• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-56
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of elementary school students' conception on the movement of the moon, after teaching a lesson about the lunar phase which focused on concrete activities. The 396 subjects in this study consisted of intact groups of second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Pre-test and post-test instrument concerning on the conception in the movement of the moon were developed after reviewing the related literature and curriculum. Prevailing conceptions were identified by frequency of each conception. Then, the pattern of change and consistency of each conception were analyzed in comparison pre-test with post-test. To figure out the effect of teaching, the GEFT and the GALT instrument were administered to analyze it by gender, cognition mode and level. SPSS/WIN programs were used to process the data. The result showed that teaching 'movement of the moon' was the most effective in fourth grade. The effect of teaching 'changes in shape of the moon' was effective regardless of their sexes. Teaching 'changes in shapes of the moon' was more effective for the students whose cognitive modes were field-independent, than those filed-dependent. But the improvement by the teaching was not significantly different. The pre-score by cognitive level was significantly high in the order of the formal operational, transitional stage and the concrete operational stage. But the improvement of conception after teaching was high in the order of the concrete operational, transitional stage and the formal operational stage. That is to say, teaching was more effective as the cognitive level lowered.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.474-483
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated preservice elementary school teachers' awareness of students' misconceptions about several science topics, and the variables influencing their awareness. Seniors (N=106) from an university of education were asked to predict elementary school students' misconceptions on science topics such as phase changes and dissolution. Their conceptions about teaching and learning were also measured. The results indicated that the preservice teachers' predictions about the kinds and/or the ratios of students' misconceptions were different from those reported in previous studies. The low level preservice teachers in terms of the degrees of possessing traditional conception about teaching and learning predicted more students' common misconceptions. The degrees of preservice teachers' constructivist conception about teaching and learning and their major, however, did not significantly influence the numbers of common misconceptions predicted.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.187-196
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• 2008

In this study, a survey was conducted of students in grades 7 through 12, student teachers enrolled in their senior year at teachers' colleges, and science teachers. Subjects were surveyed on their conceptions of phenomenon related with dissolution, saturation, and extraction. The models and analogies used by student teachers and science teachers to explain dissolution were sought. The highest percentage of students thought of dissolution as a phenomenon in which particles broke into the spaces between other particles. The models or analogies used by the highest percentage of science teachers were similar. They generally conceived of dissolution phenomenon through what we call the 'space conception'. A conception of dissolution phenomenon as 'hydration through attraction of solvent and solute' was held by more student teachers than science teachers; there were some differences, however, according to their academic background. The percentage of teachers professing this view decreased when they attempted to explain the process of extraction of matter in a solution after other matter had dissolved or after the solution was cooled, indicating that the 'hydration' conception was not firmly established in the student teachers' cognition. Therefore, it can be inferred that the conceptions of dissolution as 'hydration' were transformed into the conceptions of dissolution as 'space' after teaching dissolution phenomenon as practicing teachers. This finding should be considered in teacher-training courses.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 1995

The latest researchs show that students have their own preconceptions about scientific phenomena or theory before they learn about it in school. The preconceptions exert a great influence on the teaching and learning science. The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of intelligence and attitude to science on elementary school students were sampled from 4th and 6th grade. Data were obtained by IQ test and the questionnaires on scientific conception and attitude toward science. The result was analyzed by t-test, Correlation and ANOVA in the statistical packages SPSS/PC+. The major findings of this study are as follows : 1. The mean score of scientific conception of elementary school students was 12.89. The mean score of attitude to science was 247.29. The mean score of intelligence was 109.93. 2. The correlation coefficient between scientific conception and intelligence (r=.5098)was relatively high(p<.001). The correlation coefficient between attitude to science and scientific conception(r=.2364) was low(p<.001). 3. Significant difference on science conception was found among grade levels(p<.001). Significant difference on science conception was not found between sex (p>.05). 4. The subjects were divided into 4 groups by intelligence and attitude toward science. These 4 groups show the significant difference (p<.01) in the scientific conception. The groups of high of high intelligence showed high scientific conception.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2003

This study was to analyze how elementary school science textbooks explain dissolution and to examine the patterns of elementary school teachers' conceptions on dissolution and the teaching practices on dissolution of elementary school teachers. According to the result of the textbook analysis, the textbooks based on the 7th curriculum didn't explain dissolution very differently from those based on the 6th curriculum. The contents dealing with dissolution in the textbooks of 7th curriculum became difficult gradually as the year went up, but the connected organization of the contents made students learn it easily. For example, in order to learn dissolution introduced first in the 3rd year 2nd semester textbook, students would tell soluble substance in water from insoluble substance in water as they put powdered substance in water. In the 5th year 1st semester textbook students were supposed to acquire the knowledge related to dissolution through the designed activities such as comparing solubility produced by different solvents and defining a solvent, a solute, dissolution, and a solution. In addition, teachers' guide for 5th year 1st semester textbook elucidated the principle of dissolution using attraction concept that was scientific. The result of the survey on teachers showed that 90% of elementary school teachers understood the dissolution of salt in water just as millet particles' filling the space between bean particles and they responded that they demonstrated millet particles' filling the space between been particles when they taught the dissolution of salt in water. When it comes to teachers who had the right idea on dissolution as the attraction conception, understanding was one thing and teaching was another, because they often instructed dissolution as the space conception in the real teaching.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of computer animations using particulate model in elementary science classes related to air pressure. To do those, four classes of 5th grade in an elementary school located in a city were selected. As an experiment group, two classes were applied the teaching materials of computer animations developed for this study based on particulate model. The other classes as a control group were not applied these materials in science classes. The total scores of experiment group in which computer animation using particulate model was applied in science classes are higher than those of the control group in the conception test. Only in one conception related to high and low atmospheric air pressure, the scores of the two groups are not significantly different at 0.05 significance level.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.773-794
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• 2001

