• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.356-370
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• 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 The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyse the elementary school science curriculum and textbooks of South and North Korea, then gather the fundamental sources for the establishment of elementary school science curriculum after Unification of Korea by clarifying the difference and the likeness in educational objectives, contents, teaching methods of both Korean elementary school sciences. Based on this comparison and analysis, this study tried to give the concrete suggestions for the elementary school science curriculum and textbook development after Unification. For this, analyses were carried out for the curriculum managing systems, subject organization, education goal, emphasis on each field, teaching-learning and evaluation method. Besides, this study compared and analysed the elementary school science textbook development and distribution system, apparent format, content organization, ratio of content categories, content scope and level and the related terms appeared in both Korean elementary school science textbooks. The result of this study showed a lot of differences in the educational objectives, contents, and educational method of the elementary school science between South and North Korea. The grasping of these differences and the exact understanding about what causes these differences and how the differences are made must be the necessary work for the science curriculum establishment, especially for elementary school science curriculum and textbook development, after Unification.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-75
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• 2007

This study investigated how the contents of biology domains that were dealt with in the 7th national elementary-school science curriculum were in turn dealt with in the other subject matter areas. Through this, it was hoped that the place and identity of biology as a subject could be more clearly established and defined and additionally, more basic data for developing the new national science curriculum could be acquired at the same time. Subject matter areas that overlapped with biology in the 7th national elementary-school curriculum were practical arts, social studies and physical education. The structure and composition of specific components that were dealt with by these subject matter areas were very different from those of science, and the analysis showed that they failed to correspond across grades. Moreover, topics such as 'natural calamities and the environment' and 'human reproduction' that were dealt with by other subject matter areas, but not in science must be included for developing the new national science curriculum. Accordingly, when it comes to composing the contents of each subject matter area during creation of the new national curriculum, the relevant experts in related subject matter areas should be mobilized to conduct in-depth analysis of the following areas: viability, the most appropriate level of difficulty, and appropriateness of any hierarchy of relative importance between subjects. Additionally, efforts to reflect any improvements in the way the new national curriculum is developed which come about through this research are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2012

The Purpose of this study was to analyze STS contents in elementary school science textbooks according to 6th, 7th and revision 2007 national curriculum. The contents of STS were analyzed by the STS elements of Yager and the STS topics of Piel's standard. Major findings from the analyses are as follows: (1) The STS contents in the science textbooks of the 6th curriculum took up 13.7% and increased to 18.3% in the 7th and 19.0% in the revision 2007, which showed that the textbooks followed the goal of the national curriculum faithfully. (2) Based on the STS elements by Yager's standard, most of STS content is focused on 'Application of science', 'Social problems and issues' and 'Local and community relevance'. (3) Based on the STS topics by Piel's standard, most of STS contents are focused on 'Effect of technological development' and 'Society of science'. These results indicate that recent STS education trends are reflected on the 6th, 7th and revision 2007 textbooks well. However, it is suggested that some improvement is needed, such as diversification of topic.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.558-569
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• 2007

The purpose of this research is to minimize the learning deficiency on science subject in changeover from the 7th education curriculum to the next curriculum which was noticed in 2007. We investigated the contents overlapped or omitted in science contents organization between the two curriculums; moved contents to upper or lower grade, deleted contents, enlarged contents and reduced contents. Also we found that the deficiency will be occurred for the students who entered school in 2006 and 2007 in elementary school. To minimize the learning deficiency in the changeover, we must consider the following points. (1) We need to promote the teachers' comprehension about the learning deficiency and supplementary instruction through the teacher training program before carrying out the next curriculum. (2) We must add the measures minimizing the learning deficiency to the teachers' guide and resources which are used in encouragement of learning and teachers' training. (3) We must develop the instructing materials to supplement the learning deficiency for the students who entered school in 2006 and 2007. As practicing above points, we will be able to reduce time loss in studying and teaching the same contents and to supplement the omitted contents.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2003

