• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.68-79
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• 2010

This study utilized the What Is Happening In this Class (WIHIC) questionnaire to examine students' perceptions of their science learning environment. Data was collected from 587 middle school students in seven coeducation schools in Seoul. Higher mean scores occurred on the scales of Student cohesiveness, Task orientation, Cooperation and Equity in the WIHIC, whereas lower mean scores occurred on Teacher support, Involvement and Investigation. The effects of gender on students' perceptions of their science learning environment were not statistically significant overall, but girls perceived Student cohesiveness and Cooperation more positively than boys. Correlations between the WIHIC scales of the low-level group that perceived their learning environments negatively (10 percentiles) and the high-level group that perceived their learning environments positively (90 percentiles) were computed. Teacher support, Involvement, Task Orientation and Investigation were highly correlated with each other in the low-level group, whereas only Teacher support and Equity were correlated in the high group. Educational implications were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.529-536
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• 2001

The purpose of the research is to investigate the effects of a portfolio system on students' socio-psychological classroom environments in elementary science class. Two schools were selected from a metropolitan area, a city, and one school from a rural area in central Korea. Two fifth-grade classes were sampled from each school selected, and one class is assigned to experimental group and the other to control group, respectively. The total number of participants of the study is 399. Portfolio system was administered to experimental group, and conventional teaching to control group for two and half month. WIHIC, an inventory to measure socio-psychological classroom environment, was administered as a pre- and post-test. Experimental group gained statistically higher scores on WIHIC after administering portfolio system. They showed more positive perceptions on sub-areas of WIHIC such as teacher support, task orientation, and equity. There is interaction between region and group: the effects of the portfolio system is highest in rural area, lowest in metropolitan area, and the city in between. Portfolio system have positive effects on students' socio-psychological classroom environments. Enhanced socio-psychological classroom environments is expected to contribute to positive self-concept, higher science achievements, and self-directed learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.80-90
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• 2003

In this paper, we designed the on-line Real-time Video Communication Learning System(RVCLS) for Web-based project learning and develop programs for test groups. And we have also analyzed how the Web-based learning using RVCLS change the students' perception on the classroom environment, using the WIHIC which is the classroom environment examination tool As a result, the Web-based project learning activities using RVCLS had affirmative effects on the eight areas of classroom environment such as students unity, teacher support, participation in class, spontaneity, exploration activities, task-oriented mind, cooperative attitude, and equality. Also, the web -based project learning using RVCLS is expected to help students enhance the self-directed learning capacity and increase abilities to use ICT.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.238-251
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• 2015

This study, based on literature review and theoretical discussion, reinterprets the learning environment instruments from cultural perspectives and suggests the applicability of learning environment instruments for understanding science classroom cultures. To do this, the existing learning environment instruments are first investigated and compared in terms of their features and utilizations appeared in previous studies. The learning environment instruments are then reinterpreted in the light of culture. Finally, we suggest the possibilities to use the learning environment instruments to understand science classroom cultures. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, the learning environment instruments, by interpreting them culturally, could be interpreted in cultural ways and used as the alternative ways to explore science classroom cultures. Second, the learning environment instruments, such as WIHIC and CLEQ, could be interpreted both along the dimension of phenomena in classrooms and the dimension of students' psychology in order to investigate science classroom cultures. Third, the instrument items could be interpreted culturally in different ways according to the description types of instrument items. Thus, when learning environment instruments are used in culture research, the description types should be sufficiently taken into account. Based on the results of this study, educational implications are discussed in terms of exploring classroom cultures and of culture research.