• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.spc5
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• pp.532-547
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were to investigate the creative science problem solving (CSPS) process amongst scientifically-gifted students and average students through the qualitative think-aloud research method, and to compare the differences in their CSP, scientific knowledge, scientific process skills, creative thinking, and finally, the affective domain used in their CSPS. For the purposes of this study, two scientifically-gifted 6th grade students and one average student were selected. The results show that one gifted student with good creative thinking skills exhibited better performance in CSPS than the other gifted student, who had the highest level of scientific knowledge. In the case of the average student, in spite of her high level of factual knowledge, she had difficulty in proceeding in CSPS due to her shallow scientific knowledge along with her low level of understanding of the given problem. This study highlights the importance of considering the factors which influence successful CSPS and which can play an important role in the education of scientifically-gifted children. These factors were identified as scientific knowledge, understanding of the scientific process, creative thinking, the affective domain, and science problem solving skills.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.111-134
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• 2009

Today many owners of Web sites are looking to user's satisfaction survey as a key means of measuring the usability of a Web site. While it is preferred for it simplicity and ease of use, this survey method is not without potential risks. This paper focuses on showing that the existing practice of questionnaire-based usability measurement is subject to human recall errors, and that such flaws can be reduced when the questionnaire survey is followed by the users hands-on experience of the site. An empirical study was conducted, and the results indicate that the above speculation holds true. Even if respondents felt highly confident about their responses on a recall survey, a hands-on experience with a focal Web site increased the extent to which the respondents were satisfied with the shopping mall site. This indicates that a user's perception of the quality of a Web site may be distorted or lost as time goes by. In addition, the findings have shown that the use of the verbal protocol analysis method can reveal critical information that can help track the root causes of Web site usability problems, thereby helping to develop site enhancement strategies. The paper concludes with directions for future research.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.143-158
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• 1994

This study aims to identify the characteristics of gas phase problem solving of college freshmen. Four students were participated in this study and solved the problem by using think-aloud method. The thinking processes were recorded and transferred into protocols. Problem solving stage, the ratio spended in each solving stage, solving strategy, misconceptions, and errors were identified and discussed. The relationships between students' belief system about chemistry problem solving and problem solving characteristics were also investigated. The results were as follows: 1. Students felt that chemical equation problem was easier than word problem or pictorial problem. 2. When students had declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge required by given problem, their confidence level and formula selection were not changed by redundunt information in the problem. 3. When the problem seemed to be difficult, students tended to use the Means-End or Random strategy. 4. In complicated problems, students spent longer time for problem apprehension and planning. In familiar problems, students spent rather short time for planning. 5. Students spent more time for overall problem solving process in case of using Means-End or Random strategy than using Knowledge-Development strategy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.165-166
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• 2013

The principle of human perception, behavior, and thought is presented in the traditional interface design study that is ease to use and increase the learn-ability. We believe that the usability is related to user's affection. The goal of this paper is to investigate how visual metaphor works in usability and affection in interface to analyse the effect of visual metaphor to user affection. Literature reviews for the concept of metaphor and affection design conducted. We analyse the effect to user's affection through think-aloud i.e. protocol analysis for metaphor.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-31
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability of a prototype personal digital assistant (PDA)-based decision support system for the management of obesity through usability testing with end-users (Advanced Practice Nurses [APNs]) prior to its implementation in clinical settings. Methods: This descriptive study used observational and think aloud techniques to address the research question: what usability problems are perceived by end-users? Five APNs were provided with the scenarios and the list of tasks to evaluate the application. Their verbalizations were recorded through Morae usabil ity software. Data analysis was based on the data captured through Morae, transcriptions, notes, and the end-user survey. Results: End-users completed all the required tasks without encountering a severe usability problem, and agreed that the system was easy to use. clear, concise, and useful. Usability issues that were unrecognized by the developer or usability experts were identified by APNs. The usability problems were categorized according to positive characteristics, negative characteristics, and recommendations. The usability issues were discussed with the project team members, and solutions were suggested to improve the user interface of the PDA-based decision support system before the final implementation. Conclusions: This approach had an important impact on making the system easier to use and more useful from the perspective of design and content. The results of this evaluation provided iterative feedback regarding the design and implementation of the PDA-based decision support system for the management of obesity.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1418-1430
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• 2013

