• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.583-594
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate beginning elementary teachers' characteristics and improvement of their teaching skills in science class. The methodology of this study was a qualitative approach that included interviews, classroom observations, and teaching materials. In urban area, low beginning elementary teacher were selected. Four beginning elementary teachers were observed and recorded with VCR in their classroom at seven-times. The results showed that the beginning elementary teachers did not improve in their teaching skills in science teaching, and their characteristics of teaching skills in science were summarized as following; 1) their teaching methods were not inquiry-based science teaching, but explaining-based science teaching, 2) their main aims of the science teaching were focused on the science knowledges, 3) there were little students' science processes involved in their classes, 4) they focused on using textbook as teaching materials, 5) there were little waiting times after their questioning, and they usually used closed-questions rather than open-ended questions.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.97-112
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• 2018

Conducted within the methodological framework of action research, this study examines the ways in which a beginning science teacher in a Korean elementary classroom engaged in collaborative research with her own students to resolve problems preventing effective science teaching and learning. Specifically, this study uses cogenerative dialogue between teachers and students to develop new teachers' knowledge of how to manage the classroom to be able to more effectively implement inquiry instructional strategies and knowledge of students as learners. Findings from this research suggest that by involving students in cogenerative dialogues, beginning teachers are provided with valuable insights into how elementary students think about school, science, and teaching and learning, which can help expand a beginning teacher's capacity to be an effective science teacher of science for all learners, especially diverse learners. These findings suggest that teacher education programs could better support beginning teachers by placing greater emphasis on how to conduct action research, including how to implement cogenerative dialogues to catalyze positive changes in their own classrooms. We conclude by discussing the important implications this research has for supporting new teachers struggle to effectively teach science and who would benefit from using strategies to foster improved relationships with their students and improved understanding about the challenges faced by diverse learners in their classroom.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.552-566
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• 2010

This paper is an in-depth case study to analyze integrated elementary science lesson planning and practical teaching by two teachers at an urban elementary schools. One is an experienced teacher and the other is a beginning teacher. For this study, researchers asked teachers to design 5 stages of lesson planning after sharing basic theories about the integrated science education. The first of the 5 lesson planning stages is curriculum analysis and choice of integrated science topic. The second stage is constructing the frame of integrated science lesson contents, and the third is drawing a diagram of the integrated science lesson development. The fourth stage is making a table of lesson plans, and the last stage is writing integrated science lesson plans. Then, the teachers implemented the lessons they created. They taught students one unit of science which is composed of 8 lessons. Difficulties that teachers meet during designing plans and integrated science class were analyzed. 5 staged lesson planning, video transcriptions, teacher interview about lesson planning and teaching, researchers' checklists, reports of inspection classes, teachers' self evaluation, and students interviews were used for this study. One of the significant results of this study is that both experienced and beginning teachers had many difficulties in deciding on time to teach and contents of science and other subjects, as well as selection and organization of whole topics of integrated science teaching. The beginning teacher especially had greater issues with developing definite teaching-learning strategy to conduct thoughts and views for integrated science at the whole unit and each lesson. However, the experienced teacher was using various teaching-learning strategies by utilizing integrated science teaching professionalism to develop students' integrated thinking ability during the instruction of other subjects. The outcomes of this study are that both teachers could deeply understand the need and value of integrated science education at the elementary school through planning and teaching 8 lessons, and that they could have self-confidence with development of teaching professionalism for integrated science teaching. It may be possible that this study could help the development of pre- and in-service program for improvement of integrated science teaching professionalism for elementary school teacher.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.557-564
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the problems in the teaching practice of beginning science teachers who participated in the collaborative mentoring program to improve their teaching expertise. The participants were six beginning science teachers and six mentors at middle and high school levels. From each beginning science teacher and mentor teacher, journals, one-to-one mentoring records and transcripts, interviews and questionnaires, and transcripts conducted at the beginning, middle and the end of the mentoring program were collected. Seven aspects of the beginning science teachers' problems in their teaching practice were identified. The result showed that mentee teachers didn't set up specific learning objectives and they organized and presented lesson contents without considering students' proficiency level. Also, they found it hard to prepare for the lessons irrelevant to their major field of study and they tended to use convergent questions more than divergent questions. Mentee teachers tend to give teacher-centered rather than student-centered teaching. Beginning teachers' recognition of their problems in their teaching practice tends to lead changes in their teaching practice. Some of the problems that mentee teachers showed could be overcome if they recognized the problem through the collaborative mentoring program, but if not, it tends to remain throughout mentoring program.This study also highlighted the importance of reflection on beginning science teachers' practice.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.611-625
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• 2009

