• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.486-500
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• 2013

This study is conducted to examine how epistemic reasoning and argument structures of students vary according to data sources used in the process of argumentation implemented in the context of inquiry. To this end, three argument tasks using first-hand data and three argument tasks using second-hand data were developed and applied to the unit on 'Nutrition of Plants' for first year middle school students. According to the results of this study, epistemic reasoning of students manifested during the process of argumentation and varied according to data sources. While most students composed explanations with phenomenon-based or relation-based reasoning in argumentation using first-hand data, all the small groups composed explanations that included model-based reasoning in argumentation using second-hand data. In the case of arguments including phenomenon-based or relation-based reasoning, students described only observable characteristics, with warrants omitted from arguments in many cases. On the other hand, in the case of arguments that included model-based reasoning, explanations were composed by combining the results of observations with theoretical knowledge, with warrants more apparent in their arguments.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.198-209
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• 2011

In this study, pre-service science teachers' reflective thinking in their journal writing was investigated. To do this, the authors used pre-service science teachers' journal writing abilities, wherein they not only reported data and result formally, but also wrote their feelings and reflections about an inquiry-based physics experiment they performed. Pre-service science teachers' writings were decomposed into sentences and each sentence was analyzed into a framework with 4 dimensions: knowledge, procedure, orientation and attitude. Reflective thinking in knowledge dimension included reflection on what they know before the experiment, what they still do not know and what they learned from the experiment. Reflective thinking in procedure dimension included recalls of experiences about general experimental procedures and specific experimental skill. Reflective thinking in orientation dimension included their views about the nature of science and science teaching and learning, and reflective thinking in attitude dimension consisted of interests, motives and values about the experiment they performed. While there were some variations in frequency distribution of reflective thinking by the topic of experiments, pre-service science teachers' reflective thinking in journal writings revealed their metacognition on their knowledge and learning, epistemological belief about science and science learning, and affective domain related to experiment. This study can infer that such kind of writing with 'their own language' in an informal way followed by formal 'scientific' reports in a scientific experiment has a significance not only as a mediator representing reflective thinking but also as an instructional activity to facilitate reflective thinking in science learning and teaching.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.223-241
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to plan a direction for the connection of the area of inquiry in daily life between infants and young children in Korea based on the analysis of the early learning standards for infants aged 0~2, and young children aged 3~4/5 in 17 different states in America. The problem of the study is as follows: What is the content area of cognitive development, science and mathematics of early learning standards regarding age? The data used in this study was collected from a total of 17 states in America in which 12 states classify infants and young children as aged 0~2 and 3~4/5 respectively and 5 states do not classify the age groups. The results obtained from the analysis of the given issues are as follows. First, in the case of the five states that showed the group aged 0~4/5, the contents related to the area of inquiry in daily life of the early learning standards were included in the mathematics and science and a part of these contents were also included in cognitive developments. In the case of the 12 states that classified the groups aged 0~2 and 3~4/5 respectively, the group aged 0~2 included cognitive developments and the group aged 3~4/5 includes mathematics and science. Second, the contents related to the area of inquiry in daily life of the early learning standards in the five states that showed the single group aged 0~4/5 include the contents in order of scientific idea, biology, physics, and the earth and space. In the 12 states that classify different age groups. Third, in the case of the states that separate age groups, the group aged 0~2 include the contents of number and operation, geometry and space while the group aged 3~4/5 include the contents of number and operations, geometry and space, and measurement. The implications of this study was that it is necessary to take into account the linking between development and characteristics of the subjects.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.495-504
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• 2018

This study was conducted to develop items to measure scientific core competency based on statements of scientific core competencies presented in the 2015 revised national science curriculum and to identify the validity and reliability of the newly developed items. Based on the explanations of scientific reasoning, scientific inquiry ability, scientific problem-solving ability, scientific communication ability, participation/lifelong learning in science presented in the 2015 revised national science curriculum, 25 items were developed by five science education experts. To explore the validity and reliability of the developed items, data were collected from 11,348 students in elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. The content validity, substantive validity, the internal structure validity, and generalization validity proposed by Messick (1995) were examined by various statistical tests. The results of the MNSQ analysis showed that there were no nonconformity in the 25 items. The confirmatory factor analysis using the structural equation modeling revealed that the five-factor model was a suitable model. The differential item functioning analyses by gender and school level revealed that the nonconformity DIF value was found in only two out of 175 cases. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance by gender and school level showed significant differences of test scores between schools and genders, and the interaction effect was also significant. The assessment items of science core competency based on the 2015 revised national science curriculum are valid from a psychometric point of view and can be used in the science education field.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.197-200
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• 2016