In this study, we investigated the writing process components and the writing strategies that appeared in the process of argumentative writing through students' think-alouds and semi-structured interviews. The subjects were 18 eighth graders. During argumentative writing, students were asked to decide whether they agreed with the given argument or not on the basis of information provided in the writing task. We categorized the writing process components and the writing strategies by analyzing the protocols of students' think-alouds and interviews, and evaluated the level of their written compositions. The analyses of the results indicated that the writing process components of argumentative writing showed different characteristics from those of problem solving writing in several components such as setting goals, organizing an outline, and evaluating content. In addition, the writing process component 'coordinating information' was newly discovered in argumentative writing. The writing strategies were categorized into four groups by the types of decision making (reflective/intuitive) and the existence of outline organization: Reflective decision making and outline organization, reflective decision making and no outline organization, intuitive decision making and outline organization, and intuitive decision making and no outline organization. Students with the reflective decision making and outline organization strategy were found to get the highest scores in written composition in terms of the relationship between the argument and its grounds, the rebuttal of the opposing argument, and the structure of the writing. Educational implications are discussed.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.1-40
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to development a model of the practical skill instruction of the special subject using the problem-based learning in the technical high schools For the study, various literature researches were reviewed intensively about problem solving process, problem -based learning, and learning principals. The process of the practical skill instruction using the problem-based learning was composed with planning, executing, testing and evaluating. In this practical skill instruction using the problem-based learning, the teacher serves as a coach or guide for students' learning. As a facilitator, the teacher challenges, questions, and stimulates the students in their thinking, problem solving and self-directed study. In this process, students represent problem by thinking aloud, assuming responsibility for their own learning, having self-directed study as well as doing cooperative study, and as a result, education changes move from teacher-centered to student-centered.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.25-34
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• 2014

The object of this study is to improve obstacles related with physical affordance and cognitive affordance by adopting Norman's theory for affordance of mobile application of museum education. As to conduct the study, I have selected the mobile device application of G museum for the need of observation and interviewing, and have applied think aloud protocol to analyse matters of affordance. By this study, learners will be possible to conduct appropriate behavior instantly under the circumstance of unfamiliar museum mobile environment because of sophisticated design to make learners perceive and understand information provided with designed interface based on realistic improvement that will be made by inspecting possible problems of affordance in position of museum education mobile system users. Additionally learners will be able to control contents of museum and to experience interactive learning which motivate exploratory activity to accomplish meaningful learning.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.151-170
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• 2009

This study reports a research which was conducted on how frequently and where the students use the unit circle method while dealing with trigonometric functions in solving the trigonometry questions. Moreover, the reasons behind the choice of the methods, which could be the unit circle method, the ratio method, or the use of trigonometric identities, are also investigated to get an insight about their understanding. In this study, the relationship between the students' choices of methods in solving questions is examined in terms of instrumental or relational understanding. This is a multi-method research which involves a range of research strategies. The research techniques used in this study are test, verbal protocol (think aloud), and interview. The test has been applied to ten tenth grade students of a public school to get students' solution processes on the paper. Later on, verbal protocol has been performed with three students of these ten who were of the upper, middle and lower sets in terms of their performance in the test. The aim was to get much deeper data on the students' thinking and reasoning. Finally, interview questions have been asked both these three students and other three from the initial ten students to question the reasons behind their answers to the trigonometry questions. Findings in general suggest that students voluntarily choose to learn instrumentally whose reasons include teachers' and students' preference for the easier option and the anxiety resulting from the external exam pressure.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 1997

Students' protocols obtained from think-aloud interviews were analyzed in the aspects of the success at first two problem-solving stages (understanding and planning), the time to complete a problem, the time at each problem-solving stage, the number of transition, and the transition rate. These were compared in the aspects of the context of problem, the success in solving problem, students' logical reasoning ability, spatial ability, and learning approach. The results were as follows:1. Students tended to spend more time in everyday contexts than in scientific contexts, especially at the stages of understanding and reviewing. The transition rate during solving a problem in everyday contexts was greater than that in scientific contexts. 2. Unsuccessful students spent more time at the stage of understanding, but successful students spent more time at the stage of planning. 3. Students' logical reasoning ability, as measured with the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, was significantly correlated with the success in solving problem. Concrete-operational students spent more time in completing a problem, especially understanding the problem. 4. Students' spatial ability, as measured with the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test and the Find A Shape Puzzle, was significantly correlated with their abilities to understand a problem and to plan for its solution. 5. Students' learning approach, as measured with the Questionnaire on Approaches to Learning and Studying, was not significantly correlated with the success in solving problem. However, the students in deep approach had more transitions and greater transition rates than the students in surface approach.