• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.474-483
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated preservice elementary school teachers' awareness of students' misconceptions about several science topics, and the variables influencing their awareness. Seniors (N=106) from an university of education were asked to predict elementary school students' misconceptions on science topics such as phase changes and dissolution. Their conceptions about teaching and learning were also measured. The results indicated that the preservice teachers' predictions about the kinds and/or the ratios of students' misconceptions were different from those reported in previous studies. The low level preservice teachers in terms of the degrees of possessing traditional conception about teaching and learning predicted more students' common misconceptions. The degrees of preservice teachers' constructivist conception about teaching and learning and their major, however, did not significantly influence the numbers of common misconceptions predicted.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2003

This study was to analyze how elementary school science textbooks explain dissolution and to examine the patterns of elementary school teachers' conceptions on dissolution and the teaching practices on dissolution of elementary school teachers. According to the result of the textbook analysis, the textbooks based on the 7th curriculum didn't explain dissolution very differently from those based on the 6th curriculum. The contents dealing with dissolution in the textbooks of 7th curriculum became difficult gradually as the year went up, but the connected organization of the contents made students learn it easily. For example, in order to learn dissolution introduced first in the 3rd year 2nd semester textbook, students would tell soluble substance in water from insoluble substance in water as they put powdered substance in water. In the 5th year 1st semester textbook students were supposed to acquire the knowledge related to dissolution through the designed activities such as comparing solubility produced by different solvents and defining a solvent, a solute, dissolution, and a solution. In addition, teachers' guide for 5th year 1st semester textbook elucidated the principle of dissolution using attraction concept that was scientific. The result of the survey on teachers showed that 90% of elementary school teachers understood the dissolution of salt in water just as millet particles' filling the space between bean particles and they responded that they demonstrated millet particles' filling the space between been particles when they taught the dissolution of salt in water. When it comes to teachers who had the right idea on dissolution as the attraction conception, understanding was one thing and teaching was another, because they often instructed dissolution as the space conception in the real teaching.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.399-413
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• 2004

In this study, a survey was conducted of students of elementary through college on their conceptions of phenomenon related with dissolution, saturation, and extraction. The teaching strategies of elementary and secondary teachers related to dissolution phenomena were also investigated. Most of elementary and secondary school students thought of dissolution as a phenomenon in which particles broke into the spaces between other particles. This explanation called 'space conception' can be sought in elementary school science textbooks. Some of high school students also had this type of thought. A concept of dissolution phenomenon as 'hydration through attraction of solvent and solute' was held by most of students of 11th, 12th grade, and college. This explanation called 'attraction concept' can be sought in high school chemistry textbooks for 11th and 12th grade. But many students of elementary through college used analogies and models related to 'space conception' when they tried to explain the dissolution phenomena. This indicates that the 'attraction concept' was not firmly established in the students' cognition. 90% of elementary school teachers thought and taught dissolution as a phenomenon in which two different size particles were mixing together like as mixing beans and millets. The model does not represent the attractions among solvent-solvent particles, solvent-solute particles, and solute-solute particles. This model only represents the space size effect (smaller size particles fitting into the spaces of larger size particles). Half of the secondary school teachers also had 'space conception' and only 20% of the teachers had 'attraction concept' Many teachers who had 'attraction concept' used to represent explanation related to 'space conception' for teaching dissolution.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.535-552
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school teachers' conceptions on the general remarks (GR) in the new science teacher's guide, the teachers' conceptions on inservice training program of the GR, and their opinions of improvement on the GR. Also, the teachers' utilization of the GR was examined. The participants were 152 elementary school teachers who were teaching grade 3~6. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The results of this study are as follows; First, at least 13.2~17.1% of the teachers did not have specific conception of the purpose of the GR, and more than 90% of the teachers expressed that the GR is necessary in the teachers' guide. Second, about 60% of the teachers responded that the training program on the GR is necessary, and when the program is open, their most favorite agency and speaker were a provincial education office and a textbook developer(or author), respectively. Their most favorite time and period of the training program were the vacation and 15~30 hours, respectively. Third, the mean values on the frequency of use were lower than 3 point of the five-point Likert scale at both the GR for grade 3~4 and the GR for grade 5~6, and the teachers' main use of the GR was the planning a science lesson for an open class. Fourth, the teachers suggested various opinions and there was difference between the opinions about the GR for grade 3~4 and the opinions about the GR for grade 5~6.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.187-196
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• 2008

In this study, a survey was conducted of students in grades 7 through 12, student teachers enrolled in their senior year at teachers' colleges, and science teachers. Subjects were surveyed on their conceptions of phenomenon related with dissolution, saturation, and extraction. The models and analogies used by student teachers and science teachers to explain dissolution were sought. The highest percentage of students thought of dissolution as a phenomenon in which particles broke into the spaces between other particles. The models or analogies used by the highest percentage of science teachers were similar. They generally conceived of dissolution phenomenon through what we call the 'space conception'. A conception of dissolution phenomenon as 'hydration through attraction of solvent and solute' was held by more student teachers than science teachers; there were some differences, however, according to their academic background. The percentage of teachers professing this view decreased when they attempted to explain the process of extraction of matter in a solution after other matter had dissolved or after the solution was cooled, indicating that the 'hydration' conception was not firmly established in the student teachers' cognition. Therefore, it can be inferred that the conceptions of dissolution as 'hydration' were transformed into the conceptions of dissolution as 'space' after teaching dissolution phenomenon as practicing teachers. This finding should be considered in teacher-training courses.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.527-534
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• 2013

