• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.26-38
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to grasp the characteristics of composition regarding the material-centered integrated unit of environmental and natural studies, a science subject in Finland, to investigate a need for applying the material-centered integrated unit to the science curriculum of Korea. For the purpose, the study made an analysis on contents, inquiry activities, and visual materials (the most important in the elementary science curriculum and textbook composition), and it brought following results: First, as a result of analyzing the area of contents, the bicycle material-centered integrated unit comprised a large proportion of 44 pages (25.3%) of the whole 174 pages from the environmental and natural studies textbook for the third grade. The contents included such various concepts as traffic rules, safety, environmental protection and pollution, recycling and separate collection, tubes and triangular structures, wedges and screws, leverage, wheels, axles, gears, elasticity (spring), friction, and so on. Second, as a result of analyzing contents related to the thinking ability of inquiry activities, "expecting or confirming expectations" and "application" are included in every lesson, and one lesson is composed in such a way that students can study on bicycles as a practical material for their daily life and they can improve various thinking abilities. Third, as a result of analyzing the circumstances of inquiry activities, daily circumstances made up eight lessons (80.0%) and technical and social circumstances made up two lessons (20.0%) by focusing on bicycles, a material related to students' daily life. Fourth, as a result of analyzing visual materials, the percentage of pictures and photos was high at 53.4% and 45.2% respectively. As a result of analyzing the role of visual materials, the percentage of the illustrative role and explanatory-complementary role was high at 52.1% and 47.9% respectively. Lastly, as a result of analyzing from the epistemological view to interpret the relation between visual materials and students and the position of visual materials, the visual textbook materials were provided toward a way that students can decrease their feeling of epistemological separation in the three fields of ideational metafunction, interpersonal metafunction, and textual metafunction.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.117-126
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• 2023

In an elementary school science teacher's guide, the guide in details that can help elementary school teachers with difficulties when preparing and conducting science classes are essential. To gain insights into the development of the 2022 revised curriculum elementary school science teacher's guide, it is necessary to investigate the perceptions and needs of elementary school teacher's guide in details. In this study, we developed a questionnaire by analyzing the components and design of an elementary school science teacher's guide in details to explore elementary school teachers' perceptions and needs. For this purpose, we first investigated elementary school teachers' perceptions of their needs, satisfaction, and the utilization of each component of the current guide in details. Next, we investigated teachers' needs regarding the specific components and design of a guide. The findings were as follows. First, elementary school teachers were delighted with the components that help them prepare and conduct lessons. Second, elementary school teachers wanted an easy-to-read design with a layout that allowed them to see the components they needed for their lessons at a glance. In conclusion, the elementary school science teacher's guide in details to be readable and organized to provide at-a-glance information on lesson preparation, lesson flow, and teaching and learning materials needed for science teaching-learning. Based on the results of this study, new approaches and attempts should be made to develop a textbook that elementary school teachers can utilize in the future.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2007

This study proposed task-based teaming strategies as a means of fulfilling the demands and goals of the 7th national science curriculum. Task-based learning is based on the use of a series of activities whereby a teacher presents students with tasks related to daily lift and the students solve the tasks by themselves using various methods and thought processes and then present and discuss their results with each other. The tasks are selected from the 6-grade science textbook, are reconstructed and are then given to the classes. The tasks include whole class activities as well as individual activities related to the interests, abilities, and concerns of the students. The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of task-based learning classes on the science process skills and the scientific attitudes of elementary school students, when applied to 6th grade students. For this, the task-based learning activities were applied to an experimental group and expository teaching was applied to the comparison group. Both groups were given a pre-post test on science process skills and scientific attitudes. The results indicate that task-based loaming is very effective in the development of science process skills and scientific attitudes.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.470-475
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• 2021

