• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.799-814
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• 2010

This study aimed at developing a set of question cards for fostering deep understanding and encouraging reasoning about fossils and analyze the characteristics of visitors' communication depending on whether to use the question cards in a fossil gallery. Through several steps, a card set consisted of nine generic questions about fossil exhibitions and guidance for using question cards were developed. Data related to visitors' communications were collected from 18 peer groups (from 5th to 9th grade) visiting the fossil gallery of Gwacheon National Science Museum. Visiting groups' interactions were videotape recorded and transcribed. 'Holding time,' the types of 'actions,' and the types of 'conversation' were analysed. Visitors' actions were divided into three categories: ‘look’, 'speech', and 'motion.' Furthermore, visitors' conversations categorized as 'speech' were subdivided into four patterns: 'enumerative,' 'consensual,' 'responsive,' and 'argumentative.' Using the question cards contributes to increase holding time and most of the visiting actions. Most of the conversation patterns also increased except the responsive pattern. In conclusion, using question cards in a fossil gallery could facilitate concentrated and meaningful visits by enhancing active verbal and non-verbal communications between exhibit and visitor or among visitors, encouraging visitors' reasoning about exhibits, and guiding visitors what and how to focus on exhibits.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.715-728
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• 2023

Tracksite of pterosaurs, birds, and dinosaurs in Chungmugong-dong in Jinju was designated as a natural monument in 2011 and is known as the world's largest in terms of the number and density of pterosaur footprints. This site has been managed by installing protection buildings to conserve in 2018. About 17% of the footprints of pterosaur, theropod, and ornithopod in this site under management in the 2nd protection building are of great academic value, but observation of footprints has difficulties due to continuous physical and chemical damage. In particular, the accumulation of milk-white contaminants is formed by the gypsum and air pollutant complex. Gypsum remains evaporated with a plate or columnar shape in the process of water circulation around the 2nd protection building, and the dust is from through the inflow of the gallery windows. The aqueous solution of gypsum, consisting of calcium from the lower bed and sulfur from grass growth, is catchmented into the groundwater from the area behind the protection building. Pollen and a few minerals other constituents of contaminants, go through the gallery window, which makes it difficult to expel dust. To conserve the fossil-bearing beds from two contaminants of different origins, controlling the water and atmospheric circulation of the 2nd protection building and removing the contaminants continuously is necessary. When cleaning contaminants, the steam cleaning method is sufficiently effective for powder-shaped milk-white contaminants. The fossil-bearing bed consists of dark gray shale with high laser absorption power; the laser cleaning method accompanies physical loss to fossils and sedimentary structures; therefore, avoiding it as much as possible is desirable.