• 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.33 no.3
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• pp.597-606
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to survey and analyze difficulties in teaching and learning elementary school science on the chapter titled 'electric circuit'. 28 elementary school teachers who teach 5th grade science and 73 5th grade students in elementary school were taken part in this survey. The pilot questionnaire was distributed to find out both the degree and the reason of difficulties in teaching and learning. The answers are analyzed with four areas to extract elements which make class difficult; Learner factors (L), Instruction factors (I), Curriculum & textbooks factors (C), and Environment factors (E). The results are as follows. (1) It can be seen that both students and teachers feel the highest difficulty in 7th lesson 'the direction of current', while they felt little difficulty in lesson 3 'conductor and nonconductor' and lesson 8 'the safety of electricity'. (2) The most mentioned reason of difficulties in teaching and learning was Learner factors (L). (3) Teachers felt many difficulties in experimental environment. On the other hands, students didn't think experimental failures as serious trouble. (4) Students felt many difficulties in new terms and hazy concepts or expressions. (5) Teachers felt a lot of difficulties in those from Curriculum & textbooks factors.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.100-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction of science PCK between two elementary school teachers by the teacher collaboration within the school. We chose the case that two teachers collaborated spontaneously in the 5th-grade science classes. Even though they had similar teaching experiences, one of them had the science PCK while the other did not. As a result of this study, two teachers began to collaborate to avoid comparisons of science classes between them. They shared the same teaching plan but practiced science teaching individually. During they taught science, they usually collaborated on the instructional sequences, student's activities, and the content of assessments. They had an in-depth collaboration when the teacher who lacked the science PCK asked help to teach problem-centered learning by science inquiry. During the collaboration, their science PCK components, especially the knowledge of instructional strategies for teaching science, shared and it affected the teacher's science practices who lacked the science PCK. However, they did not usually share the knowledge of teaching for their everyday science classes because two teachers had the perception of noninterference about their science classes. This case has the limitation that it is hard to generalize the results but teacher collaboration shows the possibility to develop the elementary school teachers' science professionalism by having peers in the school who can help them in science classes.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.227-245
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of implementing 'responsive teaching (RT)' in elementary school science classrooms. A review of relevant literature yielded a tentative framework of RT which consisted of three characteristics of RT and example practices for each characteristic. The RT framework was used to analyze elementary science lessons on the topic of the transpiration in plant leaves. The data sources were audio recordings of three $5^{th}$ grade classrooms which included both the whole-class instruction and student group activities. The data were examined through collaboration between the teacher who had taught the lessons and a university-based science education researcher. It was revealed that the implementation of RT was limited when the teacher's intervention was focused on completing tasks; when it was out of the contexts of student activities; when the teacher provided earlier what students were supposed to find out by themselves; and when the teacher's comments were evaluation-centered. By contrast, the implementation of RT was made highly possible when the teacher's intervention induced an intellectual debate among students; when the teacher negotiated meanings with students; when the teacher connected what students shared to scientific knowledge; and when the teacher prompted students to solve a new problem. Implications about implementing and studying RT were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.399-416
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between science teaching practices and beliefs about the nature of science. Defining teachers' beliefs as a broad construct, the researcher tried to examine not only the teachers' understanding about the nature of science, but also the effect and reflection in science teaching practices with regards to the nature of science. Guiding research questions were how the teachers' science teaching practices reflected their beliefs about the nature of science. The methodology of this study was qualitative approach that included interviews, classroom observations, and instructional materials. At an urban area of Korea, five beginning elementary teacher was chosen. The cross-case and grounded theory study design were adopted as data analysis process. The results of data analysis were checked by teachers for internal validity. This study identified the teachers' beliefs about the nature of science suggested by many researchers and revealed that these teachers' beliefs reflected a little in science teaching practices. On the occasion it was reflected, restricted merely within the narrow limits the way to teach the concepts and contents presented in science curriculum. In addition, some of the obstacles that these teachers' beliefs did not reflect the science teaching practices with regards to the nature of science were investigated in this study.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.228-242
