• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.514-523
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigation the elementary school teachers' perception in STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Education. For this study, 93 elementary school teachers who have taught mathematics/science in gifted class were selected and a fifteen items questionnaire designed to elicit teachers' perception of steam education was to administered to them. The major findings are as follows: First, the ratio of teachers who understood a steam education exactly is very low. But teachers have positive thoughts about the need of steam education. Second, teachers thought that steam education has a good effect on elementary education. Third, teachers thought that steam education will be an alternative teaching and learning method. Fourth, teachers have negative thoughts to participate in class work related on steam education. To improve negative attitudes on steam education, incentives for teachers seems to be required. In order to spread steam education among the elementary school teachers successfully, the expansion of school facilities, administrators and staff in mind, improving financial support, strengthening education through the development of content and teaching strategies were analyzed as a challenge.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.367-373
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• 2003

The focus of this study was to identify and describe environmental preconceptions held by pre-service elementary teachers about three issues : greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion and acid rain. Two hundred and twenty nine pre-service elementary teachers participated in this study. A 36 question survey was created by one of the authors. The questions focused on the cause, effects, and interactions of three environmental issues greenhouse effect of one layer depletion and acid rain. Pre-service elementary teachers answered the questions on a Likert scale. An analysis of the survey data indicated that the majority of pre-service elementary teachers possess an array of incorrect conceptions about the causes and effects of the greenhouse effect ozone layer depletion, and acid rain. and also many pre-service elementary teachers thought that there were causal relationships among the increase in greenhouse effect, the destruction of ozone layer, and the increase of acid rain.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.58-71
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• 2015

Ability of understanding students' ideas and thinking is critical to teachers' professional growth. In this study, 'pedagogical reasoning' was conceptualized as teachers' reasoning ability of students' misconceptions and possible causes of misconceptions when they hear and observe students' science discourses. To investigate elementary pre-service teachers' pedagogical reasoning levels, children's science discourses on light reflection and electric circuit were video recorded and 43 pre-service elementary teachers were asked to identify children's misconceptions and possible causes of misconceptions after watching the video clips. In conclusion, pedagogical reasoning levels of pre-service elementary teachers were not high enough, showing significant difference in light reflection and electric circuit. Possible explanations of this difference and educational implications were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.316-325
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyze elementary school teacher' expectation and reality before and after science experiment in-service training program. The surveys for before and after in-service training were conducted among 231 elementary school teachers who participated for science experiment in-service training. 5 elementary school teachers who took part in surveys were interviewed after training. The results of this study are as follows: First, teachers' interest for science increased regardless of willingness to training participation through science experiment training. Second, discussion for science teaching strategies were not enough while the training recognized with experiments and lecture of instructors mainly. Third, teachers prefered alternative experiments and practical experience of experiments to lecture and basic experiments based on textbook. Forth, assessment of teachers in training must be improved.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.102-115
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• 2019

