city. The data sources included teachers' responses to three paper and pencil questionnaires: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Science Teaching-Anxiety Questionnaire (STAQ), and Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B). To clarify the science teaching-anxiety, we specified it into six factors: trait anxiety about nature of science and science teaching, state anxiety about instruction, science activities, student assessment, and professional responsibilities. The results indicated three significant aspects of science teaching anxiety and efficacy. First, their level of anxiety about professional responsibility and science teaching was relatively high among six factors. Second, there was a negative correlation between science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy. Third, trait anxiety about science teaching is the most influential factor for science teaching-efficacy while state anxiety about instruction and professional responsibilities were followed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.244-249
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• 2000

Using a sample of 83 secondary school science teachers, this study investigated the views on science and learning which they have. Questionnaires used in this study were the same that Kwon & Pak(1995) administered. Both 'Questionnaire for Perception of Nature of Science' and 'Questionnaire for Constructivistic Views of Learning' were 11-point scales. Data analyses were done by using t-test and ANOVA. The secondary science teachers showed a relativistic, deductivistic, instrumental, and process-oriented views on science. The younger age of the teachers, the more emphasis on process rather than content. Female teachers had more relativistic, instrumental, and process-oriented views than male teachers had. The teachers sampled in this study showed a constructivistic view on learning. Finally, the teachers' views of science and learning were closely related each other.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1082-1102
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• 2002

Most of comparative studies in science teacher education so far have been conducted in terms of teacher education policy, pre- and in-service training system and curriculum, and certificate system. While such superficial information can be readily obtainable, it does not necessarily enable us to make access to reality of science teachers' professional development in respective countries, because practice in professional development among science teachers is deeply embedded into respective socio-cultural environment or climate. In order to get information on reality in science teachers' professional development, alternative approaches of research should be developed. This paper aims at pursuing an alternative way to approach reality of Japanese science teachers' professional development. An email survey of free description method with 29 in-service science teachers with a variety of years of experience in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, revealed that Japanese science teachers have developed their expertise through very close daily-based communication with their peer science teachers. At least, within their consciousness, neither formal in-service training programs, nor pre-service training programs have had much stronger effects on their professional development than such non-formal, daily-based, deep, apprenticeship-typed or in some sense, family-typed communication. The results suggest that in order to conduct meaningful comparative studies, we should take much more attention to how to make access to reality of science teachers' professional development.