• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.755-764
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• 2007

This study examines secondary school science teachers' use of science museums in their teaching and their perception/evaluation/utilization of the educational programs in Korean science museums. We found that teachers do not use science museums in close connection with their formal education; therefore, the students' experiences usually are minimal or are personal experiences. The main reason for this infrequent use of science museums is not because of their insignificant educational effects, but because of the lack of external and administrative support systems. Science teachers want the museums to have structured/organized programs such as science camps or experiments and a lending program which would provide experimental equipment and exhibits relevant to the school science curriculum. 90% of teachers who answered the survey wanted to participate in developing and managing the educational programs of science museums. The educational programs would be used more effectively in relation to formal science learning if the science teachers, who are science education professionals, participated in managing and planning the educational programs of science museums.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.331-337
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• 2006

This study examined the elementary school teachers' present utilization of science museums in teaching-learning and their perceptions of the educational programs in science museums. The results indicate that teachers have not utilized science museums as intimately as possible with formal instruction, therefore, the students' experiences of science museums are usually limited. The main reasons for lower than optimum usage of science museums in their teaching and learning is not because of its insignificant educational effects, but because of the lack of external and administrative support mechanisms. The elementary school teachers prefer to commit to programs in science museums such as science camps or experiment activities, and those exhibitions which have some kind of clear and discernable relation to the school curriculum. The results also indicate that most teachers want to participate in the various activities of science museums, such as developing and managing the programs or pre- and post activities for museum field trips, participating in the teachers' community in science museums, and so on.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.680-692
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• 2009

In this study, the facilities, educational program, and exhibition for students with disabilities in science museums were investigated. To do this, 19 science museums in Korea were surveyed by reviewing information and visiting investigation including interview. Facilities for access in consideration of the disabled were measured and found to averaged at 84.3 points well within the legal standard of 100 points. There were 11 moving science classes in which students with difficulties in accessing the museum can participate, but educational programs for the disabled were executed in 2 science museums. Exhibition in most science museum focused on basic science and dynamic operation, however there were little consideration for the disabled except for guides in braille and voice. In general, the facilities and educational program in science museum for students with disabilities were insufficient, but there are some possibilities to supplement by modifying the guide for the disabled or enlarging the educational program to include the disabled.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.357-374
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• 2004

This paper described the types and characteristics of educational programs in major natural history museums of the world. Data were collected from the websites, annual reports, and written materials of the Natural History Museum at London, Australian Museum at Sydney, Field Museum of Natural History at Chicago, Smithsonian Museum at Washington D.C, Royal Tyrrell Museum at Canada and American Museum of Natural History at New York. As the result of this study, we presented ten types of educational programs, which were moveable museums, workshops, lecture/courses, festival/events, discovery activities, scientific exploration/research projects, field trips, youth curators/internship, loan materials and camp/tours. We also described the examples equivalent to each program type. The characteristics of educational programs provided by museums as informal learning settings were analyzed in terms of their themes, participation levels, connection with exhibition, relation to curriculum, and learning activity levels. Information in this paper will assist science teachers, museum educators and curators: (1) to design and implement various types and contents of educational programs; (2) to use characteristics of educational programs to assess and develop them; (3) to make important contributions to science education that involves the introduction of various scientific aspects and collections to the public, and the use of programs for science learning and teaching coherent to existing curricula.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.11-25
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to propose a strategy model for engineering education for citizen through the connection between colleges of science and engineering and science museums as a way to achieve citizen science. For this model, the role of universities was redefined as social contributions through engineering education from the perspective of knowledge triangle and university entrepreneurship. In addition, the science museum was re-examined as an engineering education platform and selected as an institution that supports the contribution of colleges to society. For practical model development, the connection types of these two institutions were analyzed as case studies and interview to collect opinions from experts in the science museum. In this process, convergence education content development, reinforcement of college-science museum linkage, infrastructure construction, development of college resource utilization plans, and maintenance and expansion of educational programs diversification were derived as components for model development. Based on this, engineering education model for citizen was presented that matches educational programs according to the type of participation of colleges including key factors and considerations.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.881-901
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• 2011

The science museum in the past satisfied visitors only by interacting them with simple objects and exhibition, while one in modern times was requested to meet the need of visitors in their engagement in educational programs. To meet the visitors' need, the science museum made efforts to train, educate, and assign docents so that they can interact with visitors and serve the educational purpose of visitation. In this study, we analyzed the strengths and weakness of docent training programs from science museums/science centers nationally and internationally, to make implication on how to design a docent training and professional program. Programs from four national and four international science centers/museums were selected as a sample for analysis. Their docent training programs were compared with the data of surveys and interviews and emails from docents and docent managers/evaluators. Artifacts and documents of the docent training programs were also collected and used to construct the validity in analyzing the data, resulting in the well-developed docent training program as the critical one for enriching science museum education. The results included; First, we need to recruit and train docents who interact visitors directly but they need to be differentiated from regular volunteers for promoting science museum education for the purpose of popularization of science. Additionally, Second, we need to develop and run docent training program where docents can experience 'informal learning' exhibition interpreting strategies through the real field from mentoring from the experienced/senior docents beyond 'formal learning' exhibition content. Third, we need to equip docents with skills to make scientific literacy possible at science museum-such as experiencing scientific ethics through scientific inquiry-which happens limited at school education.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.335-340
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• 2013

