• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.262-277
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• 2017

Digital textbooks enable learning that is appropriate to the characteristics and level of learners through various interactions. The purpose of this study was to develop an instruction model that can more effectively use digital textbooks in elementary science classes and to verify its effectiveness. The results were as follows. The instruction model for helping learners complete their learning by using digital textbooks needs to receive diagnostic assessment and feedback on entry behavior, to build a self-directed learning environment, and to interact with teachers, students, and digital textbooks as scaffolding. In this study, we developed an instruction model using digital textbooks reflecting these characteristic. The instructional model consists of preparation, practice and solidity step. In the preparation step, the learner performs a diagnostic evaluation using digital textbooks. Based on the results, feedback provided at each level can complement the entry behavior and maintain interest in learning activities. In the practice step, self-directed learning is implemented using diverse functions of digital textbooks and various types of data. In the solidity step, learners can internalize the learning contents by reviewing video clips which are provided by teachers, performing problem-solving activities, and accessing outcomes accumulated by learners in the community online. In order to verify the effectiveness of this model, we selected the "Weather and our Life" unit. This experiment was conducted using 101 students in the 5th grade in B Elementary School in Gwangju Metropolitan City. In the experimental group, 50 students learned using a smart device that embodies digital textbooks applied with the instruction model. In the comparative group, 51 students were taught using the paper textbooks. The results were as follows. First, there was a significant effect on the improvement of the learning achievement in the experimental group with low academic ability compared with the comparative group with low academic ability. Second, there was a significant effect on self-directed learning attitude in the experimental group. Third, in the experimental group, the number of interactions with the learner, teacher, and digital textbook was higher than the comparative group. In conclusion, the digital textbooks based on the instruction model in elementary science classes developed in this study helped to improve learners' learning achievement and self-directed learning attitudes.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.117-133
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary students' views about lab-based science learning. For the purpose of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty sixth grade students in 12 classes from two elementary schools located in Daegu City. The interview contents consisted of three major categories. The first category was related to attitude toward science lab, the second was related to lab-based science learning which had four sub-categories; recognizing lesson object, planning experiment, performing experiment, drawing conclusion in lab-based science learning in which the students had ordinary have views and expectations, and the last category was related to students' difficulties and something need to be improved in lab-based science learning. In-depth interviews were performed individually and the interviews were recorded. From the interviews, we found that students, in first category, do like lab-activities more than lectures or instruction-based activities in textbook. Students, in second category, wanted generally more discussion for their own activities rather than teacher's instruction and they wanted teacher' mediation conflicts within small groups and comments for students' experiment results. In the last, most of students had fears for some dangerous reagents and accidents. Based on the results, the study suggested that teacher need to give their students to autonomous discussion opportunities to design and interpret data through teacher' guided questions in inquiry steps, to produce some intimate atmosphere for active interaction in small groups, and to teach the safety education on some dangerous reagents.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and application of strategies using fairy tales in elementary school science. For this study, many fairy tales were searched in terms of various characteristics and educational value of the tales. Five fairy tales were selected and reconstructed to suit the 'mirrors and lenses' unit of 5th graders' school science, and teaching strategies using the fairy tales were developed to be used in six lessons. To investigate the effects of instruction using fairy tales, pre/post tests for scientific attitude were administered. To analyze students' perception of their classes, a simple survey was administered through questionnaires. We found from this study that the students related the fairy tales with their own experiences and took an active part in the class that used them. Also, instruction using fairy tales had positive effects on their scientific attitude. Many students said that the science classes were interesting, and the method using fairy tales encouraged students to study hard as well as helped them to understand the context. It was concluded that instruction using fairy tales was an effective method in terms of enhancing learning motivation, encouraging more inquiries, more opportunities to apply the scientific concept, and more positive scientific attitude. We discussed the strategies using fairy tales for implementation in elementary science classes as well.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2008

This study examined pre-service science teachers' perceptions of informal learning by adopting a discourse analysis method suggested by Mortimer and Scott(2003). The guiding research questions were: (1) What are some general patterns of the discourse occurring in science museums between a teacher and a student? (2) In what ways do the pre-service teachers perceive informal learning and teacher's role in informal settings? The 7 pre-service science teachers participated in this study. Each of them shepherd an elementary student around the museum and implemented their own instruction using a pre-planed lesson plan. Results indicated that even though the teachers had learned some characteristics of informal teaming in their college courses, they tended to implement their traditional view of science teaming into the instruction and the view affected them to set up their teaching purposes and contents, and to select communicative approach, patterns of discourse and ways of intervention.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.345-359
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyze the educational effects and the improvements of the 'Science Field Trips' Program which developed with the aim of fostering the prospective elementary school teachers' ability to manage science field trips. The participants were 13 senior students from a national university of education. The results of the study are as follows: First, with regard to the effectiveness in the science instruction aspect of the prospective teachers' geological field trip as an experiential activity, the responses of the participants were children's 'scientific knowledge'(69.2%), 'science related attitudes'(46.2%), and 'science inquiry'(30.8%). Second, regarding the effectiveness of the geological field trip in their management of science field trips aspects in the future, the responses of the participants were 'teaching strategies'(92.3%), 'plan implementation'(76.9%), 'teacher's science knowledge'(61.5%), 'self-confidence'(38.5%), 'enhancement of awareness of field trips'(23.1%), and 'career guidance'(7.7%). Third, with regard to the effectiveness in the science instruction aspect of their activities of planning a science field trip in their future working districts, the responses of the participants were children's 'science knowledge'(38.5%), 'science-related attitudes'(38.5%), and 'science inquiry'(23.1%). Fourth, regarding the effectiveness in their management of science field trips aspects of the activities of planning a science field trip, the responses of the participants were 'plan implementation'(92.3%), 'the identification of science field trip sites'(84.6%), 'teaching strategies'(76.9%), 'administrative affairs'(69.2%), 'teacher's science knowledge'(30.8%), 'enhancement of awareness of field trips'(23.1%), 'career guidance'(15.4%), and 'self-confidence' (15.4%). The improvements plans of the program and the suggestions for future research is also described in this study.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.10 no.5 s.37
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• pp.343-352
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• 2005