On an international scale, the burden of cancer in absolute numbers continues to increase, mainly due to aging of population in many countries, the overall growth of the world population, changing lifestyle with increasing cancer-causing behavior, like cigarette smoking, changing dietary habits and sedentary life. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death and disability in the world, after only heart disease. Recently, increasing incidence and mortality of cancer have also become evident in the developing world. In Iraq and particularly in Basrah in the southern part of the country, the burden has definitely increased and deserves extensive research. The present paper is part of an extensive household survey carried out in Basrah in 2013. Among the objectives was to validate official cancer registration in the governorate. The cross-sectional survey had a retrospective component to inquire about the incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths during the three years preceding the date of inquiry (2010-2012). A convenient sample of 6,999 households with 40,688 inhabitants using multistage cluster sampling was surveyed involving all urban and rural areas of Basrah. The official cancer registration activities in Basrah seemed to have attained a high level of registration coverage (70-80%) but the gap, represented by missed cases, is still high enough to criticize the system. Most of the missing cases were either not notified by treating facilities or they were diagnosed and treated outside Basrah. Using a set of parameters, the pattern of cancer was consistent based on data of the household survey and data of the cancer registry but a gap still existed in the coverage of incident cancer and mortality by cancer registration. Integrated serious steps are required to contain the risk of cancer and its burden on the patient through improving the registration process, improving early detection, diagnostic and management capabilities and encouraging scientific research to explore the hidden risk factors and possible causes of low registration coverage. Periodic household surveys seemed feasible and essential to support routine registration.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.13-33
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to clarify the possibility of the character education and the concrete implementation process in the field of science education in accordance with the social demand for character education. Based on this purpose, the researchers tried to understand the specific character elements appearing in various science learning situations and to understand the qualities of each specific character elements that can be emphasized through science learning and the aspect of expression process in related learning situations. The researchers selected 11 students from the 7th and 8th graders in Seoul and developed and applied the 'Become a Science Teacher' mentor program in 2014 and 2015. Data collection was conducted through class recordings, mentor teachers' and assistant teacher's journal, artifacts, student journals, student portfolios, class listeners' essays for science class and analyzed qualitative data collected through constant comparison method. According to the result, we extracted 11 character elements and reorganized them into 16 specific character elements revealed in various learning situations based on the relationship between each character elements. The results of the study are eight specific character elements that can be emphasized through science learning and related learning situations. The eight specific character elements are 'responsibility for teaching behavior due to hierarchy of scientific knowledge structure, communication for forming scientific concept, empathic concern based on science learning experience, cooperation for promoting rationality of inquiry method, positive perception of scientific endeavor, respect for scientists' attitudes toward research, confidence in future scientific research, persistence in trial and error'. Based on the results of this study, we proposed the research methods of character in the field of science education in the future.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.143-154
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• 2017

Science inquiry has long been emphasized in Korean science education. Scientific modeling is one of key practices in science inquiry with a potential to provide students with opportunities to develop their own explanations and knowledge thereafter. The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher's understanding of models in science and science teaching. A professional development program on Models (PDM) was developed and refined through three times of implementation while teachers' conceptions of models and modeling were examined. A total of 29 elementary and secondary teachers participated in this study. A survey based on model use of scientists in the history of science was developed and used to collect data and audio recordings of discussions among teachers and artifacts produced by the teachers during PDM were also collected. Three ways of ontological and two ways of epistemological understanding of models and modeling were found in teachers' ideas. After PDM, a quarter of the teachers changed their ontological understanding whereas very few changed their epistemological understanding. In contrast, more than two thirds of the teachers deepened and extended their ideas about using models and modeling in teaching. There were no clear relationships between teachers' understanding of models and ways and ideas about using models in science teaching. However, teachers' perceptions of school conditions were found to mediate their intention to use models in science teaching. The findings indicate possible approaches to professional development program content design and further research.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.372-387
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• 2012

This study aims to identify unique small group norms and their influence on the process of constructing a scientific model. We developed instructional materials for the construction of a model of blood flow in the heart and conducted research on eighth-grade students from one middle school. We randomly selected 10 small groups, and videotaped and recorded their dialogues and behaviors. The data was categorized according to the types of interaction and then analyzed to investigate the characteristics of group norms and models in one or two representative groups for each type. The results show that the types of interaction, the quality of the group models, and the group norms were different in each group. Even though one teacher guided students through the same task in the inquiry context, each group revealed different patterns of discourse and behavior, which were based on norms of cognitive responsibility, the need for justification, participation, and membership. With the exception of one group, there was little cognitive responsibility and justification for students' opinions. Ultimately, these norms influenced the model construction of small groups. A group that forms norms to encourage the active participation and justify members' opinions with cognitive responsibility was encouraged to do inferential thinking and construct a group model close to the target model. This study has instructional implications for the establishment of a classroom environment that facilitates learning through small group activities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.509-521
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• 2015

Argumentation is a social and collaborative dialogic process. A large number of researchers have focused on analyzing the structure of students' argumentation occurring in the scientific inquiry context, using the Toulmin's model of argument. Since SSI dialogic argumentation often presents distinctive features (e.g. interdisciplinary, controversial, value-laden, etc.), Toulmin's model would not fit into the context. Therefore, we attempted to develop an analytical framework for SSI dialogic argumentation by addressing the concepts of 'discourse clusters' and 'discourse schemes.' Discourse clusters indicated a series of utterances created for a similar dialogical purpose in the SSI contexts. Discourse schemes denoted meaningful discourse units that well represented the features of SSI reasoning. In this study, we presented six types of discourse clusters and 19 discourse schemes. We applied the framework to the data of students' group discourse on SSIs (e.g. euthanasia, nuclear energy, etc.) in order to verify its validity and applicability. The results indicate that the framework well explained the overall flow, dynamics, and features of students' discourse on SSI.