Many studies on the professional development of science teachers demonstrated that induction teachers' conceptions of teaching science are important factors in developing their professionalism. The present study was conducted to describe in detail the progress of two science induction teachers, June and Mike, towards conceptual change teaching, and to investigate secondary induction science teachers' conceptions of teaching science by analysing their conceptual ecologies. The study was interpretive, using multiple data sources to achieve a triangulation of data. Both June and Mike held strongly positive learning in their views of knowledge and science. Holding positivist views of knowledge and of science is likely to be a major obstacle for anyone coming to understand constructivism and its implications in teaching for conceptual change. This argument resonates in several key ways with the teachers' cases, even though I recognize differences between scenario and teachers, and between teachers themselves.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.289-301
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• 2015

This study noted that elementary school students were unable to accurately comprehend the principles of moon phase changes and that teachers themselves lacked a full understanding of it as well. Therefore, this study classifies conception types through 161 5th grade respondents and suggests how to change students' conception types through the use of reconstructed teaching and learning materials (that have been developed in existing studies). It verified the changes in the learning achievement of 129 5th grade respondents and analyzed how to think about reconstructed teaching and learning materials through four teacher respondents and four 5th grade respondents from the same study. The results of this study are as follows: First, the conception types on moon phase changes were classified into C and W types. W types consisted of W1, W2, W3, W4, and W5 types. Students had difficulty in understanding the principles of a waxing crescent moon and first quarter phase changes. Second, the group taking classes, which implemented reconstructed teaching and learning materials, showed greater improvement in learning achievement posttest and long-term tests compared to those who have not. Finally, teachers and students reacted positively to the reconstructed teaching and learning materials as shown in exit survey results. In conclusion, it is suggested that teachers are better off utilizing reconstructed teaching and learning materials so that elementary school students may fully understand the principles of moon phase changes rather than just memorizing the results.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.419-433
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• 2015

Analogical reasoning is a central component of human cognition and contributes to scientific discovery and to develop science education. In this study, we investigated the process features of lower elementary school students' analogical reasoning to explain mixture concept. The subjects are 24 lower elementary students. And the research design includes three phases instruction to investigate the features of students' self generated analogy. Phase 1 is the introduction of analogy in which student learn to use analogy. Phase 2 is a POE class about mixture conception. Piaget and Inhelder studied the conception of mixing among children in relation to cognitive development. In phase 2, we taught the student with Piaget and Inhelder's the experiment and observed the features of learning process about mixture conception. Phase 3 is students' generation of analogy (self generated analogy) for the experienced phenomena in phase 2. We analyzed the students' responses through the three phases in the view of Gentner's Structure Mapping Theory. The results showed that many lower elementary school students even before formal operation stage understood the mixture conception and made well their self generated analogy to explain the mixture conception in spite of the difficulty of making self generated analogy.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.340-350
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• 1996

Knowledge is composed through the interaction between the concept structure already held by students and their experience, and learning can be said to be the active process of solving the cognitive conflict caused by this interaction. Therefore, this study consists in showing the effective learning method and finding out the elements which the teacher has to own, through examining several forms of pre-conception or mis-conception of the inertia, the force-equilibrium, the action and reaction, the heat, and the electric current, and then finding out their solution and studying student's change in science concepts. For this study, the types of concept on the five above-mentioned materials which students have were examined through the concept-classifying question paper, and the classes to which the class mode for the change of concepts applied, were practised in each different classroom by each different instructor - a professor, a scientist, a teacher, and two students, respectively. And the effect of the teaching strategy based on these classes, and each different instructor' influence on the change of concept in students. were examined. The result of my study is as follows; 1. Students have various types of pre-conception which are different from science concept, and these types of pre-conception tend to last even after learning in class. 2. The thoughts on the correct science concept of the high school third-grade students who learned the physics in the traditional teaching method, and the second grade students who don't learn the physics yet, were nearly equal those of the second grade students by receiving the physics class through the cognitive conflict course were greatly changed especially that students showed the distinct change on mechanics and electric current. 3. Students didn't show the remarkable change of the science concept on the five materials in the four kinds of experimental classes by each different instructor but in the part of mechanics, there was the distinct change between the class by professor and those by the students. This was due to the difference of the authority and the attitude of the concept demonstrator. 1) The authority, the kind attitude, and the responsibility of the expert played an important role in the correct concept-formation of mechanics part - especially in the case of the mis-conception caused by the intuitive belief. 2) In the class by instructor with the democratic teaching method, the change of concept took place more easily, because in his class students could discuss the subject freely, so that they might experience the thought course to give them the confidence on the science concept.