• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.123-139
• /
• 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
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.736-750
• /
• 2014

The purposes of this study were to investigate concepts of Korean and American elementary school pre-service teachers on combustion, and to compare the concepts of Korean pre-service teachers with those of American pre-service teachers. For this study, concept test on combustion was administered to 23 Korean and 18 American elementary school pre-service teachers. The test composed of 6 items: 'Definition of combustion', 'The reason why a candle in a glass bottle is blown out when the bottle was closed', 'The change of gases in the bottle when a candle burns in it', 'The combustion products of a candle', 'The combustion products of steel wool', and 'The combustion products of a substance'. The results showed that the rates of elementary school pre-service teachers who had scientific concepts on combustion were very low in both Korean and American pre-service teachers' groups, although they were a little different from items. However the rates of pre-service teachers who had partial concepts and misconceptions on combustion were high in two groups. The levels of Korean elementary school pre-service teachers' concepts were a little higher than those of American elementary school pre-service teachers' concepts. The contents and activities on combustion which are in Korean and American science textbooks seem to affect building up their concepts on combustion.

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

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.365-384
• /
• 2010

This paper is an analysis study where we surveyed how well pre-service teachers understand the mathematical concepts taught in elementary school. We analyzed the results focusing on the following: First, what are the pre-service teachers' understandings of the equal sign and variables? Secondly, how exact are their understandings of other elementary school mathematical concepts? The survey was done on the students in Teachers College of Jeju National University. We hope that the results of this study will help the improvement of mathematical education for elementary pre-service teachers.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.356-370
• /
• 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 Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.335-351
• /
• 2014

The 96 elementary school teachers' the degrees of understandings about the characteristics of the currents according to the connection methods of batteries in simple electric circuits were investigated. In this study, the concepts on the characteristics of currents according to the connection methods of batteries were divided 'the learned concepts' and 'the differentiated concepts'. The characteristics of the currents in the region of the larger resistance of load than the internal resistance of a battery were called the learned concepts, they are taught in the science curriculum. While the characteristics of the currents in the region of the smaller resistance of load than the internal resistance of a battery were called the differentiated concepts, they are not exposed clearly in the science curriculum. The results obtained in this study are as follows: The average score related to the learned concepts was relatively high, while the degree of the teachers' cognitions of the internal resistance of a battery and the resistance of wires were low. Also the average score related to the differentiated concepts was very low because it seems so new to the elementary school teachers. It strongly suggests that the elementary school teachers did not understand meaningfully the characteristics of the currents related to the connections of batteries on the ground of the cognitions of the internal resistances of batteries and the resistances of loads in simple electric circuits. Hence, they might experience difficulties due to the problems occurred in relation to the connections of batteries in the elementary school science lessons.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.49-61
• /
• 2009

In this paper some attempts have been made: (a) To identify all the elementary minor concepts of the Highest Common Factor (H.C.F.) and the Lowest Common Multiple (L.C.M.), and (b) To find the sequential order of these elementary concepts. Total 385 elementary minor concepts have been identified and sequenced.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.89-103
• /
• 1998

We study that what kind of the concepts of evaporation and condensation students of elementary school have. The results are following. (1) The students have simple concepts of evaporation on natural circumstance. However, they don't understand about various effect on evaporation. (2) They don't know where the evaporized water is comming from. (3) They have experiences on observing condensation of wale. (70%), however don't know that the water is evaporized in the air. (4) They have more understanding about evaporation, more correct concepts on condensation in circulation of water.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.72-85
• /
• 2015

Conception in learner's cognitive structure has a niche as species in ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to analyze the change of niche overlap of photosynthesis concept through instruction. The photosynthesis concepts were selected from literature review. Selected concepts were in 4 areas: Location of photosynthesis, reactants, products, and environmental factors. The subjects consisted 304 elementary students. The respondent marked the relevance between the presented concepts and each area on a scale of 1~30 points. The analysis of niche overlap in concepts was performed by changing in niche overlap graph, niche space size, and overlap index before and after instruction. The results are as follows. First, on the whole understanding level and relevance of the scientific concepts was increased through instruction as a result of learning. Second, elementary school students cognitive concepts in the form of chunking concepts through classification process. Based on the results, this study has the following suggestion. Students' conceptual ecologies and niche analyzed by this study will be used as material for development of instruction strategy.

• The Mathematical Education
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.437-462
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this research is to analyze the textbook contents about the natural number concepts in the Korean National Elementary Mathematics Curriculum. Understanding a concept of natural number is crucial in school mathematics curriculum planning, since elementary students start their basic learning with natural number system. The concepts of natural number have various meaning from the perspectives of pedagogical research, and the philosophy of mathematics. The natural number concepts in the elementary math curriculum consist of four aspects; counting numbers, cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, and measuring numbers. Two research questions are addressed; (1) How are the natural number concepts focusing on counting, cardinal, ordinal, measuring numbers are covered in the national math curriculum? ; (2) What suggestions can be made to enhance the teaching and learning about the natural number concepts? Findings reveal that (1) the national mathematics curriculum properly reflects four aspects of natural number concepts, as the curriculum covers 50% of the cardinal number system; (2) In the aspect of the counting number, we hope to add the meaning about 'one, two, three, ......, and so on' in the Korean Mathematics curriculum. In the ordinal number, we want to be rich the related meaning in a set. Further suggestions are made for future research to include them ensuing number in the curriculum.