• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.626-639
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• 2008

To present the suggestions for improvement in science textbooks of high school, scientific inquiry activities in geology of earth science textbooks of Korea and the U.S. were assessed in the areas of the contents, processes and contexts. Regarding the contents of inquiry activities, Korean textbooks contain more number of inquiry activities (5.8 per section) than the U.S. curriculums (4 per section). Inquiry activities of Korean textbooks mostly fall on the interpretation of diagrams and graphs whereas those of the U.S. textbooks more hands-on experiment, data transformation and self designing. As for the number of inquiry process skills per inquiry activity, Korean curriculums contain an average of 1.8 whereas the American ones 3. It suggests that the U.S. textbooks require more integrated process skills than the Korean earth science curriculums. In the process skills of all textbooks studied, the highest frequent elements were inferring and data interpretation; the percentage of these two elements was an average of 73.3% in Korean textbooks and 46.2% in the U.S. This suggests that the Korean textbooks emphasize the process skill on particular area, and uneven distribution of elements of process skills may hinder the development of integration ability of students. particularly in the integrated process skills, the U.S. textbooks presented all 7 elements, while Korean ones presented only 2 to 4 elements, indicating that the Korean textbooks may have weak points in providing various inquiry activities for students compared to the American textbooks. In inquiry context analysis, Korean curriculums provide simplistic inquiry contexts and low applicability to real life whereas the U.S. curriculums provide more integrated inquiry contexts and high applicability to real life.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to develop problem-solving inquiries for the science gifted and to analyze the effects of problem-solving inquiries. The problem-solving inquiries were composed of scientific knowledge, scientific inquiry skills and creative thinking. The problem-solving inquiries were applied to the science gifted attending the institute of the gifted education. The test of science-creative problem solving (TSCPS) was used to know effects of improvement of science-creativity and the result of TSCPS showed the improvement of science creativity. The analysis of student-student dialogues during experiments showed that the type of dialogue was different on the type of problem-solving inquiry. The dialogue of convergent thinking was frequently showed up on the problem-solving inquiry needed logical thinking whereas that of divergent thinking on the problem-solving inquiry needed idea generation. The problem-solving inquiries had a positive effects on the improvement of the science-creativity.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.33-49
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• 2022

This study aims to explore, using both quantitative and qualitative data analyzing the structural relationship between creative process and product, the types of elementary students' scientific creativity. For this, 105 fifth-graders responded to a scientific creativity test that assesses creative process and product, and four students who scored the highest were interviewed. In the interview, they were asked about the cognitive process they used in generating the creative product. Then, correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used, along with the interview data, to type the students. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, the structural equation modeling of creative process and product gave satisfactory results in absolute and incremental fit indexes. Second, among the three components of creative process - knowledge, inquiry skill-observation, and creative thinking skills -, only creative thinking skills had significant effects on creative product. Third, divergent thinking skills had the strongest correlation with the creative product, followed by convergent thinking skills. Associational thinking skills did not have significant correlation. Fourth, elementary students' scientific creativity could be categorized into Creative Type, Useful Type, Original Type, and Non-creative Type, based on their creative product. The Non-creative Type could be further classified into Common Type, Repetitive Type, Non-response Type, Irrelevant Type, and Abstract Type. Fifth, most students used either knowledge or observation in their creative process, making them either Knowledge-oriented Type or Observation-oriented Type. In addition, there were DT Type, DT-CT Type, and DT-CT-AT Type among the students, based on the kinds of creative thinking skills they mainly used in the process. This study provides implications for educators and researchers in scientific creativity education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.402-415
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• 2018

This study aims to inquire into the U. S. elementary school teachers' storylines for science teaching methods, scientific knowledge and interactions with students. As research subjects, two American elementary school teachers, named Christina and Melissa, were selected. As test tools, this study adopted Storyline Test and semi-structured interviews. Firstly, in regard to the science teaching method, Christina evaluated that she gradually improved her science teaching skills up to positive 6 points, starting from 2 points in the first year of teaching career, while Melissa sustained a stable state with 5 points in the 9th year of teaching career, starting from 1 point in the first year of teaching career. It was found that both the teachers had more confidence in their science teaching methods by participating in various training programs. Secondly, Christina evaluated her scientific knowledge in the first year of teaching career as 4 points, but evaluated her present scientific knowledge as stable as 6 points since she started studying teaching materials actively, discussing with other teachers and having more ability of application through science class integrated with other school subjects, in the 7th year of her teaching career. On the other hand, Melissa evaluated her scientific knowledge in the first year of teaching career as 1 point since she did not exactly know what to teach elementary school students, but in the 6th year of teaching career, she sustained a stable state with points through joint-activities with other teachers. It was found that chances to research with other teachers had important effect on both the teachers' confidence in scientific knowledge. Thirdly, in regard to interactions with students in science class, Christina said that she did not have any interaction with students when instructing inquiry activities in the first year of teaching career, but since the 10th year of her teaching career, she had sustained a stable state with 6 points through active interaction with students, by leading learning projects and science competitive exhibitions, etc. On the other hand, Melissa evaluated her interaction with students in the first year of teaching career as 1 point because her class was reading-oriented, but since the 9th year of teaching career, she had sustained a stable state with 6 points so far, by developing inquiry activity strategies to improve interaction with students. Overall, it was found that inquiry activities played a central role in improving both the teachers' interaction with students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.355-366
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• 1999

