• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.412-420
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• 2007

In this study, we investigated the influences of the epistemological beliefs on the conceptual change processes in respects of cognitive conflict, situational interest, attention and state learning strategies. After administering epistemological belief questionnaire as a pretest, 218 seventh graders possessing misconceptions about density were selected from the results of a preconception test. The questionnaires of responses to a discrepant event and situational interest were administered. After learning with a CAI program, attention test, state learning strategy test and conception test were also administered as post-tests. Analysis of the results revealed that fixed ability, quick learning and certain knowledge, which are epistemological factors, were highly related, but only certain knowledge exerted a direct effect on conceptual understanding negatively. It also had positive effects on attention directly as well as via situational interest, and thus increased conceptual understanding, even if the effects were relatively smaller than the direct effect. However, epistemological beliefs had little influence on conceptual understanding through cognitive conflict and/or state learning strategies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.218-233
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to explore science teacher's epistemological understanding of science and science teaching and learning, from the perspective of inquiry as the process of scientific knowledge building. Three science teachers participated in this study. The data were collected from individual in-depth interviews and classroom videotaping. The results show a case involving coherent and consistent data. It showed that the teacher's epistemological understanding of science and science teaching and learning consisted of five categories: scientists doing science with scientific thinking; scientific thinking as the process of knowing; science learner in the learning process of scientific thinking; science teacher as a man/woman with good understandings of science; and teaching and learning as the process of knowing science. Based on the results, discussions and implications about science education and science teacher education were presented.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.430-441
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• 2011

We investigated the elementary students' epistemological views on the nature of scientific measurement. The Views About Scientific Measurement (Ibrahim, 2005) was administered to 117 sixth graders. The analyses of the results indicated that there was an inconsistency in their epistemological views depending on the contexts of the measurement. They also had some difficulties in understanding a distribution of the data, which is needed to understand the necessity of repeating measurements, choosing a best representative value, and comparing data sets. They were found to have some naive views on scientific measurement which influenced negatively for fostering modern epistemological views on the nature of scientific measurement. The results suggest that the nature of scientific measurement should be emphasized explicitly in the national curriculum, and an effective method which improves elementary students' epistemological views on the nature of scientific measurement also be developed.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.209-219
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• 2024

We studied the effects of science high school students on the change of epistemological beliefs in chemistry and the academic achievement of chemistry by completing 'advanced chemistry'. For seven months from July 2023 to January 2024, 80 first-year students at G Science High School in Gyeongnam were surveyed and analyzed for epistemological beliefs about chemistry before and after classes in advanced chemistry. Chemistry academic achievement was classified by 'upper' and 'lower' levels based on the end-of-semester grades of 'advanced chemistry' in the second semester of the first year and analyzed with the SPSS 28 program. After completing advanced chemistry, the epistemological belief in chemistry increased in the proportion of favorable responses. After completing advanced chemistry, the proportion of favorable responses increased in detailed factors such as 'effort', 'math link', 'outcome', 'reality link', and 'concepts', while the 'visualization' factor decreased. Although completing 'advanced chemistry' positively changed students' epistemological beliefs about chemistry, visual expression showed little contribution to understanding chemical concepts. Based on the above results, we will have to focus on the design of instructors' teaching-learning, such as learner-centered inquiry experiments, creative visual expressions, etc., for successful chemistry teaching-learning.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.305-322
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• 2010

The epistemological obstacles in the area learning of plane figure can be categorized into two types that is closely related to an attribute of measurement and is strongly connected with unit square. First, reasons for the obstacle related to an attribute of measurement are that 'area' is in conflict. with 'length' and the definition of 'plane figure' is not accordance with that of 'measurement'. Second, the causes of epistemological obstacles related to unit square are that unit square is not a basic unit to students and students have little understanding of the conception of the two dimensions. Thus, To overcome the obstacle related to an attribute of measurement, students must be able to distinguish between 'area' and 'length' through a variety of measurement activities. And, the definition of area needs to be redefined with the conception of measurement. Also, the textbook should make it possible to help students to induce the formula with the conception of 'array' and facilitate the application of formula in an integrated way. Meanwhile, To overcome obstacles related to unit square, authentic subject matter of real life and the various shapes of area need to be introduced in order for students to practice sufficient activities of each measure stage. Furthermore, teachers should seek for the pedagogical ways such as concrete manipulable activities to help them to grasp the continuous feature of the conception of area. Finally, it must be study on epistemological obstacles for good understanding. As present the cause and the teaching implication of epistemological obstacles through the research of epistemological obstacles, it must be solved.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.183-200
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• 2015

