• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students' preconception about the needed knowledge to understand organic reactions based on electron flow and undergraduate students' ability that understand fundamental chemical reaction based on electron flow, and was to offer pertinent teaching and learning method. For this study, 18 sophomores that majored in chemistry education of H University, were sampled. Test papers were newly developed that based on previous research. Undergraduate students' response was classified and reasons of the response were qualitatively analyzed by interview. According to the results of this study, it was found that undergraduate students had good understanding on the concept about the electron configuration of atoms and on the concepts about the needed knowledge to understand chemical reactions based on electron flow. But they didn't apply the concepts to the fundamental chemical reaction. Therefore, teaching and learning strategy that apply the needed concepts to understand chemical reactions based on electron flow to chemical reactions should be developed.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.331-348
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• 2012

With a gradual increase in research on teaching and learning calculus, there have been various studies about students' thinking about the derivative. This paper reviews the results of the existing empirical studies published in Korean and English. These studies mainly have shown that how students think about the derivative is related to their understanding of the related concepts and the representations of the derivative. There are also recent studies that emphasize the importance of how students learn the derivative including different applications of the derivative in different disciplines. However, the current literature rarely addressed how students think about the derivative in terms of the language differences, e.g., in Korean and English. The different terms for the derivative at a point and the derivative of a function, which shows the relation between concepts, may be closely related to students' thinking of the derivative as a function. Future study on this topic may expand our understanding on the role language-specific terms play in students' learning of mathematical concepts.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.277-289
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• 2016

Fraction is one of the concepts which are difficult to elementary school students. So, many researches about fraction were performed in mathematics education research. In special, fraction has so many subordinative concepts-proper fraction, improper fraction, mixed number. We have to concentrate on the conceptual understanding in teaching of fraction. In this case, a mixed number and improper fraction are concepts which can convert respectively. And there are methods that a mixed number and improper fraction can be converted. So, it's needed to analyze the converting methods in textbooks for getting the implication of teaching in this areas. In this study, I analyzed the Korean and foreign's textbooks. I certified the methods-using addition expression, using part-whole model in the textbooks. For the conceptual understanding, I suggested to use the fusion of the various part-whole fraction models and addition expression more than the algorithm in converting between a mixed number and improper fraction. It's reason that the use of models in converting between a mixed number and improper fraction is important for the relational understanding.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.685-691
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• 2021

Background and objective: Understanding abstract art as an art form requires depth of thought. Moreover, understanding land art as abstract art is challenging, given its focus on the minimalism and abstract concepts. Much focus, research, and work were actively conducted in the 1970s, as it represented an abstract expression of minimalism. The characteristics of minimalism connote abstract meanings in the use of materials. Nevertheless, the original research of works or artists has often been mentioned, but few studies have analyzed the abstract language of land art materials. The aim of this study is to thus determine the abstract meanings of materials in land art from the 1970s to the 2010s. Methods: Art-based research was employed to address the aim. This study classified the land art materials into intangible and tangible materials, where intangible materials focused on lines, circles, and labyrinths, and tangible materials focused on the earth, stones, wood, and snow. Results: Intangible and tangible materials of land art conveyed various abstract meanings. Intangible materials were reflective of connection and symbiosis with nature, delivering abstract languages of 'take-nothing,' 'reflection' and 'opportunity.' Tangible materials reflected the abstract concepts of 'intervention,' 'resistance,' 'unliving,' and 'change,' and conveyed caveats. In other words, taken together, intangible and tangible materials were presented in symbiosis-and with caveats-and delivered messages for the present and the future. Interestingly, intangible materials inherently reflect symbiosis and communicate caveats in works based on a non-contextualized present and future. Conclusion: Interpretation of the abstract languages derived from intangible and tangible materials could imply a symbiosis between humans and nature, while conveying the message that caveats, to humans, are still ongoing. This relationship plays a significant role in an artist's selection of a medium, which is reflective of abstract beliefs reflected in contemporary, nature-based works created on Earth.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.365-374
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to investigate the students' conceptions about the reaction rate changes during the chemical equilibrium shifts and also whether the questions about basic concepts of the reaction rate are helpful for the students' understanding of reaction rate changes during the chemical equilibrium shifts. The subjects were 100 students in the 12th grade. The questionnaires were composed of A, B, and A' set, which had to be answered sequentially. The A set consisted of questions asking the change of reaction rate when chemical equilibrium was shifted, the B set was to testify the basic concepts of the reaction rate, and the A' set was the same as the A set. The results showed that the students' understanding of the reverse reaction rate change was lower than that of the forward reaction rate change during the equilibrium shift. Also it was found that students' understanding of the reaction rate change caused by adding the reactant was fairly good while their understanding of the reaction rate change caused by temperature increment was very poor. Since the students marked very high scores in the B set questions, their poor understanding for the reaction rate changes during the equilibrium shifts was not seemed to be due to the lacks of the basic knowledge of reaction rate. Instead, it was due to the failure of applying the basic knowledge of reaction rate to the changes of reaction conditions. It was also found that the average scores of A' set were statistically higher than those of A set. It means the B set items were helpful for the students to solve the A' set items. These results evidenced the possibility of set questionnaires could help the students to connect the related concepts in solving the problems.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2013

