• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.500-520
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• 2010

The purposes of this case study were (1) to explore one experienced teacher's views on Earth Systems Education and (2) to describe and document the characteristics of the Earth Systems Education (ESE) curriculum provided by an exemplary middle school science teacher, Dr. J. All the essential pieces of evidence were collected from observations, interviews with the experienced teacher and his eighth grade students, informal conversations, document analysis, and field notes. The $NUD^*IST$ for MS Windows was used for an initial data reduction process and to narrow down the focus of an analysis. All transcriptions and written documents were reviewed carefully and repeatedly to find rich evidence through inductive and content analysis. The findings revealed that ESE provided a conceptual focus and theme for organizing his school curriculum. The curriculum offered opportunities for students to learn relevant local topics and to connect the classroom learning to the real world. The curriculum also played an important role in developing students' value and appreciation of Earth systems and concern for the local environment. His instructional strategies were very compatible with recommendations from a constructivist theory. His major teaching methodology and strategies were hands-on learning, authentic activities-based learning, cooperative learning, project-based learning (e.g., mini-projects), and science field trips. With respect to his views about benefits and difficulties associated with ESE, the most important benefit was that the curriculum provided authentic-based, hands-on activities and made connections between students and everyday life experiences. In addition, he believed that it was not difficult to teach using ESE. However, the lack of time devoted to field trips and a lack of suitable resource materials were obstacles to the implementation of the curriculum. Implications for science education and future research are suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.544-555
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• 2004

This study examined the conception types of high school students, chemistry teachers, and pre-service teachers about the salt bridge in Daniel cell by a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. High school chemistry II textbooks were analyzed for finding the cause of the understanding difficulties of the teachers and students. Pre-service teachers' thoughts examined for the problems of pre-service teacher programs. From the analysis, it was found that teachers only thought that the role of salt bridge is for ion movement of two solutions involving electrodes. But they didn't have the conception that salt bridge has a roll of connection a circuit. This result was similar to students' and pre-service teachers' results. It was possible that insufficient and different explanations of the textbooks were attributed the teachers' and students' conceptual difficulties.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.420-436
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analysis the elementary teachers' and students' views about the difficulties in teaching and learning in geology units of elementary school science. For the purpose of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with seventeen elementary teachers who have serviced more than three years, and with sixteen elementary students located in Cheongju City. The interview questions were developed through Seidman's step to acquire a reliability in the interview data with triangulation, then in-depth interview questions were modified and completed through pre-interview after constructing the trustworthiness of interviewees. In-depth interviews were performed in applying the analytic induction method and the interviews were recorded. From the interviews, we found that elementary teachers' views about the difficulties in teaching geology units; teachers' inner difficulties, the difficulty of lab activities, the problems of rock samples, the problems of curriculum in geology units, the difficulty of the geological feature, the problems of the cramming education, the lack of the opportunity for the speciality, and so on. And the students have the views about the difficulties in learning geology units; the difficulty of the unit contents understanding, the problems of learning by heart, the lack of the interest, the lack of materials, the problems of rock samples, the difficulty of the field learning, and so on. Based on the results, the study suggested that an interesting lab activities should be included in the geology units and taught in the geological field trip to help elementary school students more fully comprehend contents of the geology units.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.225-237
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the individual processes of pre-service chemistry teachers in making written test items. For this, we analyzed the think-aloud processes of eight pre-service chemistry teachers while making six written test items about gas laws and their in-depth interview scripts. The characteristics of the processes were found to be divided into six categories; the lack of systemicity in planning stage for making written test items, the lack of awareness and consideration for the interrelationship between instruction and assessment, the diverse criteria in determining test item types, the difficulties in judging behavioral domains and difficulties of items in the table of specification, the limitation in using teacher's guides and misunderstanding of teacher's guides, and the limitation in point and/or content of review and differences depending on the time of review. These can provide some significant guidelines and implications in finding ways to improve pre-service chemistry teachers' ability to make written test items.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.449-457
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• 2014