This study investigated the effect of learning achievements and cognitive load according to different types of presenting learning materials and epistemological beliefs (EB). Learning achievements in this study were composed by retention and transfer of ill-structured problem. A total of 80 college students participated in the study. Prior to the learning, students were guided to fill out a questionnaire regarding epistemological beliefs and a prior knowledge test. The students of each group studied with a different type of reading material: full text (FT), full text including key questions (KeyFT) and full text including a concept map (CmFT). After a session of study was finished, they were asked to complete the posttest: retention and transfer. The results showed that there was a significant difference in transfer achievements. CmFT outperformed higher scores than the other types. There was no significant difference in retention among the groups. It is strongly believed that the types of presenting learning materials may have affected the understanding of ill-structured problem solving skills. Students with sophisticated EB showed higher achievements on retention and transfer than naive-EB and mixed-EB. Even though the data showed decrease of the cognitive load on the type of materials and EB, there were no significant differences on the cognitive load. We should consider a positive effect of types of presenting learning materials and EB enhancing capabilities of solving ill-structured problems in real life.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.469-482
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• 2008

This study analysed difficult points on the understanding of infinity when the concept is considered as actual infinity or as potential infinity. And I consider examples that the concept of actual infinity is used in texts of elementary and middle school mathematics. For understanding of modem mathematics, the concept of actual infinity is required necessarily, and the intuition of potential infinity is an epistemological obstacle to get over. Even so, it might be an excessive requirement to make such epistemological rupture from the early school mathematics, since the concept of actual infinity is not intuitive, derives many paradoxes, and cannot offer any proper metaphor.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.499-518
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• 2004

This study focused on research that illustrates the important interplay between learners' epistemological beliefs about science knowledge, physics textbook knowledge and knowing physics in the classroom. Also this study investigated learners' conceptual changes on the value of mechanical energy. To explore these topics, six sophomores were chosen as participants. Three categories were introduced to classify how participants' understanding of the nature of science knowledge, physics textbook knowledge has been linked with epistemological beliefs of knowing physics. The three categories were (1)receiving physics knowledge as authority, (2)receiving physics knowledge as the perception of teacher's role and (3)understanding physics knowledge as the perception that science knowledge is a product of a variety of human ideas. These categories were also concerned with construction of individual conceptions of mechanical energy. The participants who understood physics knowledge as the perception that science knowledge is a product of a variety of human ideas naturally used metacognitive strategy in classroom compared to other participants. And they had scientific conceptions about the value of mechanical energy. Others who were passive in classroom had unscientific conceptions about the value of mechanical energy due to definition of energy and epistemological beliefs about the nature of science knowledge. In the process of their conceptual changes on the value of mechanical energy, it was important to understand an instrumental aspect of scientific knowledge and to think about the relation between formulae and physical phenomena.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.419-429
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• 2015

In this study, we explored students' epistemological framing during scientific argumentation and how interactions among group members influenced group argumentation. Twenty-one gifted science students divided into groups of three or four participated in this study. Students' discussions related to data interpretation concerning the rate of photosynthesis were analyzed. Students' activities were videotaped in groups so the discourse could be transcribed and students' behavioral cues analyzed. Students' epistemological framing has been identified through analysis of their speech and behavioral responses to the anomalous data from the inquiry process. Subsequently, their sources of warrant and group argumentation levels were explored. We found out that group members framed the inquiry in two ways: "understanding phenomena" and "classroom game." Group members whose framing was "understanding phenomena" required other members to justify the anomalous data by examining its validity and reliability, which conclusively demonstrated a high level of argumentation. On the other hand, when group members used "classroom game" to frame their argumentation, they did not recognize the necessity of explaining the anomalous data; rather, these students used simple empirical justification to explain the data, reflecting a low level of argumentation. When students using different epistemological framing disagreed over interpretations of anomalous data throughout the discussion, clashes ensued that resulted in emotional conflict and a lack of discussion. Students' framing shifts were observed during the discussion on which group leaders seemed to have a huge influence. This study lays the foundation for future work on establishing productive framing to prompt scientific argumentation in science classrooms.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.173-187
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to clarify the specific terms of epistemic and epistemological by reviewing the literature on epistemological understanding of science learning, examine the necessity of epistemic discourse analysis based on the view of social epistemology, and provide an exemplar of practical epistemology analysis for elementary children's science learning. The review was conducted in terms of meaning and terminology about epistemic or epistemological approach to science learning, epistemology of/for science, and methodologies for epistemic discourse analysis. As an alternative way of epistemic discourse analysis in science classroom I employed practical epistemology analysis (by Wickman), evidence-explanation continuum (by Duschl), and DREEC diagram (by Maeng et al.). The methods were administered to an elementary science class for the third grade where children observed sedimentary rocks. Through the outcomes of analysis I sought to understand the processes how children collected data by observation, identified evidence, and constructed explanations about rocks. During the process of practical epistemology analysis the cases of four categories, such as encounter, stand-fast, gap, and relation, were identified. The sequence of encounter, stand fast, gap, and relation showed how children observed sedimentary rocks and how they came to learn the difference among the rocks. The epistemic features of children's observation discourse, although different from scientists' discourses during their own practices, showed data-only conversation, evidence-driven conversation, or explanation inducing conversation. Thus I argue even elementary children are able to construct their own knowledge and their epistemic practices are productive.