In this study, the characteristics of science inquiry problem solving were analyzed in the interactions between science process skills and science concepts by each related its category. Nine types of problem solving, which were based on two elements and the thinking aloud were found largely by protocol analysis, but six types when integrated similar thinking processes. There were quite differences in the representative types between students who succeeded and failed when science inquiry items were solved in the abilities of recognizing problems and generating hypotheses or those of drawing conclusions and evaluating. But there were not complete differences in those types between students who succeeded and failed when they were solved in the abilities of designing and performing experiments or those of interpreting and analyzing data. The data were divided into independent variables: $D_1,\;D_2,\;D_3,\;D_4,\;D$ and $C_1,\;C_2,\;C_3,\;C_4,\;C$ and dependant variables; $E_1,\;E_2,\;E_3,\;E_4,\;E$. The former consisted of the content-free science process skill achievement levels by each category of science inquiry skill and the science concept achievement levels, the latter the science inquiry problem achievement levels by each category of science inquiry skill. The regression equations were acquired within the 0.05 significant level by regression analysis: $E_1=0.03+0.16D_1+0.29C_1,\;E_2=-0.203+0.21D_2+0.45C_2,\;E_3=-0.32+0.13D_3+0.47C_3,\;E_4=0.61+0.09D_4+0.29C_4,\;E=-1.41+0.13D+0.47C$(E : the achievement of science problems, D : the achievement of science process skills, C : the achievement of science concepts).

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 2008

In this study, the test that were used in entrance examination for chemistry class in a Science-Gifted Education Center for middle school students were analyzed by using criteria for identification and measurement of scientific giftedness and a classical test theory. The result of analysis exhibited that most of problems measured more than two elements of scientific giftedness and required applications of scientific knowledge of middle school level to solve problems. In the analysis of sub-elements of scientific giftedness, originality, fluency in creativity and finding problems/formulating hypothesis, planning inquiry, interpreting data in science process skills were dominant while drawing conclusion and generalization processes were lacking. In correlation analysis between total score and each type of problems, total score was most influenced by the problems measuring science inquiry linked with scientific knowledge. Item difficulty is moderately high and item discrimination is moderate.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.12B no.2 s.98
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• pp.143-150
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• 2005

The Field is a simulated virtual environment specifically designed to assist elementary students learn the basic scientific inquiry skills such as observation, data collection, and generating and verifying hypothesis. Over the last four years, the Field has been used to teach inquiry learning in the context of mathematics and science in an elementary school. During the studies, it was observed that students suffered from problems in navigation, wayfinding, and data collection. First, this papers discusses the problems and the technical aids we have iteratively developed to address these issues. We will then discuss the impact of the technical aids on the student's behaviors.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.307-324
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• 2022

This study examined the content diversity of seven authorized science textbooks by comparing the characteristics of the science concept description and the contents of inquiry activities in the "weight of objects" unit. For each textbook, the flow of concept description content and the uniqueness of the concept description process were analyzed, and the number of nodes and links and words with high connections were determined using language network analysis. In addition, for the inquiry activities described in each textbook, the inquiry subject, inquiry type, science process skill, and uniqueness were investigated. Results showed that the authorized textbooks displayed no more diversity than expected in their scientific concept description method or their inquiry activity composition. The learning elements, inclusion of subconcepts, and central words were similar for each textbook. The comparison of inquiry activities showed similarities in their contents, inquiry types, and scientific process skills. Specifically, these textbooks did not introduce any research topics or experimental methods that were absent in previous textbooks. However, despite the fact that the authorized textbook system was developed based on the same curriculum, some efforts were made to make use of its strengths. Since the sequence of subconcepts to explain the core contents differed across textbooks, this explanation process was divided into several types, and although the contents of inquiry activities were the same, the materials for inquiry activities were shown differently for each textbook to improve and overcome the difficulties in the existing experiments. These findings necessitate the continuation of efforts to utilize the strengths of certified textbooks.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.535-547
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• 2014

This study analyzed the characteristics of National Science Curricula in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Korea with respect to core competencies. In the case of overseas countries, literature review on their curricula was conducted, and four common features were extracted: 'association of cross-curricular competencies with science-specific competencies', 'a combination of science contents and scientific practices', 'an emphasis on communication skills', and 'representation of an achievement level of competency'. In addition, the common core competencies of science education were 'critical thinking', 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', 'inquiry skills', 'communication skills', 'cultural literacy', 'ability to integrate discipline', 'application skills', and 'personal/social competency'. In relation to these features, this study also investigated Korean science teachers' perceptions of core competencies in science education. A survey was conducted on 135 teachers in elementary, middle, and high school in Korea. Teachers were not well aware of what core competencies are, and after introduction, they thought that they wanted to and needed to teach core competencies to their students. Teachers claimed that critical core competencies in science education are 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', and 'inquiry skills'. Teachers thought that core competencies-based science class would help develop students' scientific literacy and communication skills. However, they have difficulties in conducting core competencies-based science class because they are not familiar with how to conduct the class and they expect that it will take a long time to prepare such a class.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.267-277
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• 2015

This study explored elementary school teachers' perspectives on science inquiry teaching. First, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to elicit teachers' experiences of their approach to inquiry teaching. These self-reported approaches revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning in science: 'science process skills-centered' category focused on observing, classifying, measuring, and fair testing; 'generating scientific questions' category focused on students' question-generating; and 'illustrate concept and/or content' category focused on science content demonstration by making use of experimental procedures to obtain expected results. Second, teachers were asked to place 18 activity cards either close to or further from an 'inquiry-based science classroom' card. The relative distances from the activity card to the central classroom card were measured. The teachers perceived that students' activity of 'designing and implementing appropriate procedures' was the most important in supporting an inquiry-based science classroom. Understanding teachers' views has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development.