As the market of educational pet insects is expanding, understanding the consumer needs became more crucial. To achieve the ideal analysis on the market, this research monitored the behavior of consumers. The posting on the blogs of consumers, who have visited insect museums and farms, or have bought insects were collected as data. Moreover, the informational contents, photographs and texts, were analyzed. The results showed that the family-unit visitors with elementary school lower graders were the main type of visitors for their children's education. The visiting areas were concentrated in Seoul and the Metropolitans of Gyeonggi province, and the visits were mostly occurred during their children's vacation period. The analysis of posted photographs showed the visitors' high interest in the hands-on program. According to the texts on visitors' blogs, especially, the largest number of visitors satisfied with the variety of program. It implies the necessity of development in diverse and differentiated hands-on program. Otherwise, the programs available to connect insects to other animals and plants should be introduced to reduce aversion against insects, which was reported as the strongest dissatisfaction. In conclusion, diversification on insect species and development in systematized hands-on program seem to be required for the continuous growth of educational pet insects market.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.200-215
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• 2012

The revitalization of science museum depends on the number of qualified docents who can meet the museum visitors' educational needs. However, the current unstructured docent system is not sufficient to meet the goal. Forty six docents currently working in science museums were surveyed about docent training program, current working conditions, and docent professional program in order to propose a viable system providing a docent profession. Data were collected through surveys with 46 docents, interviews with two experienced docents, and several artifacts from the science museum and selected docents. The surveys consisted of 47 items asking about personal biography, docent's perception, docents training program they took, current working conditions, and supplementary professional program. The conclusion of this study is as follows; First, there must be recognition about docents who can play educator's roles which are different from those of general volunteers in terms of recruiting and training system in science museum. Second, docents need to take training and supplementary professional courses that focus on observing and educating visitors in the field. Third, we need a docent management system by employing a well structured evaluating tools. A well established docent system will bring forth the enhancement of science museum education and the increase of science popularization by providing visitors with the quality educational services.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.104-121
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to identify the status of the science museum reflected in the exhibition, and develop and apply Nature of Science(NOS) education programs based on the science museum exhibition. The analyse tool was developed to understand the NOS in the science museum. The researchers recognized the nature of science reflected in four exhibition halls in Korea. Based on the analysis, we developed the NOS education program. NOS education programs were developed and applied to supplement the NOS that appears to be limited to scientific exhibitions based on the prior analysis of science exhibition. The results of the study were as follows. First, we analyzed the nature of science reflected in the exhibition of two main science museums, and it was mostly implicit and most were to understand the relationship among STS(Science-Technology-Society). And also we analyzed the NOS reflected in the exhibition of two national history museum, and it was also mostly implicit and most were about the way of how to find out the knowledge, inference. Second, in order to supplement the NOS of the science museum, we developed the NOS education program based on the exhibits. After applying it to the science museum, we conducted a qualitative study. As a result, there was a positive change only in the aspects of NOS (science is tentative, science is from creativity and imaginative, science is the produce of social and culture, science is from the scientific method) that reflected explicitly. The conclusions derived from this study are as follows : For the cultivation of science in the scientific museum, various factors are needed depending on the theme of the science museum. Also, it is helpful to actively implement the NOS educational programs that utilize the exhibit. Therefore, the exhibit planners' and developers' competencies are critical to develop explicit NOS education programs in its expertise.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.27
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• pp.277-288
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• 2017

The number of science museums in Korea has expanded quantitatively from 72 in 2008 to 128 in 2016. This study started with the fact that the government puts a lot of budget into building a science museum, but there are more than one quarter of science museums with less than 50 spectators per day and many inefficient institutions. The number of visitors is an important factor in improving the efficiency of the science museum operation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relation between the service quality of the science museum and the customer satisfaction and the intention to revisit and to find out what kind of effort should be concentrated in the science museum to attract more visitors. Questionnaires were written in the exhibition, education, and culture fields of the Gwacheon National Science Museum. The results were derived by frequency analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results and contents of the study are as follows. First, in the field of exhibition, the quality of exhibition facilities was expected to affect customer satisfaction and intention to return, but did not have a meaningful relationship. Second, the education sector has been found to affect customer satisfaction and return intention in all aspects of service quality (operation and contents, instructors, educational facilities and environment). Third, in the field of culture (event), the quality of the cultural program influences the visitor satisfaction, but it does not affect the intention to revisit. The science museum can provide satisfaction to visitors by combining activities such as science and arts. Despite the limitations, it is necessary to make efforts to improve the visitor satisfaction and revisit by proceeding with the convergence research on the entire National Science Museum in the future.