• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.104-115
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• 1995

Teachers' conception about the nature of science is considered to be an important factor to improve the students' conceptions of that. It is assumed that teachers' conception of the nature of science may be influenced by their views of learning. The first purpose of this study was to investigate the exploratory relationships between teachers' conceptions about the nature of science and their views of learning. The second one was to compare the their conceptions and views of learning before and after science education lectures during 1 semester. We administered the questionnaires for the nature of science and for constructivist's learning, respectively, consisted of 5 dimensions (relativism-positivism; inductivism- deductivism; decontextualism-contextualism; content-process; instrumentalism-realism) and of 6 aspects (student; learning; instruction; teacher; curriculum; evaluations) were administered to 57 pre-service elementary teachers (female=44; male=13) before and after lectures. In pre-test it was revealed that respondents had not the consistent conceptions about the nature of science. The conception of relativism was more dominant than those of positivism, deductivism than inductivism, decontextualism than contextualism, process than content and instrumentalism than realism. They had more constructivist views in the respect of process of learning than in other respects, that is, students, instruction, teacher, curriculum and evaluation. But no significant correlations between the dimensions of the nature of science and the aspects of the views of learning suggest that constructivst views of learning was not deeply related with their conceptions of the nature of science. In post-test we had similar results with those of the pre-test, but the process-content dimensions of the nature of science was correlated with the constuctivist views of learning. Therefore we concluded that elementary pre-service teachers had the constructivist views of learning which was isolated with their conceptions of the nature of science although they had science educations course. We need to develop the course to make the conceptions of the nature of science relate view of learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.491-504
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• 2011

We investigated science-gifted students' conceptions on science learning. The inventory instruments used for our study were a questionnaire on the conceptions of learning science (COLS) and a questionnaire on the approaches to learning science (ALS). Our analysis of the questionnaires showed that there are differences in the conceptions of science learning between the science-gifted and ordinary students. Science-gifted students perceive science learning as storing up of scientific knowledge, expansion of knowledge structure and achievement of a new view. There are no differences in the conceptions of science learning between male and female science-gifted students. There are also no differences in the conceptions of science learning in terms of subject preference such as physics, chemistry, biology and earth science. Our analysis offer assistance to teaching material and teaching method for science courses.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2004

This study was to investigate high students' conceptions of acids and bases, and their views on learning science. Multiple sources of data were collected over six months with a participation of sit tenth graders and their science teacher. The transcripts of interviews and other data were examined with an eye toward students' conceptions of acids and bases, and their views of learning science. Students' views of science are displayed the representative pattern. Each pattern is represented with an episode. Students' views of learning have been found to reflect the transmissive models of science educational practice. Students accept passive and difficult-to-modify views of the learner roles that they should play in the science classroom. Students identified science classes as conservative places, despite the introduction of science literacy as a goal of Korean science education since 1980. Behaviorism remains the major influence in their expectation, design, and practice in school science. Moreover, 'transmission' remains the persistent and dominant classroom cultural dynamic for both teaching and learning of science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1295-1317
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• 2012

There has been disagreement on the importance of definitions in science education. Yager (1983) believes that one crisis in science education was due to the considerable emphasis upon the learning of definitions. Hobson (2004) disagrees with physics textbooks that do not provide general definition on energy. Some textbooks explain that "there is no completely satisfactory definition of energy" or they can only "struggle to define it." In general, imprecise definitions in textbooks (Bauman, 1992) and inaccuracies in definition provided by teachers (Galili & Lehavi, 2006) may cause alternative conceptions. Besides, there are at least four challenges in defining physical concepts: precision, circularity, context and completeness in knowledge. These definitional problems that have been discussed in The Feynman Lectures, may impede the learning of physical concepts. A meta-study approach is employed to examine about five hundreds journal papers that may discuss definitions in physics, problems in defining physical concepts and how they may result in alternative conceptions. These journal papers are mainly selected from journals such as American Journal of Physics, International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Physics Education, The Physics Teachers, and so on. There are also comparisons of definitions with definitions from textbooks, Dictionaries of Physics, and English Dictionaries. To understand the nature of alternative conception, Lee et al. (2010) have suggested a theoretical framework to describe the learning issues by synthesizing cognitive psychology and science education approaches. Taking it a step further, this study incorporates the challenges in semantics and epistemology, proposes that there are at least four variants of alternative conceptions. We may coin the term, 'alternative definitions', to refer to the commonly available definitions, which have these four problems in defining physics concepts. Based on this study, alternative definitions may result in at least four variants of alternative conceptions. Note that these four definitional problems or challenges in definitions cannot be easily resolved. Educators should be cognizant of the four variants of alternative conceptions which can arise from alternative definitions. The concepts of alternative definitions can be useful and possibly generalized to science education and beyond.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.61-73
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• 1998

