• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to get an implication on teacher education program, by exploring the difficulties pre-service elementary teachers have with their science lessons. 37 pre-service teachers were requested to write an anecdote about their science lessons during their 4 week practicum. By analyzing these anecdotes, the difficulties were grouped into several categories by the researcher, and then reconfirmed by the pre-service teachers themselves. The result showed that there were far more difficulties with practical work (cases: 48), than with content knowledge teaching (cases: 17). Among practical work related difficulties, the most frequent cases were: 1) when they have unexpected result different from scientific theory (cases: 10), 2) when they teach process skill and usage of lab equipments (cases: 8), and 3) when they do not have enough preparation for practical work (cases: 7). Unlike the result of preceding research on secondary pre-service teachers, there was no affective aspect problems. These difficulties also can be divided into 'problems' and 'dilemmas'. Whereas 'problems' can be settled by removing obstacles, 'dilemmas', a conflict-filled situation, require choices between competing values or aims. The use of scientific language, the decision on the level and amount of knowledge they teach, and disposal of unexpected experiment results caused such dilemmas in science lessons. The research results imply practical work should be more strengthened in the elementary teacher education program. And both teacher educators and pre-service teachers need to understand that practical teaching is a complex enterprise accompanying some 'dilemmas'. The role of science teachers as managers of dilemmas could be considered.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.166-182
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• 2019

This study examined teachers' difficulties that they encountered free semester science assessment and their problem solutions. Fifteen science teachers who had experiences of free semester teaching and assessment were selected by convenience sampling in this study. The participant teachers mentioned difficulties of accurate scoring in student self/peer assessment and suggested solutions of providing studetns with detailed assessment criteria and opportunities to practice assessment. The participant teachers mentioned a lack of objective assessment criteria for affective domain and suggested solutions of providing criteria prior to assessment and developing assessment framework. The participant teachers mentioned a lack of assessment tools and references for perforamnce assesement. The participant teachers mentioned difficulties of a large teacherstudent ratio for providng feedbacks to students and suggested solutions of decreasing teacher-student ratio and teaching load. The participant teachers mentioned difficulties of identifying student characteristics for assessment reporting and suggested solutions of decreaing teacher work load. The participant teachers mentioned a lack of teacher understanding of process based assessment and inactive attitude to performance assessment and suggested solutions of professional learning community and improving teacher perceptions on performance assessment. The participant teachers mentioned difficulties of a large teacher-student ratio and a lack of time for implementing assessment methods that they learned from professional development programs. With both teacher self-efforts and systematic support, these problems would be solved and success of free semester assessment would be achieved.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.55-72
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to find out what kind of difficulties teachers face in the management of the elementary gifted institutions in the rural area of Chungbuk province. In this study, rural area was defined that the area where gifted education is difficult to access due to geographical accessibility or where gifted education service is restricted. The participants of the this study were three elementary gifted teachers who manage elementary gifted education institutions and is teaching science to disadvantaged gifted students. We collected data about the difficulties and support needs for the management of the gifted institutions in the rural area through the questionnaire and the interview. The results of this study are as follows. First, the common difficulty that teachers expressed was the lack of parental attention and awareness of gifted education. Second, the teachers who participated in this study perceived different difficulties according to their area, experience, and environment. Teacher A is the lack of awareness of the managers, teacher B is the difficulty of student selection, teacher C is the most difficult factor in teacher quality management. This difference in perceptions also led to differences in the support improvements required by gifted class teachers in the rural area. Third, the three teachers commonly referred to difficulties to access due to geographical accessibility, and demanded the integrated management of the gifted class in the rural area and the support for the expansion of the class.