This study aimed to explore alignments among three curricula based on the contents of the university level curriculum. The 2015 revised curriculum, International Baccalaureate(IB), and Next Generation Science Standards(NGSS) were selected for this study, and a college textbook was analyzed to compare the curricula. As the age groups studying the curricular were different, we reorganized them according to school ages prior to conducting the study. The results of the analysis were: first, the contents of the 2015 revised curriculum did not sufficiently elaborate on the natural hazards related to humans, unlike the university level, IB PYP, and NGSS curricula. Third, there are different ways of introducing scientific vocabulary curricula, meaning that the number of scientific vocabularies in the 2015 revised curriculum was less than that in the IB, PYP, and NGSS.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.617-629
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the elementary school teachers' perceptions about making a model of volcanic activity. Thirty elementary teachers participated in the study after they in which they conducted the experiment of "Making a Model of Volcanic activity". A questionnaire was used to investigate how the teachers understood the strengths and weaknesses of the experiment in terms of the goals of school science inquiry. The results showed that 50-60% of the teachers were able to conduct the experiment as guided in the textbook regardless of their career or area of concentration. The teachers perceived that the experiment of current textbook was safe and useful for students to develop their creativity. However, they pointed out three major weaknesses of the textbook experiment: First, the textbook experiment does not clearly present the main purpose of the activity. Second, it does not appropriately reflect the natural volcanic activity. Third, it is a merely simple craft activity. In addition, the teachers agreed that the main goals of school science inquiry are the application of scientific knowledge, development of inquiry skills and cultivation of student's curiosity. However, the teachers perceived that the experiment of current textbook did not meet these three goals. They suggest that the experiment reflect the nature of real volcanic activities.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.195-205
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of scientific argumentation on argument tasks with incorrect alternative ideas in elementary science classes. The subjects were 41 fourth graders of 2 classes in an elementary school. In the experimental group, argument tasks with pictures including incorrect alternative ideas were suggested in order to facilitate argumentation. Students were asked to perform argumentation with the component of claim, evidence, and reasoning. In the control group, textbook-based traditional instruction was used. The results showed that scientific argumentation activities on argument tasks with incorrect alternative ideas had positive effects on students' science achievement and science-related affective domains. The analyses of students' argumentation revealed that argument tasks with incorrect alternative ideas could facilitate students' participation and exposure of their preconceptions. It also led students to find and connect evidence to support their claims. In some cases, students had difficulty in making appropriate argumentation because of unclear experimental data and/or invalid reasoning. Educational implications were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.74-79
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• 2009

We have investigated the magnetic education in elementary science of Korea. Text books and other related materials are analysed. Students learn playing with magnets in third grade and learn making electromagnets in sixth grade. Arrangement of topics are in accord with the historical development of electromagnetism in physics although the order is not well suited to other field of science. Teacher's guide books need to be developed to consider various environments in school such as city and country, and rich and poor town. Several details in the science textbook are pointed out for better education. Overall course looks sound.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.341-351
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of pre-service teachers of elementary school who take courses in 'Science and Textbook Research' on science teaching efficacy and science knowledge after experimental treatment. For this purpose, this study was aimed at intensive course four classes (118 students) enrolled in the 'Science and Textbook Research' course and experimented from the beginning of September to the end of November. The experiment was about teaching textbooks and teaching methods for one semester, and the pre- service teachers of elementary school made the demonstration of science cooperation classes by group. The results and analysis of the study were analyzed by the corresponding sample test in before and after the group test. The conclusion of the study is as follows. First, after taking this class the pre - service teachers of elementary school were effective in science teaching efficacy. Second, after taking this course, pre-service teachers of elementary school were effective in acquiring science knowledge. Third, it was seemed to positive effect on Perception of pre-service teachers of elementary school in Demonstration classes. Pre-service teachers of elementary school have created science course plan by analyzing the tasks according to the principles of instructional design, and they found that they had the right mind and confidence in the lesson.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.356-366
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether the required cognitive levels of the current 6th graders' science textbooks conform to the children's cognitive levels and to examine the students' sensed psychological difficulty of the current science textbooks. The eighty five students (boy: 39, girl: 46) from one elementary school were participated in this study. The results of the study are as follows. First, the 2/3 out of the contents in the six graders' science textbooks require concrete level of operation and the 1/3 out of the contents in the textbooks requires the formal level of operation. So the 70% students at the concrete operational level are likely to undergo difficulties with the 1/3 contents in the textbooks. Second, the students' psychological difficulty on the science textbooks is relatively low (approximately two out of five points) and there is not any special pattern between the cognitive level of the textbooks and the students' psychological difficulty of the textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.38-50
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• 2011

As the rate of foreign workers increasing, the rates of their children are rising, as well. The children's native countries vary from Japan, China to Indonesia, and difficulty of learning is expected in their entering the regular education due to the differences in the contents and curriculum they had learnt. This study analyzed the science textbooks of five Asian elementary schools including Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Iran-in diversified sides focusing on the content of earth science, for the children of foreign workers. The characteristics of the elementary science textbooks of the subject countries were compared in seven criteria-the rate of earth science in the textbooks, how units are arranged, whether the earth science contents are included, the contents highly related to their socio-cultural traits, photographs, scientific inquiries, and test items. The textbooks showed numerous differences with their own characteristics, and it is expected that the children of foreign workers would face difficulties in studies taking parts in the Korean formal education. Hereupon, this study proposes the needs of development of sub-materials for the children of foreign workers adapting to schools, and reinforcement of educating teachers for understanding children, with a national plan for the children excluded from education due to problems such as an illegal residence.