This work started with recent students' conception on Linear Algebra. We were trying to help their understanding of Linear Algebra concepts by adding visualization tools. To accomplish this, we have developed most of needed tools for teaching of Linear Algebra class. Visualizing concepts of Linear Algebra is not only an aid for understanding but also arouses students' interest on the subject for a better comprehension, which further helps the students to play with them for self-discovery. Therefore, visualizing data should be prepared thoroughly rather than just merely understanding on static pictures as a special circumstance when we would study visual object. By doing this, we carefully selected GeoGebra which is suitable for dynamic visualizing and Sage for algebraic computations. We discovered that this combination is proper for visualizing to be embodied and gave a variety of visualizing data for undergraduate mathematics classes. We utilized GeoGebra and Sage for dynamic visualizing and tools used for algebraic calculation as creating a new kind of visual object for university math classes. We visualized important concepts of Linear Algebra as much as we can according to the order of the textbook. We offered static visual data for understanding and studied visual object and further prepared a circumstance that could create new knowledge. We found that our experience on visualizations in Linear Algebra using Sage and GeoGebra to our class can be effectively adopted to other university math classes. It is expected that this contribution has a positive effect for school math education as well as the other lectures in university.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.569-584
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• 2014

The Purpose of this study was an analysis of high school student's understanding level about concepts of special relativity through in-depth interview. The 8 participants were 10th grade students in H high school in Ulsan city, who were interviewed and analyzed in the results of the interview about basic concepts of special relativity using achievement checklist in 6 situations(principle of constancy of light velocity, principle of relativity, relativity of simultaneity, garage paradox, rocket paradox). As results of the checklist, the participants showed high achievement in the content level of simple phenomena and simple concepts related to special relativity. But they showed low achievement in the concept level for fundamental understanding of special relativity. As results of the interview, it was found that the participants decided the order of events depending on their intuition and had a difficulty to apply the coordinate system to real situation, even though they mathematically understood it. In addition, some participants who could not understand the inertial coordinate system explained paradoxes of relativity depending on their intuition and had learner's chaos. Finally, though high school students usually being in formal operational stage, some students had difficulty to draw phenomena of space and time in two dimensional plane.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.499-514
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• 2007

In modern mathematic education, the development of mathematical ability based on the understanding of mathematical concepts has been emphasized in curriculum and teaching methodology. Also, in schools, most math teachers stress the importance of mathematical concepts in doing math well. Thus, in this paper, we outlined the development of mathematical concepts through the literature survey. And then, based on the Sfard's definition of mathematical concepts, which classifies math concepts into the operational approach and structural approach, we analyzed the math concepts of exponential function and logarithmic function units in three highschool math textbooks. As the result, we found that the textbook authors used different approach for the same concepts, and, at the same time, they used both approaches to help develop the students' math concepts.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.195-212
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• 2017

Small group learning is an educational approach to allow students to solve the problems and to achieve a common goal. Especially, small group learning in science education is one of the most important educational approaches and effective to ensure understanding of a topic. Small group learning consisting of three students in science education maximize student understanding and learning efficiency. However, It is reported that the effects of small group learning on achievement show different results, corresponding to different grouping methods(homogeneous/heterogeneous). This study investigated the effects of grouping method on difference of ecological niche of photosynthesis concepts. To achieve this, 1107 7th students were composed of homogeneous and heterogeneous groups classified into top, middle, and bottom levels. The photosynthesis units were divided into four categories: the photosynthesizing place, the substances of photosynthesis, required materials for the photosynthesizing, and environmental factors affecting photosynthesis. A questionnaire was composed by selecting concepts having a frequency of 4% or more based on prior studies on the change of the ecological status of photosynthesis. The questionnaire was scored in terms of relativity and understanding on each of the proposed concepts in the four categories. The result of this study is as set forth below. 1) There was an enhancement of learning the concept of science in small group classes consisting of 3 students. 2) To enhance the average upon composing of a group, it is proposed that the group should be formed homogeneously, and to reduce the deviation between the members, it is proposed that the group should be formed heterogeneously. Through this study, it is expected that specific studies verifying the difference or effect on the duplicity of results are conducted based on the composition of groups.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.68-79
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the recognition of middle school students on 'Thinking Science' activities and the influence on the understanding of the gas particles behavior concepts. For this study 125 students of four classes first grade in middle school were divided into two groups, the experimental and the control group. The SRT II test was carried out to identify the cognitive level of the students. The logical factors, needed to understand of the gas particles behavior concepts, were extracted. And the 9 'Thinking Science' activities designed to develop these factors were chosen and then implemented to the students of the experimental group. After the lesson for the gas particles behaviors, the achievement test of understanding of the gas particles behavior concepts and the survey of the students' recognition on 'Thinking Science' activities were administered. According to the results of the achievement test, there was not significant difference between the two groups on the whole. But only mature concrete operational students in the experimental group got high scores than those in the control group in analyzing the effect size. According to the results of the ANCOVA analysis, there was significant difference between the two girls' group. When students in the experimental group had a positive perceptions about 'Thinking Science' activities, they got higher achievement scores. This implied that there was a correlation between perception about 'Thinking Science' activities and their achievement in the gas particles behavior concepts. Especially, students with positive perception in mature concrete operational period got higher scores in science achievement. After the 'Thinking Science' activities, there was a high perceptions about improving in scientific thinking.