• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.1050-1062
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• 2012

Concepts of science have been developed by occupying 'ecological niche' within conceptual ecology. The ecological niche is determined from the mutual effect between intellectual environmental of the learner and new concept, which few studies have been conducted. This study examined how the ecological niche of the concept of photosynthesis in $7^{th}$ grade is changed by instruction. The ecological niche was analyzed using 2 methods: (1) the change in the diversity of concepts, and (2) the change in the proximity of concepts based on the frequency and the relativeness score of the concepts. The concept of photosynthesis was analyzed in the 4 domains in the place of photosynthesis, products of photosynthesis, reactants of photosynthesis, and environmental factors. The results of this study are as follows: (1) reduced diversity of concepts, (2) increased frequency and relativeness score of the scientific concepts, and (3) increased proximity of the scientific concepts by instruction. With these results, the mutual effects of the concepts within the conceptual ecology have become active by class to differentiate the relationships between the concepts, which accordingly displayed their changes in status.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2004

The purpose of this research is to provide useful data in forming sound scientific concepts by investigating elementary students' non-scientific concepts related to their concepts of biological adaptation, and by analyzing the general inclinations and causes of some misconceptions. Twenty-four objective questions were designed to be given to 5th and 6th grade elementary students in order to investigate their concepts of biological adaptation. According to the test results, they formed scientific concepts in most questions. But they appeared to have many misconceptions in some parts which should be guided by the teacher's additional explanations rather than by the education curricula's focus. There are some cases where the 6th grade students had more misconceptions than the 5th grade students who were not systemically taught the concepts of biological adaptation, for the reasons of strengthening or maintaining the misconceptions by confusing the contents of learning. Male and female students have different scientific concepts of different questions according to their interest and attention. Therefore, it is necessary to develop various teaching-learning data which can help the teachers' additional explanations about the concepts of biological adaptation and invoke students' interest and attention, and to seek appropriate measures to form sound scientific concepts among teachers as well as students.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2009

In this paper some attempts have been made (a) to identify all the elementary concepts of the major concept "measurement of length" and, (b) to find the sequential order of these elementary concepts. Total 714 elementary concepts have been identified and sequenced.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.356-370
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• 2008

The study aims to explore sequence of earth science content in elementary school science curriculum in Korea and the U.S.. The analysis is focused on a) general content structure of earth science part; b) concept relationship between grades in the specific field of 'geology'; c) longitudinal connection of concepts and content in 'geology.' The findings are as follows. First, earth science curriculum content in Korea is structured according to sub-scientific disciplines centering on not science concepts but topics or inquiry activities whereas the U.S. curricular content is organized through integrative earth science topics with basic concepts and sub-concepts. Second, it is a common feature that basic concepts are interrelated to sub-concepts in all grades in both countries. However, basic concepts are scattered all over the grades, presented in a linear pattern in Korea while those are provided together in 3rd grade and repeated with extended concepts in a spiral structure in the U.S.. Last, it is not clear how concepts and content are longitudinally connected between grades in Korean curriculum. On the contrary, concepts and content in the U.S. curriculum have a strong longitudinal connection between grades with conceptual hierarchy. Such results indicate that Korean elementary school science curriculum would limit students' comprehensive understanding of science concepts through grades. The study suggests Korean science content should strengthen interrelationship among concepts as well as longitudinal connection between grades, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of science education, 'scientific literacy'.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.126-129
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• 2014

Concerning the difficulty of learning science and reduced interest in science, the authors of this study searched for potential threshold concepts which are portals or gateways in the field of science (particularly chemistry). The nature of these concepts and how to overcome their troublesomeness were further questioned. For this study, 239 high school students completed chemistry II provided information about what difficult concepts and potential threshold concepts in high school chemistry are and how they affect learning chemistry. In particular, the mastery experience of the threshold concepts was explored in detail. Two, "mole and atomic structure" were selected as threshold concepts in chemistry. Not only as important but also as threshold, this study emphasized the importance of the two concepts in terms of features characterizing them as threshold concepts. In particular, the features objectify subjective experiences of students and provide information describing the scientific meaning and distinctive nature of threshold concepts in science. Along with the data from teachers, this study shows the integrative feature as key criteria for students to make meaningful understanding of the two threshold concepts.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2005