The purposes of this study are to analyze the elementary school science textbooks (chemistry part) developed under the 7th national curriculum and to compare with those under the 6th national curriculum. The lesson hour, the number of pages, contents at each grade, deleted or newly introduced contents were analyzed. Some features of the 'Separation of mixtures' chapter were also analyzed. Educational implications were discussed in the aspect of whether the intention of revised curriculum was reflected, especially whether the amount of teaming was decreased.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.362-376
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the characteristics of Korean science curriculum and the differences with the other country. For this purpose, the USA was selected as the target country for comparison. The comparison focused on goals and contents in science curriculum document. The goals for science education in both countries were similar. But the goal setting level was different. Also, four objectives were suggested in Korean curriculum and nine objectives in the USA to achieve the general objective. Korean curriculum was composed of such grades system as 3rd & 4th grades, 5th & 6th grades and content area as 'materials and energy', 'life and the earth' in content system. And the USA composed in the such grade system as K, Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Also the elements to be learned is suggested in the strand. And in the area of the earth and space in the Korean Curriculum, there are elements emphasized in the content area, cognitive area, context category and practical activities learning objective category. But the USA covered most of those elements evenly. Korean curriculum focused on learning of certain elements in certain grades, but the USA curriculum is to learn several elements evenly in every grade. It will be future topics of research to investigate the effect of curriculum with different emphasis of improving students' scientific knowledge and learning through further study.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to analyze the analogies used in elementary science textbooks. For this, the analogies were classified into the following criteria : analogy-related contents included in elementary science text-books, types of representation style, and the role of analogy. The results of this study were as follows : the total of analogies was 154 in the 6th and 166 in the 7th curriculum. Most of them were expressed in textbooks and experimental texts. More structural/functional, verbal/pictorial, concrete/concrete, concrete/abstract, simple and enriched analogies were included in the science textbooks of the 7th than those of the 6th. Most of them took the role as an aid to understanding. According to the domain of science content, energy, material, life domains were increased in the 7th than the 6th, with the exception of the earth science domain. The ratio of used analogies in the life domain was higher than the others, and in the material domain it was the lowest. From these results, it can be said that, in order to help students' understanding, further research into the application of analogies is needed.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.207-223
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• 2015

This study aims to find ways for securing continuity of elementary mathematics curriculum and kindergarten curriculum. To do this, we considered the status of 'mathematical exploration' in Nuri curriculum and analysed the correspondence of content-domains and the continuity between Nuri curriculum for ages three to five and 2009 revised national elementary mathematics curriculum, based on the reconstructed achievement criteria. The result of these analyses reveals that the classification of five content-domains both for 'mathematical exploration' of Nuri curriculum and for 2009 revised national elementary mathematics curriculum coincides. We also recognized the reconstructed achievement criteria which are considered as reverse continuity or as discontinuity of Nuri curriculum and 2009 revised national elementary mathematics curriculum in all the five content domains. The former means being lower in levels or reduction in ranges from Nuri curriculum to elementary one. The latter means that some reconstructed achievement criteria are included in only one of the two curriculum. Based on these results, we suggested several ways to secure the continuity between Nuri curriculum and 2009 revised national elementary mathematics curriculum in the perspective of mathematics education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.203-213
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• 2005

In this study, the biological units of elementary school science were classified to the lower categories of Dimensions of Learning out of the 1 st to the 7th National Curriculum using the Dimensions of Learning Project developed by ASCD in USA. Also they were investigated which lower categories of Dimensions of Learning were used to the Curriculum. The results were as follows; First, the average percentages of using the lower categories of Dimensions of learning increased gradually from lower to higher grade regardless of any versions of Curriculum. For example, the percentages of using the lower categories according to grade 3 to 6 were increased by $56.1\%,\;61.4\%.\;67.1\%,\;86.8\%$ in the 7th Curriculum (r = .942). Second, as a result of investigating the percentages of using lower categories of Dimensions of Learning according to the change of curriculum, the average percentages appeared to be $37.9\%,\;42.9\%,\;41.1\%,\;47.6\%,\;47.6\%,\;50.5\%,\;67.9\%$ from the 1st to the 7th National Curriculum, respectively. In addition, the average percentages were increased gradually from the 1st to the 7th National Curriculum (r = .878). Third, the average percentages of using the lower categories of Dimensions of Learning decreased approximately from 1 st to 5th Dimension. The results are considered to be a desirable organization considering the physiological, cognitive development of elementary students.