• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.86-99
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• 2003

The electric technology of modem stage is able to be convenient our everyday life and offers the chance to become a strong economic country. Therefore the education about the electricity and magnetism comes to be more and more important to enhance the electric technological power of each nation. In this paper, it is compared that how much the electricity and magnetism are treated in science education of primary and secondary school level in several nations such as USA, England, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea. We selected the teaching topics about the electricity and magnetism described in the curriculum of each nations and classified the topics by similarity to be easy in comparing. In results, Korea treats poorly most of the subjects in the middle school and early high schoollevel, but teach abrupt.ly much in the selection course of high school.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.574-588
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• 2011

교사의 과학 탐구 지도에 대한 인식은 실제 수업에서 탐구 지도를 수행하는데 중요한 역할을 할 수 있다. 따라서 교사들이 과학 탐구를 어떻게 인식하는지 이해할 필요가 있다. 이 연구에서는 한국, 싱가포르, 미국 세 국가의 초등교사를 대상으로 과학 탐구 지도에 대한 인식을 조사하였다. 세 국가는 과학교육과정에서 탐구를 강조해 온 역사와 설명 방식이 다르며 전반적인 교육적 상황 또한 상이하다. 총 100명의 초등교사(한국 34, 싱가포르 35, 미국31)를 대상으로 설문을 실시하였으며 설문은 구체적인 교수 상황을 서술하는 교수 시나리오, 이상적인 탐구 수업에 대한 내러티브 쓰기로 구성되었다. 데이터는 외적 기준과 내적 관점 모두에서 분석되었다. 연구 결과 교사들의 과학 탐구 지도에 대한 인식은 전반적으로 전통적 견해에 머무르고 있는 특징을 보였다. 그러나 각 국가의 교육과정에서 탐구가 서술되고 강조된 방식에 따라 차이가 나타나기도 하였다. 이러한 결과가 교사교육에 주는 시사점을 논의하였다.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-113
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• 2006

In this study, Korean middle school student science achievement results in the "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study" (TIMSS 2003) were analyzed according to international benchmarks, content area, gender and student attitudes toward science. Overall Korea ranked the third internationally and had a mean score of 558. Korean students achieved top ranking in physics, but fell to the ninth place in chemistry. Unliked their counter parts in similar countries such as Singapore and Chinese Taipei, Korean students did not reach the highest benchmark. Compared to previous assessment, Korean girls showed improved performance; however, significant gender differences still exist in Korea; apparent from the better performance of boys than girls in the study. It is also noteworthy that Korean students were found to have the lowest self-confidence in learning science, a lower valuing science, and less enjoying learning science even though they produced high achievement scores.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were to examine trends in Korean middle school students' attitudes toward science and the differences in boys' and girls' attitudes toward science as well as to analyze Korean middle school students' attitudes toward science compared to those in Singapore, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, and Japan. In order to achieve these purposes, we analyzed students' survey data on self-confidence in science, interests in science, external motivation for science, and career preference for science collected from TIMSS 1995, TIMSS 1999, and TIMSS 2003. Korean students' interests in science and external motivation for science reduced in TIMSS 1999 and increased again in TIMSS 2003. The amount of change was greater in interests in science. On the other hand, self-confidence in science and career preference for science consistently declined from TIMSS 1995 to TIMSS 2003. Self-confidence in science among boys and girls was similar in TIMSS 1995 and 1999. But self-confidence of girls in science declined rapidly from TIMSS 1999 to 2003, while self-confidence of boys in science remained almost the same. Trends of interests in science were similar between boys and girls; they declined in TIMSS 1999 and increased again in TIMSS 2003. External motivation for science of both boys and girls increased, and the increase among girls was greater. The percentage of boys who wanted to have a job using science consistently declined from TIMSS 1999 to TIMSS 2003, while the percentage of girls declined in TIMSS 1999 and increased in TIMSS 2003 again. The results from an international comparison with other Asian countries having similar cultures showed that Korean students' self-confidence in science, career preference for science of middle school students was the lowest.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the features of the standards of observation and measurement in foreign national science curriculums. For the purpose of this study, we analyzed the science standards of the USA (National Science Education Standards, the Science Standards of the State of California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Nebraska, Virginia and Florida), the United Kingdom (England), Singapore, Canada (the State of Alberta), Australia (the State of Victoria) and New Zealand. The results of the study indicated that foreign national science curriculums put an emphasis on accurate and systematical observation, usage of the five senses, usage of observation tools, and an understanding of observation. Regarding the 'measurement' factors, foreign national science curriculums emphasized systematic and accurate measurement. Measurement targets and tools were presented for each grade. The usage of appropriate units was also included in the foreign national curriculums which we examined.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.46-62
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• 2013