This research suggests science inquiry play of analogy as a teaming method to help the students in concrete operational stage to develop scientific thinking skills and to understand abstract science conceptions. The research focuses on/considers the characteristics and merits of the science inquiry plays, and the learning method by analogical reasoning. This learning through the science inquiry play of analogy can be considered as a meta-model for scientific thinking skill. The learning has the following processes: 1) Students analogize the abstract science conceptions and facts into play-type activities including the concrete contents such as students themselves, their physical-sensory motions, concrete objects, play methods, and play rules. 2) Students as analogized objects play a role physically and sensuously according to the methods and rules analogized in the play. 3) Students find out the concrete contents included in the science inquiry play of analogy, draw the results, and deduce the new conceptions from the results by reflective thinking and analogical reasoning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.217-228
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the constructivist instructional model on the acquisition of atmospheric pressure conceptions and learning motivation. The step of constructivist instruction was prediction and explanation-experiment and observation-discussion-application. The control group consisted of two classes of students who participated in the teacher-centered instruction. The experimental group consisted of two classes of students who participated in the constructivist instruction. To examine students' preconceptions before the instructions, a preconceptions test was administered. After the instructions, students' acquisition of atmospheric pressure conceptions and learning motivation were measured with a researcher-made post-conceptions test and The Course Interest Survey. The results from this study were as follows: First, the constructivist instruction is more effective method in acquisition of atmospheric pressure conceptions and learning motivation than the teacher-centered instruction. Therefore, in order to increase the acquisition of science conceptions and to decrease the science misconceptions, we need to use the constructivist instructional model which make learners self check their own preconceptions of science. Second, the constructivist instruction is more effective than teacher-centered instruction in three elements of learning motivation. So, we need to develop the effective ARCS(attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction) strategies in order to use the constructivist instructional model and to verify it's effectiveness. Third, to improve teaching and learning methods, educational researchers should carry out studies using many points of view than studies biased constructivism or objectivism. In this respect, we need to contrive how to integrate constructive view points and objective view points.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.266-274
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• 1999

This study investigated the effects of cooperative and individual computer-assisted instructions upon middle school students' science conceptions, achievement, perception of learning environment, and motivation. The cooperative, individual, and traditional learning groups were selected from a middle school, and taught about the motion of molecule for 5 class hours. Data analyses indicated that the students with cooperative computer-assisted instruction scored significantly higher than those with traditional instruction in the tests of conceptual understanding, perception of learning environment and motivation. Better understanding of the cooperative learning group was also found in a retention test of conceptions. In addition, there were significant interactions between the instruction and the level of prior achievement in the tests of retention of conceptions and motivation. Educational implications are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.231-243
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate misconceptions regarding the structure of flowers and the function of the course based on the 'Flower' section of 5th grade elementary school science courses. It also sought to investigate how misconceptions are changed before and after the application of a Driver learning model, and finally analysing any differences in the correction of misconceptions. A questionnaire was created for 199 5th grade elementary school pupils. The major results before and after using an applied Driver learning mode teaching plan are as follows: In the response for questions, 13.6% and 14.5% of misconceptions were corrected for male and female pupils, respectively. For rural and urban pupils, 14.8% and 11.2% of misconceptions were corrected, respectively. In the comparison of male and female pupils according to the reasons for selection of responses before and after using an applied Driver learning model teaching plan, 27.8% of male and 30.0% of female pupils scientific conceptions showed improvement. For rural and urban schools, 26.6% and 32.2% of scientific conceptions were improved, respectively. Data from this study may help teachers to reconsider their own conceptions regarding the study of the flower as it is presently conducted in elementary school.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.61-76
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• 1992

The purpose of this study was to develop the instructional model and teaching material to change the middle school students'conceptions of electric current into the scientific ones and to investigate the effects of the model in actual classrooms. We identified the students' ideas and their misunderstanding about the concept of eIectic current through reviewing the literatures and our in this study. Based on the above results, we developed the instructional model and designed the teaching sequence and prepare the learning materials about the unit of the electric current in middle school Our instructional model was based on 'learning cycle' developed by Lawson, but the new stage called "exploration through qualitative questions" to elicit the students' own conceptions was inserted to it. To investigate the effects or the new teaching model, the pre- and post-test using the POE type were administered to experimental group(52 students) taught with learning cycles and control group(52 students) taught with traditional styles. The results are as follows; 1) The rates of correct. predictions was varying according to the kinds of problems. And the rates of the correct. reasons of their predictions were lower than those of the predictions. 2) The mean scores of the post-test of both groups were significantly higher than those of the pre-test. We could not find statistically significant difference in theme an score between experimental group and control group after implementation of the model. But the experimental group gained higher scores than those of the control group on two problem. Therefore, although we cannot show the prominent effects of our teaching model based on learning cycles, there are some effects of our model on changing the middle school students' conceptions of electric current.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.217-228
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of learning cycle model on the changes of electricity conceptions of elementary students. Four classes in forth grade of an elementary school in Busan were selected and two of them were served as experimental group and the others as control group. The experimental group were taught the unit of "Light an electric bulb" in elementary science textbook with teaching model based on teaming cycle and the control group with traditional teaching style. The instruction effects were analyzed through pre and post-test results using questionnaire on the electricity. The results of pre-test showed that there was not a significant difference between experimental group and control group at .05 level, so two groups could be regarded as homogeneous. The mean score of experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group on the post-test at .05 level. And within-group comparison revealed that both groups made improvement on the mean score and that the improvement of each group had significant difference at .05 level. Above results said that the teaching model based on learning cycle, which focuses on hands-on activity and considers each student as an active subject, was more effective than traditional teaching style in improving the formation of scientific conceptions on electricity.ectricity.