Purpose: This paper is a basic study aiming the establishment of Health theory according to korean culture. Especially planned to reveal the types of recognition on concepts of health in korean elderly. Methods: This study is using the Q-method, to collect rightly the concepts of objects in health. Results: This analysis shows us the 4 independent types of recognition about concepts of health in korean elderly as follows. Type Ⅰ: traditional & accommodational type, They positively agree to the concepts of health immanent in Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and folk customs. Type Ⅱ: modern & depedent type, They not only interpret concepts of health scientifically and modernly, but also positively accept the concepts of health in oriental medicine. Type Ⅲ: western medical & self-leading type, They interpret concepts of health scientifically and western-medically. Type Ⅳ: naturalistic & self-reliance type. They consider positively searching for well-being as health rather than simply situation devoid of diseases. Conclusions: All 4 types we can see that the fundamental concepts of health in korean elderly are complicated not only with mere western-medical concept of health, but also with concepts of health in oriental medicine, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shamanism which represent the oriental view of world.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to review the studies related to concept learning forcusing on the meanings, kinds, and characteristics of concepts. Then the characteristics of the concepts were analyzed in the three positions: metaphysics, epistemology, and psychology. It was identified that the word 'concept' were confused with the other words such as conception, construct, idea, notion, identity. It was also found that researchers defined the concepts by the use of various meanings. The instructional strategies for scientific concepts were also analyzed in this study. The study found that the instructional strategies for concept learning were developed according to the views about the nature of concepts. Described on the paper are three types of instructional models for science concepts suggested by constructivists as follows: concept formation, concept differentiation, and exchange. They developed the models based on the current research on the misconceptions of major scientific concepts.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.215-223
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• 2017

This study aims to find an effective way to present essential science concepts in national science curriculum through international comparisons. Next Generation Science Standard (US), Ontario Science Curriculum (Canada), Australia Science Curriculum, and British/English Science Curriculum were selected for comparison. In science curriculum documents, these countries used terms such as 'Key ideas,' 'Big ideas,' 'Key concepts,' 'Disciplinary core ideas.' and 'Fundamental concepts' to present essential concepts of science. This study reviewed the characteristics of the meaning, the status, and the role of essential concepts country by country. The result shows essential concepts have been used with different meanings and statutes in each case. Furthermore, various roles were performed through essential concepts in order to organize their science curriculum. From these foreign nation's cases, this study proposes several ways to present essential science concepts based on results. First, interdisciplinary integrated concepts were needed to organize an integrated science curriculum. In science curriculum documents of the United States, Canada, Australia and England, two types of terms were used in order to structuralize an integrated science curriculum. Second, essential concepts should include concepts related with function and value as well as scientific knowledge. Third, essential concepts need to be presented in such a way as to show specific contexts. Therefore, selecting appropriate contents and structure are needed to be able to improve the way to present essential concepts in Korea's educational environment.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2014

The feasibility of integrated concepts as a key element in designing integrated science curriculum has been investigated by analysing science contents included in performance expectations stated at different grades. The science curriculum of Singapore and the state of Ontario in Canada, and next generation of science standard (NGSS) were selected. Each of them presents theme, fundamental concepts, and crosscutting concepts, which has the characteristics of integrated concepts proposed in the study. Analysis showed that theme, fundamental concepts, and crosscutting concepts were influenced by the characteristics of each curriculum. In addition, science contents related to integrated concepts at different grades varied with the nature of integrated concepts. Based on results, some suggestions were made. First, the total number of integrated concepts should be considered for designing integrated curriculum. Second, the nature of integrated concepts and science contents associated with the integrated concepts should be considered. The integrated concepts should be vast and deep enough in the meaning to contain various content knowledge of different science domains. Third, it should be considered that how the integrated concepts have to be presented at different grades.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 1978

In this study, concept centered approach and process centered approach in developing integrated science curriculum were compared and compromised between two approaches. It seems that two approaches are in antagonistic relations. The superficial conflictions getween two approaches are not because they are antagonistic in their nature, but because their interesting points are different. The concept centered approahc is interest in fundamental scientific concepts and the process centered approach is interested in scientific enquiry. If science is the composition of enquiry processes and concepts produced by enquiry processes, scientific enquiry process and scientific concept must not be inconsistant. Although concepts are not unchangeable, new concepts and advanced concepts are based on the old concepts. Enquiry activity which is not based on concepts also cannot be significant enquiry. Although fundamental concepts in science is very important, in order to apply concepts to varios phenomena, and to understand concepts more deeply the student should understand concept through the process by which the concepts are derived. As we have discussed above, only the concept centered approach or the process centered approach itself is not complete. Comparing these two uncomplete approaches to integrated science curriculum, we can find out that two approaches are in complementary relations. Because integrated science is based on the idea that natural phenomena should not be understood in fragments, but should be understood as mutually related system' the integrated science curriculum includes both the fundamental scientific concepts and scientific enquiry processes.