• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.219-231
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• 2018

This study surveyed the elementary school teachers' use of visual representations and their perceptions of the functions of visual representations in the teaching of electricity unit. A total of 110 elementary teachers who have experiences in teaching electricity unit responded to online survey. The result showed firstly that most of the teachers use visual representations in their teaching and it is mostly limited to those presented in textbooks or images that they can get easily from internet search. Secondly, elementary teachers thought that they have high ability in using visual representations and low ability in understanding students' visual presentation ability. Thirdly, visual representations are more often preferred to be used as teacher-centered ways than student-centered ways for motivating students and conceptual understanding. However, in case of scientific inquiry, both teacher-centered and student-centered ways were equally preferred. Lastly, the teachers' perceptions of the functions of visual representations were categorized into 'teaching-instrumental function', 'learning-instrumental function', 'communicative-instrumental function' and 8 subcategories were found. The most frequent function was the 'information delivery function' in the 'teaching-instrumental function' category. Implications for teacher education and further studies were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.263-274
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of STEAM program on students' academic achievement, creative problem-solving ability, scientific inquiry ability and scientific interests of elementary school students. For this, we developed a STEAM program to utilize animation production about 'structure and function of the our body' unit in 5th grade. The STEAM program was developed for a total of 9 sessions and was applied to the experimental group. The theoretical lesson of the 2009 revised curriculum was consisted of 11 sessions and was applied to the comparative group. The results of study showed significant differences of the students' academic achievement, creative problem-solving ability to the experimental group participating in the STEAM program and also showed significant effects in the domains of subject contents and teacher preference, which are the areas of scientific interests compared to the comparative group. This means that the STEAM program to utilize animation production about 'structure and function of the our body' developed in consideration of the characteristics of elementary students positively influenced the academic achievement, creative problem-solving ability and scientific interests of elementary school students. In the future we need to develop STEAM programs more variously that utilize animation production and that it needs to be applied to elementary schools.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.416-429
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• 2018

In social constructivist teaching, knowledge construction is achieved through learners' collective social interaction. Vygotsky argued that this process is mediated with language use, and the development of higher order thinking is realized through the transition from inter-personal psychological functions to intra-personal psychological functions. In so doing scientific concepts are internalized to learners. This study examined the third grade elementary students' inter/intra-personal psychological functions and their internalization processes during social constructivist teaching plan about strata and fossils. The lessons were designed along with Wells' dialogic inquiry and Leach and Scott's social constructivist teaching-learning sequences. Results showed that a teacher's utterances of talking with questioning to switch attention, creating cognitive disequilibrium, and expanding the width of students' opinions could make effective inter-personal psychological function. In addition, a learner's inner speech expressed into social discourse through talking about personal experiences, comparing epistemic idea with visual representation, or applying to different situation showed his/her intra-personal psychological function. Some cases of learners' internalization through language use could be at the stage of knowledge building and understanding of the spiral of knowing, but not all. Thus it is argued that a teacher's deeper insight into Vygotskian social constructivist teaching can make elementary science classroom teaching more effective in their inter/intra-psychological functions.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.428-438
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the visual attention of elementary school students according to the editorial design of the 2007 2009 revised elementary science textbook 'Structure and function of our body'. For this purpose, eye movements were collected while elementary school students were watching real textbooks wearing mobile eye tracker. The BeGaze 3.7 program of SMI company was used analyzing eye movements. Twenty-six elementary school students participated voluntarily in mobile tracking research. Elementary students learned the contents of textbook related to 'digestive organ' and 'respiratory organ' by using double reading learning strategy. The results of this study are as follows. First, as a result of pre- and post-knowledge tests, there was no statistically significant difference in learning effect between 2007 revised and 2009 revised textbook editing design. Second, elementary school students tended to give more visual attention to text than textbook illustrations. Third, the selective attention and persistent attention of elementary students showed a very strong positive correlation (.940), but the selective attention and self-control showed a strong positive correlation (.499). Fourth, students with high level of attention and low level showed high visual occupancy in text than in illustrations. Fifth, elementary school students preferred the 2009 revised science textbook to the 2007 revised.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.278-290
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between learning skills and cognitive functions on elementary school students. In this study CAS and Learning Skills Test(LST) were administered with 3 to 6 grade, 60 students from 5 elementary schools. The data were analyzed according to Pearson's correlation and Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis. The results are as follows. Firstly, girls and older students showed significantly higher ability than boys and younger students on the learning skills. And girls significantly outperformed boys on the planning function and attention function and on the simultaneous cognitive function was the other way round. Secondly, learning skills were explained 41% by two variables that the planning function and the successive function which are sub factors of the cognitive function. And then, planning and successive processing effected to self-management, attention and planning to test-taking skills, successive processing and attention to class-participation skills, and successive processing to information processing.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.153-178
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• 2004