This study investigated how elementary school teachers reconstruct science curriculum and how they perceive about their experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with four elementary school teachers who had experience in restructuring science curriculum. Two distinct types of reconstruction were found; restructuring within the subject and integrating between subjects. The teachers who were restructuring science curriculum from personal needs usually substitute, delete, add some contents or activities and change the order of unit within science subject. In contrast, the teachers who were participating in research school usually integrated science with other subjects, developing a new unit or project. The latter recognized the need of teachers' reconstruction of science curriculum more strongly and the importance of teacher's voluntary learning community in implementing the reconstruction. Though they had some difficulties in identifying students' interests and level of understanding and lack of time, all teachers valued curriculum reconstruction by relating it to teacher professional development, identity as a teacher, and job consciousness.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to discover and develop any implications which may arise in relation to science teachers' professional growth and development by investigating the difficulties experienced by elementary school teachers in science classes. 196 elementary school teachers were requested to write an anecdotal report regarding their science lessons. 30 science teachers in middle school also answered the same questionnaire. By means of inductive categorical analyzing, the difficulties were grouped into several categories. The results were as follows: (1) The difficulties elementary teachers experience in their science lessons fall into three categories; 'professional science knowledge(9.8%)', 'science laboratory activities(78.3%)', 'teaching methodology(11.2%)'. (2) Science teachers in middle school experienced similar difficulties. However, distribution differed from that of elementary school teachers; 'professional science knowledge(39.0%)', 'science laboratory activities(35.6%)', 'teaching methodology(27.1%)'. (3) The causes of these difficulties were identified as follows; a lack of time to prepare for science classes, insufficient substantial pre-service teacher education, and a lack of adaptive support to elementary school teachers.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.360-379
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate beginning elementary teachers' beliefs about the nature of science. Defining teachers' beliefs as a broad construct, we tried to examine the teachers' understandings about the nature of science. The methodology of this study was a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews. In an urban area of Korea, five beginning elementary teachers were chosen. The cross-case and grounded theory study design were adopted for the data analysis. 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. The results of this study showed that: 1) beginning elementary teachers did not well understand and were unfamiliar with the meanings of various terms about the nature of science; 2) their beliefs abut the nature of science were broad and various; 3) they understood some parts of the nature of science; 4) there were differences within their understandings about subconcepts of the nature of science.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to identify the basic scientific knowledge of in- and pre-service elementary school teachers, specific areas having insufficient knowledge and the reason for the lack of understanding. For the study, we analyzed the survey asking basic scientific knowledge to in-service elementary school teachers within an urban communities and pre-service elementary school teachers enrolling the first, the second and the third year in National University of Education. The results shows that there is the lack of understanding about scientific knowledge such as boiling points, perihelion, substances, and elements, which elementary school teachers should have exactly known. With regard to the age, an effort is required to increase scientific knowledge of the in-service teachers in 50's, compared to those in 20s' and 30s'. In the pre-service teachers, the average in the third year was significantly higher than that in the first and second year. Regarding the major background in high school, both of in- and pre-service teachers who completed the science course showed significantly higher average than those who completed the liberal arts course. In addition, regarding the major in the university, the average of the group with science and engineering major was higher than that of the group with other majors.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.315-326
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• 2013

In this study, we investigated elementary school teachers' and students' perceptions of the reading materials in science textbooks. Participants were 181 teachers from 23 elementary schools who were teaching science and 643 third- to sixth-grade students from 12 elementary schools. A questionnaire for teachers consisted of 18 items and a questionnaire for students consisted of 11 items about their perceptions of the reading materials in science textbooks. Nine to twelve items, according to grades, examining the actual uses of each reading material in science textbooks were also included to both questionnaires. The results indicated that teachers have positive perceptions about reading materials and frequently use them in case of needs for supplement and/or enrichment of science learning. Novice teachers were found to have less positive perceptions about reading materials than expert teachers. Over 70 percent of students responded that they read all reading materials. Fifth- and sixth-grade students were tended to have less positive perceptions about reading materials than third-grade students. Finally, students tended to have more positive perceptions about reading materials than their teachers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.355-366
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary school pre-service teachers' and in-service teachers' and STEAM leader school teachers' difficulties and requirements in the relation to STEAM Education. For this study, 49 pre-service teachers, 57 in-service teachers, 16 leader school teachers in G Area were selected. And they conducted the survey. The results of this study were as follows. First, in order to minimize elementary teachers' physical burden actually, it is necessary to distribute STEAM teaching materials including various and specific programs to the schools in the booklet. Second, for the fast and effective spreading of STEAM, it also should be permitted the pre-service teachers to access STEAM homepage, which is limited to teachers. Third, we should make circumstance to research on STEAM through collaboration with colleagues freely. Therefore, we should give intensive training and consulting opportunities to science teacher. Because they who is getting stronger in this field to do this can furnish other colleagues to teaching tips and information in the relation to STEAM education. By all this fulfillment simultaneously, STEAM will be settlement in elementary school in the short period.