This study investigated elementary school teachers' understanding of the image formation by converging lens, pinholes camera, mirror and water. In each case teachers were asked to draw the ray diagram to indicate the position of the image. Teachers' ray diagrams were analyzed in accordance with the scientific process of image formation. Results of analysis showed that teacher's conceptions were classified into five levels for each situation. And most of the teachers were in level 3 and level 4 in each case. Because they had difficulties in the appling scientific conception(propagating path of light, diffused reflection from each object point, role of the eye, ray tracing) to finding location of image. Also most of teachers didn't know how to apply the law of reflection and refraction to each situation. The study finally discussed the teacher training program of the optical image.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.229-242
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the elementary teachers' conceptions on the inquiry activity about 'make a fossil model' focusing the 6th, 7th, 2007 revised, and 2009 revised elementary science textbook. This study is intended to find causes of teachers' conceptions and to derive educational implications. We have analyzed questionnaires which were collected from 77 elementary school teachers. It was carried out about comparisons actual fossil with fossil model in each step of the inquiry activity, the lesson goal, the thought for changes of the inquiry activity, the improvement of the inquiry and conception related fossil. Teachers have a general understanding about the contents of the inquiry activity but some of them have partially incorrect understanding. And they emphasize the understanding of the concept on lesson goal. It is necessary to improve inquiry activity reflecting teachers' thinking about the merit and weaknesses. There was not statistically difference in understanding of fossil related concepts according to teachers' career, teaching or training experience. Through this research, there is a need to improve a textbook, a guide book, a teachers' training. So, teachers who have professionalism about science textbook be able to teach students.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.401-414
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate the elementary preservice teachers' conceptions about 'plastics' focusing on non-polar property from a National University of Education. For the study, the views about plastics, relative shapes of a water droplet on plastic or glass material, and relative shapes of water surface in the plastic or glass measuring cylinder were surveyed from the preservice teachers. And the responses were analyzed based on the patterns. The results from the study are as follows: First, most preservice teachers were well aware of the plastic products which are used in daily life. Second, the responses concerning the reason why plastics can be used commonly were divided into 2 categories with 14 sub-level groups. However relatively few preservice teachers mentioned regarding 'chemical stability' and 'conductivity', which are associated with the plastics' non-polar property. Third, it was found that 50 participants (30.1%) had 'Scientific conception (Sc)', 38 (22.9%) had 'Partial-scientific conception (Ps)', 66 (39.8%) had 'Misconception (Mc)', and 12 (7.2%) had 'No conception (Nc)' on the subject of the relative shapes of a water droplet. Fourth, the distribution patterns and the ratio of the preservice teachers' conception on the survey question 3 concerning the relative shapes of water surface were quite similar to those of the survey question 2. So it was concluded that overall understanding level of the preservice teachers was pretty low on the subjects of the relative polarities of the plastic, glass, and water as well as their interactions. Fifth, the distribution percentile of 'Sc'/'Ps'/'Mc'/'Nc' was not related with the gender but highly correlated with preservice teachers' academic field and their science subjects taken in high school. Based on the results from the study, some educational guidelines were suggested.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.90-104
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• 2021

This study conducted an online survey to understand what elementary school teachers think about the learning contents of elementary science education subjects needed to train elementary science teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The results are as follows: First, there were many elementary school teachers who thought that the current learning content of elementary science education was not suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and that it needed to modify the learning content. Many of the teachers said that the learning content of the subject did not include the characteristics of the 4th Industrial Revolution, but also did not reflect the changes of the times and remained in the past. Second, the content that elementary school teachers thought was important in training elementary school teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution was mainly related to the interests and curiosity of students, and scientific experiments or inquiry. On the contrary, the items that they thought should be deleted or reduced included science learning theory, science teaching/learning model, nature of science, and guidance for gifted children. Third, the contents that elementary school teachers thought needed to be added as learning content of elementary science education subjects were SSI education, science education-related social change and future prediction, advanced science technology, STEAM guidance, and integrated education within the science field. Fourth, in order to train elementary school teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the contents that they thought should be introduced first as learning content of elementary science education subjects were SSI education, integrated education within the science field, STEAM guidance, and core competencies. Other contents that need to be introduced were software education, safety education, and project learning methods.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.215-233
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• 2008

Deep comprehension of basic mathematical notions and concepts is a basic condition of a successful teaching. Some elements of algebraic thinking belong to the elementary school mathematics. The question "What stays the same and what changes?" link arithmetic problems with algebraic conception of variable. We have studied beliefs and comprehensions of future elementary school mathematics teachers on early algebra. Pre-service teachers from three academic pedagogical colleges deal with mathematical problems from the pre-algebra point of view, with the emphasis on changes and invariants. The idea is that the intensive use of non-formal algebra may help learners to construct a better understanding of fundamental ideas of arithmetic on the strong basis of algebraic thinking. In this article the study concerning arithmetic series is described. Considerable number of pre-service teachers moved from formulas to deep comprehension of the subject. Additionally, there are indications of ability to apply the conception of change and invariance in other mathematical and didactical contexts.