• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.269-284
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the epistemic process in elementary science classrooms by analyzing classroom discourse as a epistemic practice. Data came from four elementary teachers in the form of video-recordings. A total of 12 elementary science lessons were examined to reveal the discursive modes and sequences in which the teacher and students participated when they constructed and developed scientific knowledge during the lessons. Three representative discursive patterns were found in the elementary science lessons explored: (i) 'Retrieving-Retrieving-${\cdots}$' by which well-established scientific knowledge was retrieved repeatedly, (ii) 'Exploring-Building on the Shared' which allowed introducing new scientific knowledge based on the scientific phenomena explored by the teacher and students together through practical work, and (iii) 'Retrieving-Elaborating/Reformulating/Narrating' or 'Building on the Shared-Elaborating/Reformulating/Narrating' which expanded and strengthened scientific knowledge already learned. These discursive patterns were suggested as discursive-epistemic mechanisms employed frequently in the epistemic process in elementary science lessons and as a basis for defining epistemic cultures of science classrooms.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.390-403
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to explore discursive-epistemic mechanisms in high school earth science lessons. A total of 11 video recordings of earth science lessons were collected from three inservice high school teachers. The video recordings were all transcribed and analyzed by employing the discourse analysis framework used in relevant previous studies. In analysis, we identified discursive-epistemic mechanisms as functional assemblies for fulfilling particular epistemic functions in the earth science lessons. The characteristics of these mechanisms were described according to their epistemic functions. The findings of the study were compared with those of previous studies to highlight the characteristics of discursive-epistemic mechanisms in the earth science classrooms. Analyses of middle school science lessons and of science lessons in alternative forms, as well as studies using extended research methods such as indepth interviews with teachers, were suggested as implications for future research.