The purpose of the present study is to develop several types of English teaching/learning models in view of cross-curricular approach in Korean elementary school. Brewster(1992)' model is suitable for younger children as well as the 1st or 2nd graders. For 3rd or 4th graders, Halliwel1(1997)' model seems more proper type in Korean EFL situation. There has been studying for cross-curricular approach in elementary English education. Many studies has recently focused the characteristics of elementary students by cognitive and psychological perspectives. Among them, Park(1996)'s research talks about the elementary school students. Han(1996)'s research based on the notion of applied to other subjects. Kim(1999)'s also emphasized the importance of linking other subjects. Kim(2003) argued the need of integrating English with other subjects. The elementary education as the National Common Basic Curriculum(NCBC) has the essence of cross-curricular approach, so the English education will be linked with other subject matters more and more, not just as for Communicative function based English education but as both content and function based subject matter.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2003

The present study examined the 7th national elementary school mathematics curriculum from a perspective of mathematical creativity. The study investigated to what extent the activities in the Pattern and Function lessons in the national elementary school mathematics textbooks promoted the development of mathematical creativity. The results indicated that the current elementary school mathematics curriculum was limited in many ways to promote the development of mathematical creativity. Regarding the activities in Pattern lessons, for example, most activities presented closed tasks involving finding and extending patterns. The lesson provided little opportunities to explore the relationships among various patterns, apply patterns to different situations, or create ones own patterns. In regard to the Function lessons, the majority of activities were about computing the rate. This showed that the function was taught from an operational perspective, not a relational perspective. It was unlikely that students would develop the basic understanding of function through the activities involving the computing the rate. Further, the lessons had students use exclusively the numbers in representing the function. Students were provided little opportunities to use various representation methods involving pictures or graphs, explore the strengths and limitations of various representation methods, or to choose more effective representation methods in particular contexts. In conclusion, the lesson activities in the current elementary school mathematics textbooks were unlikely to promote the development of mathematical creativity.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.140-161
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze 181 papers about brain-based learning appeared in domestic scientific journals from 1989 to May of 2012 and suggest application conditions in elementary science education. The results of this study summarizes as follows; First, learning activity suggested by brain-based learning study is mainly explained by working of brain function. Learning activity explained by brain-based learning study are divided into 'learning according to specialized brain function, learning according to brain function integration and learning beyond specialization and integration of hemispheres'. Second, it searched how increased knowledge of brain structure and function affects learning. Analysis from this point of view suggests that brain-based learning study affects learning in many ways especially emotion, creativity and learning motivation. Third, brain-based learning study suggests various possibilities of learning activity reflecting brain plasticity. Plasticity which is one of most important characteristics of brain supports the validity of learning activity as learning disorder treatment and explains the possibility of selective increment of brain function by leaning activity and the need of whole-brain approach to learning activity. Fourth, brain-based learning brought paradigm shifts in education field. It supports learning sophistication on the understanding of student's learning activity, guides learning method that reflects the characteristics of subject and demands reconstruction of curriculum. Fifth, there are many conditions to apply brain-based learning in elementary science education field, learning environment that fits brain-based learning, change of perspectives on teaching and learning of science educators and development of brain-based learning curriculum are needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.305-315
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the role of illustrations in elementary textbooks (3~4 grade) of the 2009 revised curriculum of science education in Korea from point of view of aim of science by applying the criteria of 5E inquiry process model for reflecting core aim of the science education. The subjects of the paper was the 105 illustrations in the earth-science domain of elementary science textbooks (3~4 grade) of the 2009 revised curriculum of science education in Korea. The analysis criterion was of two categories, the function of illustration and the role of illustration. the function of illustration was divided into three subcategories such as Exclusiveness type, correspondence type and supplementary type. The role of illustration was divide into five subcategories such as Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration and Evaluation. According to results of the illustration analysis are as follows: the result of the function of illustration are exclusiveness type 39, correspondence type 36 and supplementary type 30, the important of point to note is that there are a lot of exclusiveness type considerably. compared with other subjects, this fact indicate character of illustration of the only science textbook. The result of the role of illustration are Engagement 14, exploration 64, explanation 25, elaboration 2 and evaluation 0. This data indicate main role of illustrations in earth-science domain is to help the students to be able to observe and explore. Cross-analysis of the function and role was a significant difference. Role of illustration was evenly distributed within Exclusiveness type on the other hand, the role of illustrations was mainly exploration and explanation in correspondence and supplementary type. Especially, illustration of exploration was mainly correspondence type.

• School Mathematics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.247-260
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• 2002

In recent elementary school mathematics a word 'stipulation' newly appears. The word is used instead of definition. However, there seems to be some differences between definition and stipulation. So, in this paper we investigate those differences through the concept 'function of definition'. In school mathematics textbooks there are definitions which carry out special functions In mathematical contexts or situations. We can say that we understand those definitions, only if we also understand the functions of definitions in those contexts or situations. Functions of definition are classified as, stipulation-function, discrimination-function, analysis-function, demonstration-function, improvement-function. With these analyses we made a frame for investigating the characteristics of the definitions in recent elementary school mathematics textbooks. As a result of analysing functions of definition we found that generally speaking, stipulation-function is excessively emphasized and the other functions of definition are not explained adequately in school mathematics textbooks. So it is required that the textbook authors should be careful not to miss an opportunity for the functional understanding and the mathematics teachers should be aware of the functions of definitions. Finally, we comment that textbook author, teacher, and researcher should be careful in using the word 'stipulation' instead of definition, because, although there are various functions of definitions, students might ream only stipulation-function.