The existing CAI or web-based science learning system of elementary school has some disadvantages. For instance, it is composed of uniform courses designed by an instructor without considering the learner's characters, and the learner's opinions or questions raised during learning can not be delivered to the system. This structure has diminished the willingness or the motive of the learner and make an adverse effect on the learning efficiency. In this regards, Instruction-Learning System is needed to provide learning environment Pertinent to the learner's individual character and motivate the learner's active attendance and learning. This study is to design a character-based conversational Instruction-Learning System. This may induce the learner's active attendance through the communications between instructor and learner and furnish various learning materials to motivate the learners and attract their consistent interests in learning.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.239-254
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• 2001

The in-depth learning course newly established in the 7th National Curriculum of Science is for students who have mastered regular subject matters on a science topic and want to learn it more deeply or by different ways. Individual learners have their own unique intellectual properties. The study examined the effects of in-depth science learning using multiple intelligence activities on the science inquiry abilities and interests of elementary school children. This study involved two fifth-grade science classes in Busan. Each class was assigned to comparison and experimental group. The science topics covered during the period of the study were Units of Matter and Earth. After studying each regular content formulated by the National Curriculum, the students of comparison group experienced traditional practices of in-depth science, whereas those of experimental one performed the Multiple Intelligence(MI) activities related to the content. Students of both groups were pre- and posttested using the inventories of Science Inquiry Ability and Science Interest. Also, after instruction on the topics, students were interviewed to collect more information related to their loaming. The results are as follows. First, the science inquiry abilities of children were increased by using activities based on MI during the in-depth science teaming. Two inquiry processes, that is, the Prediction which is regarded as one of the basic process skills in science and the Generalization regarded as one of integrated process skills showed statistically significant differences between the groups, although the differences of other skills not significant but more improvements in experimental group than comparison one. Second, the in-depth science loaming through MI contributed to the increasing of interests of the children in science. The scores on Science Interest measured in pretest and posttest with the two groups showed st statistically significant difference. For interest in science instruction, children of experimental group showed high level of interest for the various MI activities, and, although the comparison groups' level of the interest was low, they revealed that they want to experience the MI activities in future instruction of science. Interviews with the children randomly selected from the experimental group when they completed the in-depth programs showed that most of them had much interest in MI activities. Especially, they attributed significant meanings to the experiences of teaming with their friends and doing activities that they want to do. These findings have important implications about usefulness of MI in science instruction. The results also highlight the need for science teachers to provide a variety of experiences and to create environments which encourage the children to use MI to learn a science topic.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.507-518
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of verbal analogy activities on science achievement and science attitude of elementary students. Students consolidated lessons by making short sentences with core words that a teacher gave for scaffolding instruction. Many researches about analogies have been conducted in science education. However, most of them considered analogy as learning tools, whereas this research considers analogy as a cognitive process. To see the effects of verbal analogy activities, two groups were selected from 6th grade elementary school students; one was an experimental group working with the student-generated verbal analogy and the other was a control group with teacher-centered and textbook-centered activities. Science achievement, scientific attitudes, attitudes toward science and retention were tested after the treated lessons.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.201-208
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• 1998

Although cooperative learning strategies in many subject areas have been found to be effective, the effect of cooperative learning on academic achievement in science laboratory setting is not clear. Reported results on the effects of the strategies for higher achieving students are not also consistent. In this study, the cooperative learning strategies emphasizing student-centered learning which included higher order thinking activities were used in a elementary school science course. The cooperative and traditional learning groups were selected from fifth-grade classes, and taught about dissolution and solution for 16 class periods. The effects of the cooperative learning strategies upon students' academic achievement, science process skill, the attitude toward science instruction, and the perceptions of classroom environment were investigated. Two-way ANCOVA results revealed that the test scores of academic achievement and science process skill for the cooperative learning group were significantly higher than those of the traditional learning group. No interaction between the instruction and the level of previous achievement was found. The perceptions of confliction were higher in cooperative learning group. In the attitude toward science instruction and the perceptions of participation, however, no significant difference between the two groups was found. Educational implications are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2000

This study is intended to develop a CAI program on the topic of flowing rivers and to investigate how 4th grade students' concepts of it change through this program. The CAI program is made using the GREAT II copyright tool based on a typical 4th grade science Korean textbook. This program consists of 5 sections, which are introduction, rain waters, running waters, river waters, and activity. All contents are animated. Students are 30 4th grade students. One instrument is used how to investigate the concept change of the flowing rivers. The instrument is called the Identification of Flowing River Concept Test(IFRCT, Appendix), which is of a two-tier type and has 8 items. Data are collected before and after the instruction using this program. Data are classified as a scientific model, a naive model, or a "no" model, based on criteria used by Vosniadou(1989). Data are compared. The results show that 4th grade students after the instruction using this program hold a more scientific model on the flowing rivers, than before the instruction using this program. Therefore, the author urges science teachers to use the CAI program to teach students about the flowing rivers.