In this study, nations with high academic achievement but disparate affective achievement in science according to the results of the TIMSS 2007 were selected and students' responses in the main survey for affective properties from those nations were analyzed. In addition, Korean science teachers' perception of affective achievement and the properties of teaching and learning science was explored by an online survey. According to the results of the analysis of students' responses in the main survey, the percentage of those with high levels of confidence in, pleasure in, and value perception of science was large for Hong Kong, Singapore, and England but small for Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. When the properties of teaching and learning in actual science classes were observed in Korea, actual classes focused little on experimentation, research activities, and the context of everyday life. According to the results of surveys conducted on science teachers, students' low confidence in science was due to difficult and uninteresting curricula and the absolute lack of time to study science and their low interest in the subject was due to difficult curricula and the view that science was unrelated to their future academic or professional careers. In addition, according to the teachers, students' low value perception of science curricula was due to the fact that there was no need to excel in science for academic or professional careers and the idea that the subject was of no help to daily life.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.66-79
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the effects of the educational context variables on 8th-grade science achievement of 5 top performing countries(Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan) in TIMSS 2015. TIMSS 2015 science data and questionnaire results were used for fitting Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) in this study. According to the results, such student-level variables as home resources for learning, students' interest in science learning, valuing science, Students' Educational Expectations gave significant influence on the science achievement of Korean students. School-level variables including Student Economic Background, and School Emphasis on Academic Success gave significant influence on the science achievement of Korean students. Comparing 5 countries, home resources for learning, students' interest in science learning, Students' Educational Expectations gave significant influence on the science achievement in all 5 countries. At the school level, Student Economic Background is statistically significant in explaining students' science achievement gap in all countries except Japan, and Teaching Limited by Student Needs gave significant influence on the science achievement in all countries except Korea. Discussed in the conclusion are ways to improve middle-school science teaching and learning including reducing the education divide among socioeconomic status, teaching innovation for competency education, inquiry and reinforcement of lab activities in science classes, and so on.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.31-46
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• 2024

This study analyzes the academic achievement characteristics of Korean fourth graders on the problem solving and inquiry tasks (PSIs) introduced in TIMSS 2019. TIMSS 2019 conducted a computer-based assessment in addition to the traditional paper-based assessment. The PSIs were included only in the computer-based assessment, so 30 countries participated in the PSIs of the computer-based assessment. PSIs consist of integrating multiple content and cognitive domains, including 10 or fewer items. Most of the items are constructed in an open-ended format rather than multiple-choice. The analysis results showed that there were differences in student achievement across countries depending on the inclusion of PSIs. Korea's average achievement score decreased by 1 point. The analysis of individual items showed that students' achievement was somewhat low, and the correct answer rate for male students was generally higher than that for female students in many items. Furthermore, item-by-item analysis revealed that there were items where countries such as England and Finland had higher correct answer rates than traditional high-achieving countries, i.e. Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea. Considering the recent emphasis on integrated education, it seems necessary to review the use of PSIs in assessments in Korea as well.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.229-248
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• 2017

This study investigated the factors that should be considered when teaching proportional expression and proportional distribution through literature review. Based on these results, we analyzed and compared Korean and foreign mathematics textbooks on proportional expression and proportional distribution longitudinally and horizontally to search for desirable methods of organizing the unit of proportional expression and proportional distribution in mathematics textbooks. For longitudinal analysis, we took the mathematics textbooks according to the national curriculum since the 5th one. For horizontal analysis, we selected the mathematics textbooks of Japan, Singapore, and China. In each textbook, the contents and the order in relation to proportional expression and proportional distribution, the definitions of terminology, and the contexts and the visual representations for introducing related concepts are selected as the analysis framework. The results of analysis revealed many characteristics and the differences in ways of dealing contents about proportional expression and proportional distribution. Based on these results, we suggested some implications for writing the unit of proportional expression and proportional distribution in elementary mathematics textbooks.