The purpose of this research is to investigate the characteristics of beginning science teachers' subject matter knowledge (SMK) as revealed in their classroom teaching methods. In this research, we explored six beginning teachers' classroom teaching episodes on the 'work and energy' unit. Using open-ended interviews with the teachers and group discussions taking place on a regular basis to analyze and compare the classes of six beginning teachers, we extracted the features of beginning science teachers' SMK. Using grounded theory methods, the characteristics of beginning science teachers' SMK drawn from this research are: (1) beginning teachers' positivistic epistemology on science, (2) claiming the teacher's authority based on rich subject content knowledge, and (3) beginning teachers' science elitism. These epistemological characteristics are realized such PCK as (1) representational errors caused by the teacher's own science misconception, (2) doing harm to students with too much content knowledge, (3) sporadic content presentation lacking a focus, and (4) surplus class hours with lack of effective science teaching explanations. Suggestions for alternative perspectives on science SMK are presented by experienced teachers. In conclusion, science teachers' SMK is necessary, but not sufficient, for effective teaching. Science teachers' SMK does have an effect on science teaching, mediated by other types of teacher knowledge. The beginning teachers need a systematic support to transform their SMK into a viable PCK.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.647-655
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• 2010

This study analyzed discourse types and meaning making strategies used in a secondary beginning science teacher's class. A voluntary middle school science teacher participated in this study, and her instruction was observed and videotaped. The analysis consisted of two parts. First, we categorized the types of discourses occurred in class. Second, we examined her instructional strategies used through meaning making practices at the micro-level. Results indicated that there were five episodes emerged representing different discourse types and meaning making strategies in the beginning teacher's lesson about 'the pathway and property of light'. Conclusion and implications for further study and teacher professional development were presented in the paper.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.437-451
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyse beginning science teachers' PCK. For the purpose of this study, two beginning science teachers were chosen in public middle school. Qualitative data were collected through classroom observation recording, semi-structured interviews, and other document data. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. The results indicated that the two beginning science teachers' PCK had little differences; both have insufficient knowledge of science curriculum and assessment, and their PCK had quite differences in the instructional strategies and the orientations toward teaching science. Though they were aware of students' various levels, their common teaching method focused on delivery of science text knowledge for poor understanding about student. In conclusion, the two beginning teachers' PCK were still similar with preservice teachers. To develop beginning teachers' PCK, it needs to change the paradigm of pre-service teachers education program and to expand in-service teachers training and supporting program.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.778-788
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the change of the beginning science teachers' perception change through the mentoring program. Participants in this study were four mento-teachers, one university professor, two teachers in doctor, two teacher in doctor's or master's course, and four mentee-teachers who had less than three years teaching experience. We performed five times one to one mentoring for a year. We collected data such as video recordings of mentee-teacher's classes, lesson plans, recording of one to one mentoring and transcription, mento and mentee journals, preliminary-interim-post interview and transcription, and RTOP class observation report. Based on the result of this study, five times mentoring over a year changed mentee-teacher's perception and their teaching practice.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.334-346
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• 2012

For teachers' conceptions and understandings are critical to their decision making and classroom practice, this study attempts to understand pre-service elementary teachers' views and practices of science inquiry during peer teaching practice. Fifteen 4th year university students in teacher education program participated in peer teaching practice. Their teaching and reflective discussion were video and audio recorded and written lesson plans were collected for data analysis. Five science teacher educators individually looked into the data and shared their comments and interpretations on pre-service teachers' views and practice. The study findings suggest that pre-service teachers emphasized the importance of providing students with motivating resources in the beginning of lesson, employing certain inquiry teaching models, the process of predicting and dis/proving via experiment, and teachers' minimal intervention as the important features of inquiry teaching. Science teacher educators emphasized that it is critical to help children understand inquiry questions in the beginning of inquiry process, to be mindful of children's problem solving and critical thinking rather than following instruction models or simply going through prediction and test process. They also commented that teachers' guidance could lead a good inquiry process in classroom practice, not always interfering students' inquiry. Based on the findings, the study suggests science teacher educators need to understand what and how pre-service teachers view and practice science inquiry teaching and consider these as useful resources where they can start effective teaching for pre-service teachers at the university level.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.289-301
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate beginning secondary science teachers' teaching practices in terms of motivating and understanding students. Six first-year teachers participated in this study. Data were collected by classroom observations and structured interviews. Instructional materials used during the class were also collected to understand teaching practice. Lessons observed were video-tape recorded and the teachers were interviewed. Video- and audio-tape recording were transcribed. The framework, developed by Knowles Project Team of Michigan State University, was adopted and revised according to Korean classroom context and employed as an analytical tool for teaching practices. The beginning secondary science teachers intention ranged from 'Managing Work' to 'School Science.' No teachers revealed 'Reform Science Teaching' orientation. For the execution of science lessons, one teacher with 'Managing Work' orientation showed 'expert' level of execution, but the others executed at a 'novice' level. Beginning science teachers need to be guided and informed about 'Reform Science Teaching' for motivating and understanding students to develop professionally.