Recent studies have shown that teachers should have be aware of and understand students' misconceptions, which is one of the major components of PCK. However, teachers often have difficulties in understanding misconceptions and in applying appropriate instructional strategies to change misconceptions. Thus, we designed a method course for pre-service teachers (PSTs) adapting the concept of "teacher as researcher". In the course, PSTs conducted research to investigate students' misconceptions in physics. Twenty-five female PSTs participated in the study. They went through the research process including creating question items, administering items to their target populations, collecting and analyzing student responses, and writing a research paper. Data source included individual interviews with the PSTs, field notes during classroom observation and PSTs' research papers. The results were as follows. First, the PSTs confirmed students' misconceptions and learning difficulties in physics. They experienced discrepancies between their conjecture and research findings. Second, PSTs developed the sophisticated understanding of students' misconceptions and appropriate teaching strategies. Third, the research experience provided the PSTs opportunities to reexamine their physics content knowledge while creating items and explaining scientific concepts. They realized that physics teachers should develop sound understanding of physics concepts for guiding students to have less misconception. Lastly, they realized the necessity of being a teacher as a researcher.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.117-133
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary students' views about lab-based science learning. For the purpose of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty sixth grade students in 12 classes from two elementary schools located in Daegu City. The interview contents consisted of three major categories. The first category was related to attitude toward science lab, the second was related to lab-based science learning which had four sub-categories; recognizing lesson object, planning experiment, performing experiment, drawing conclusion in lab-based science learning in which the students had ordinary have views and expectations, and the last category was related to students' difficulties and something need to be improved in lab-based science learning. In-depth interviews were performed individually and the interviews were recorded. From the interviews, we found that students, in first category, do like lab-activities more than lectures or instruction-based activities in textbook. Students, in second category, wanted generally more discussion for their own activities rather than teacher's instruction and they wanted teacher' mediation conflicts within small groups and comments for students' experiment results. In the last, most of students had fears for some dangerous reagents and accidents. Based on the results, the study suggested that teacher need to give their students to autonomous discussion opportunities to design and interpret data through teacher' guided questions in inquiry steps, to produce some intimate atmosphere for active interaction in small groups, and to teach the safety education on some dangerous reagents.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.143-160
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• 2019

This study investigated 15 science teachers' perception and practice on free semester and science assessment. We analyzed frequencies of teacher choice for closed questions and used constant comparative method for teacher description and individual interview. Most teachers determined a low ranking for changes in assessment methods and mentioned a lack of objectivity on free semester assessment, unsystematic free semester assessment, and more importance on student activity and interest in science instruction. Most teachers understood process-based assessment as a direction of free semester assessment and teachers mentioned positive aspects for students or teacher difficulties dependent on their perception on process-based assessment. Half of the teachers failed to implement student self-assessment and student peer-assessment due to subjectivity and complexity. Some teachers did not provide feedbacks to students due to a lack of time and did not use certain assessment methods due to a lack of knowledge of the assessment. Teachers who did not have an experience of discussions in a teacher learning community mentioned reasons regarding a small number of the same grade teachers and inactive attitude of colleagues. Teachers who did not participate in professional development programs mentioned a lack of teacher understanding of free semester, participation of the teacher in charge, and teacher choice of participation as reasons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.355-366
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary school pre-service teachers' and in-service teachers' and STEAM leader school teachers' difficulties and requirements in the relation to STEAM Education. For this study, 49 pre-service teachers, 57 in-service teachers, 16 leader school teachers in G Area were selected. And they conducted the survey. The results of this study were as follows. First, in order to minimize elementary teachers' physical burden actually, it is necessary to distribute STEAM teaching materials including various and specific programs to the schools in the booklet. Second, for the fast and effective spreading of STEAM, it also should be permitted the pre-service teachers to access STEAM homepage, which is limited to teachers. Third, we should make circumstance to research on STEAM through collaboration with colleagues freely. Therefore, we should give intensive training and consulting opportunities to science teacher. Because they who is getting stronger in this field to do this can furnish other colleagues to teaching tips and information in the relation to STEAM education. By all this fulfillment simultaneously, STEAM will be settlement in elementary school in the short period.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to diagnose difficulties and problems that the preservice teachers experience when teaching inquiry-based classes in elementary science and to improve their professionalism through prescriptive instruction consulting utilizing PDRE (preparation, diagnosis, reflective implementation, evaluation) model. The result of this study was as follows. First, preservice teachers considered themselves to be lack of scientific knowledge, but this study confirmed that the application of instruction consulting improved their understandings in scientific concepts and principles and corrected their misconceptions. Second, preservice teachers experienced difficulties in variables that might influence the results of experiments, cautions for the experiments and unexpected results of experiments, and this consulting allowed them to gain instruction ability to cope with such circumstances and solve problems effectively. Third, preservice teachers experienced difficulties in applying instructional model into their classes and preparing lesson plans, but consulting actually made limited but positive changes in their abilities. However, from a longer-term perspective, quantitative increase in their teaching opportunities, the development and distribution of example manuals, and the utilization of various class materials provided by the assistant centers for teaching and learning should be achieved side by side.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.527-534
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• 2013

This study investigated elementary school teachers' understanding of the image formation by converging lens, pinholes camera, mirror and water. In each case teachers were asked to draw the ray diagram to indicate the position of the image. Teachers' ray diagrams were analyzed in accordance with the scientific process of image formation. Results of analysis showed that teacher's conceptions were classified into five levels for each situation. And most of the teachers were in level 3 and level 4 in each case. Because they had difficulties in the appling scientific conception(propagating path of light, diffused reflection from each object point, role of the eye, ray tracing) to finding location of image. Also most of teachers didn't know how to apply the law of reflection and refraction to each situation. The study finally discussed the teacher training program of the optical image.