• 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.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 1978

In order to normalized the Earth Science Education, experiments and geologic field trainings are very important. But it have not carried out on account of many difficulties in current High School of Korea. These difficulties are lack of time, many problems of the text book, heavy teaching load, shortage of facilities and experimental equipments, and poor quality of teacher etc. The practical training of geologic field trip is very important in Earth Science Education. Finally, wirter propose a new teaching plan of geologic field training as follows: 1. The teacher must prepare the guide paper of field geologic training. 2. Subjects of practical training must simplify. 3. The teacher must take a pre-field investigation in order to get the teaching plan and the preparation of practical field training. 4. Let students observe for themselves on this guide, as if they were geologists. 5. The teacher must conclude about practical training after the working.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.73-88
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore elementary teachers' difficulties on teaching science by analyzing questions that have been posted for a long time in an autonomous online teacher community named Indischool. For this purpose, 409 question postings(the 2007 and 2009 revised curriculum, third to sixth grade) were analyzed using the framework for analyzing questions about elementary teachers' science teaching(modified from Alake-Tuenter et al., 2013). The study revealed that there were more science-SMK questions than science-PCK questions, and most of the questions were 'about lenses' and 'in 2014 and 2015, when the curriculum was changing from the 2007 to the 2009 revised curriculum'. The long-standing difficulties in science-SMK were 'an application of facts and concepts in lenses' and 'an unexpected experimental error in electricity'. In particular, there are the principle of transparent cup-shaped objects acting as lenses, the process of image formation by convex lenses, experimental errors of 'compass movement due to current flow change' and experimental errors 'serial connection of bulbs'. The long-standing difficulties in science-PCK were 'understanding and response to context' and 'understanding and response to aims mentioned in standard document' and these are not related to physical units but to others. In particular, there are request class materials, activity ideas at the end of the semester and understanding the national curriculum guidelines. These teachers' difficulties should be reflected in the science teaching support system like a teacher's guide compilation, teacher's training curriculum development, etc.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.447-460
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• 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 Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.588-596
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for improving the STEAM class by examining elementary school teachers' difficulties in the STEAM class and discussing solutions. For this research, 25 elementary school teachers in Seoul City and Gyeonggi-do were asked to write their difficulties in the STEAM class in the open-ended questionnaires. After classification of the collected data, an in-depth interview was conducted with one in-service elementary school teacher who is richly experienced in STEAM education to find solutions for each type of difficulties. The study result showed that most of elementary school teachers had difficulties in the STEAM class, due to selection of integrated subjects, production of teaching devices and materials, guidance of group activities, reorganization of the curriculum, assessment and uncooperative co-teachers. One teacher that participated in the interview to discuss solutions for teachers' difficulties was solving the problems in various ways. She said that many of her solutions came from her experience and also, knowledge obtained through a participation in the STEAM training or opportunities to share information with other teachers who belong to the STEAM research institution, was highly helpful.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.580-591
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to get implications on teacher education curriculum according by analyzing pre-service secondary teachers' difficulties during student-teacher practice. Fifty-six pre-service secondary teachers were requested to write anecdotes about their student-teacher practice. Pre-service secondary teachers revealed that they had experienced the most difficulties relating to instruction teaching. They answered that they had especially comprehended inducing interest in diffcult learners, attention, appropriate composition of questions, and learners' understanding levels. Pre-service secondary teachers showed that they had tried to control students in experiment instruction. Also, they demonstrated that time for guidance counseling had been insufficient. They were dissatisfied with the content and level of counseling. Therefore, we need to improve teachers' college curriculum by performing student-teacher practice and feedback. We especially need to systematize teachers' college curriculum on the basis of developing standards of science teachers' expertise.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.429-436
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• 2010

In this study, the difficulties experienced by secondary preservice science teachers in studying the theory of science education for teacher selection test were studied. At first, questions of the internet cafe for preparing the teacher selection test from January 2008 to June 2009 were analyzed in terms of content area. A survey was also administered to 39 preservice science teachers who took the teacher selection test. The rubric used in this study was developed by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation and the Korean Association for Science Education. As a result, the most frequent question areas were 'philosophy and history of science' and 'theories and models of teaching and learning science'. In the survey with the preservice science teachers, the most difficult content area was the philosophy of science. The application of teaching and learning model was also one of the most difficult areas. Based on these results, educational implications were discussed.