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to develop a student-led instructional strategy that is central to the teaching-learning process and to investigate its effects. For this study, we analyzed the learner-centered learning types (discovery learning, problem-based learning, inquiry learning) and extracted elements applicable to newly developed teaching-learning. Based on this, a student-led class strategy was established using pre-learning, teacher collaboration, small group composition, and limited open data and product presentation, and then science classes were conducted. As a result of the post-tests of the five science core competencies of the experimental group using the student-led instructional strategy and the comparative group conducting lecture-based classes, the experimental group showed higher scores than the comparative group in the scientific thinking, scientific communication, and scientific attitudes (p<.05). Based on these results, it was confirmed that the student-led class, in which the student self-adjusts the entire process of designing, exploring, and presenting learning, can help the student's scientific ability. In addition, I would like to discuss the implications of teachers' teaching-learning composition.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.287-304
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• 2019

Teaching with technology has been widespread in practical classroom settings, and increased the needs to enhance pre-service teachers' capability with a variety of technologies. The purpose of this study is focused on designing and implementing a training program to develop pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK) which promotes them use technologies tactically in integrated science classes. Based on the theoretical framework of TPACK and Practitioner's Guide to TPACK, the authors developed ten periods of lessons comprised instructional skills in elementary science education. Subsequently, the program was applied into a teacher trainee course in Korea. The results of this study indicate that the TPACK training program for pre-service teachers significantly influenced on attitude toward convergence, TPACK, and science teaching efficacy of the engaged participants. The developed program, meanwhile, caused a significant TPACK improvement of female participants of the teachers college more effectively. Furthermore, it mitigated the gap between science and humanity tracks coming from their high schools. Consequently, there are possibilities to improve pre-service teachers' teaching strategies for integrated classes, if they have opportunities to review the comprehensibility of technological, pedagogical, content knowledge, and intersected areas with metacognitive perspectives.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2008

We investigated the characteristics of lesson session and the professional development of teachers who conduct good teaching science subject. Seven teachers' were selected the finalists at the elementary school science and teaching competition. The study was based on a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews. To prove validity of the study, the collected data were verified by subject teachers for feedback. The results showed that the teachers believed that their lesson contents and methods were superior to other teachers. To enhance professional development in their lessons, they are only being made through help from colleagues and personal efforts, and a systematic development was involved with necessary situation. As a plan for enhancing an effective quality enhancement of lessons, open classes and conversation between colleagues were proposed. An organization or a group that can motivate teachers and provide systematic support for quality enhancement of lessons by teachers is needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.303-315
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze elementary teachers' science class objectively and quantitatively using Mobile Eye Tracker. The mobile eye tracker is easy to wear in eyeglasses form. And experiments are collected in video form, so it is very useful for realizing objective data of teacher's class situation in real time. Participants in the study were 2 elementary teachers, and they are teaching sixth grade science in Seoul. Participants took a 40-minute class wearing a mobile eye tracker. Eye movements of participants were collected at 60 Hz, and the collected eye movement data were analyzed using SMI BeGaze 3.7. In this study, the area related to the class was set as the area of interest, we analyzed the visual occupancy of teachers. In addition, we analyzed the linguistic interaction between teacher and students. The results of the study are as follows. First, we analyze the visual occupancy of meaningful areas in teaching-learning activities by class stage. Second, the analysis of eye movements when teachers interacted with students showed that teacher A had a high percentage of students' faces, while teacher B had a high visual occupation in areas not related to classes. Third, the linguistic interaction of the participants were analyzed. Analysis areas include questions, attention-focused language, elementary science teaching terminology, daily interaction, humor, and unnecessary words. This study shows that it is possible to analyze elementary science class objectively and quantitatively through analysis of visual occupancy using mobile eye tracking. In addition, it is expected that teachers' visual attention in teaching activities can be used as an index to analyze the form of language interaction.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.183-192
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of portfolio system on science teaching efficacy beliefs. From Chongju National University of Education, 83 subjects were selected. All of them are college sophomores, and 5 of them are males. The portfolio system developed by the researcher had been administered during the 1st semester of 1999. Korean Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (K-STEBI) was administered before and after portfolio instruction. Some parts of students portfolios were analyzed qualitatively in terms of elementary science teaching confidence. After portfolio instruction, students' science teaching efficacy beliefs increased statistically meaningfully. Elementary science teaching confidence and positive attitudes toward portfolio system also showed marked increase. Portfolio system seems to be effective in fostering pre-service elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs, and be a powerful tool for teacher education.