• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.552-563
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate the students' perception of the learning support system of Korea Science Academy and to propose improvements to it. The impact of the science learning support system on 129 gifted students in Korea Science Academy (KSA) was estimated by using Likert-type items and the multiple-choice method approach for more comprehensive evaluation. The results of our investigation are as follows: First, the learning support system of KSA appears globally useful to the students. The list of educational usefulness to the students comprises, in the decreasing order of utility, classroom work, Internet, lab activities, reading rooms, library, research meetings and clubs, academic advisors (AA), SAF (Science Academy Fair), e-learning system, and finally colloquia by invited lecturers. Second, what the gifted students hope for in the realm of learning support from KSA are learning guides by subject teachers, presentation skill program, the constructions of on/off-line learning communities, etc. It seems that the results of this study would be helpful in improving the learning support system, and will provide useful information for planning the direction of future science-gifted education programs at the high-school level.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.25 no.spc5
• /
• pp.485-494
• /
• 2007

The aims of this study were to investigate the differences of the proportion of misconceptions and the reasons for selecting responses related to questions about small living things between talented and average students. The study subjects were made up of three groups. They were a class of 37 talented elementary students in science attending J National University of Education, a class of 37 talented students in science attending J City Office of Education, and a class of 33 average students attending J City. A questionnaire was composed of 20 test questions for examination of concepts related to small living things. The data obtained in this study was analyzed using a statistical program. The major results were as follows: In general, the level of the scientific concepts possessed by the talented students was much higher than that of the average students, especially in question 14. The reasons for the misconceptions which were revealed through this study were classified into vagueness of the language used, hasty decision and deduction making, using the wrong analogical inference, mass communications (TV or internet) and experimental differences between individuals. In terms of the reasons for the selection of a given response, the talented students had also a higher frequency in the 'science books for children' category than the average students, indicating that various kinds of science books for children have an influence on the formation of concepts on small living things. The misconception proportion of male students was 5.4% higher than that of female students in mean frequencies of all questions, although the difference was not statistically significant except for question 4. Data from this study may help teachers involved in education for gifted students to reconsider their conceptions on small living things.

• Journal of Science Education
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.165-172
• /
• 2009

Korean 7th national curriculum gave the right to elect the advanced subject such as physics II, chemistry II. Students could elect the subject by their aptitude and interest. But, actually, the choice was constrained by school circumstances such as the number of teacher and the number of class. high school students. We investigated the demand about school science and perception about scientifically specialized high school in which the students could have all advanced science subjects by the survey of 336 middle school students including 148 students in the science education center for the gifted, 220 high school students, and 70 science teachers in capital region. As results of this study, most of the high school opened chemistry and biology advanced subjects, but only 37.1% of them opend physics advanced subject. This constrained students' right of elect the subject by their interest. While most of middle school and high school students normally demanded the more experiment in the class and the easier science content, the students in the science education center for the gifted demanded more science class time. The students who wanted to have science career had very positive recognition of scientifically specialized high school and science teachers agreed to running the scientifically specialized high school.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.295-302
• /
• 2008

In this study, the test that were used in entrance examination for chemistry class in a Science-Gifted Education Center for middle school students were analyzed by using criteria for identification and measurement of scientific giftedness and a classical test theory. The result of analysis exhibited that most of problems measured more than two elements of scientific giftedness and required applications of scientific knowledge of middle school level to solve problems. In the analysis of sub-elements of scientific giftedness, originality, fluency in creativity and finding problems/formulating hypothesis, planning inquiry, interpreting data in science process skills were dominant while drawing conclusion and generalization processes were lacking. In correlation analysis between total score and each type of problems, total score was most influenced by the problems measuring science inquiry linked with scientific knowledge. Item difficulty is moderately high and item discrimination is moderate.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.23-52
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the Structural Equation Model (SEM) of scientific problem finding ability based on science related attitude, motivation and self-regulation learning strategy of the gifted in science. A total of 153 scientifically gifted students were selected from a university-based Sifted education center The instruments used for the study were Test of Science-Related Attitudes, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and Science Problem Finding Test. In order to examine Structural Equation Model (SEM) of scientific problem finding ability, we assumed scientific problem finding model related to science inquiry, model I (domain specific), and scientific problem finding model related to creativity, model II (domain general) The results of this research are as follows. First, the correlations between science related attitudes and MSLQ were significant; motivation and self-regulated learning strategy as sub factors were positively correlated to science related attitudes. Only scientific attitude as a sub factor of science related attitudes was significantly correlated to elaboration of creativity category in scientific problem finding ability. In other hand, self-regulated learning strategy was significantly correlated to elaboration, inquiry motivation and inquiry level in scientific problem finding ability. Second, as the results of SEM analysis, we confirmed model I and model II were the best adequate through the indices of best fit (TLI, CFI>.90, RMSEA<.08); scientific problem finding ability was directly influenced motivation and self-regulated learning strategy but science related attitudes indirectly influenced scientific problem finding ability through motivation and self-regulated learning strategy. Based on the results, the implications for science gifted education were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.440-454
• /
• 2018

This study aims to compare student self-, teacher-, and objective assessments of elementary science-gifted students' scientific creativity. A science-gifted program on the topic of Hydraulic Machine was implemented to 40 fifth-graders in the Science-Gifted Education Center of an education office in Seoul, Korea for four weeks. The products of the students' activities were assessed by three types of 'Student Self-Assesment', 'Teacher-Assesment', and 'Objective Assessment using Formula'. Based on two essential components of creativity, the scientific creativity is divided into two parts of originality and usefulness. Ideas that satisfy both components can be counted as scientifically creative. The main results of this study are as follows: First, the scores of each week and the average of the overall four-week scores on scientific creativity were significantly correlated. Student self-assessment (r=.687), teacher-assessment (r=.715), and objective assessment (r=.724) appeared consistently over instructional periods. Second, the average scores of student self-, objective, and teacher-assessments were 73.15, 35.72, and 26.60, respectively. The result of student self-assessment on scientific creativity tended to be higher than those of formula and teacher. Third, among the three types of assessment on scientific creativity, a strong correlation appeared between teacher- and objective assessment (r=.974), but neither between student self- and objective (r=.161) nor between student self- and teacher- (r=.213). Fourth, the scores on originality component had a positive correlation between teacher- and objective assessment (r=.713). The scores of student self- and teacher-assessments had a significant correlation too (r=.315), but not between student self- and objective assessment (r=.279). Fifth, the scores on usefulness component did not have a significant correlation between student self- and teacher-assessment (r=.155). Sixth, there was no significant difference on scientific creativity between student self- and objective assessment [${\chi}^2$(1, n=40)=1.667, p<.197]. Not between student self- and teacher-assessment either [${\chi}^2$(1, n=40)=1.616, p<.204]. On the contrary, there was a significant difference between teacher- and objective assessment [${\chi}^2$(1, n=40)=32.593, p<.000]. Seventh, the students were categorized into four groups according to the levels of their scores by student self- and teacher-assessment. The result showed that factors influencing student self-assessment are inherent in the personality traits of gifted individuals, such as self-esteem and perfectionism. The findings suggested that there are challenges for the educators to make efforts to construct consistent assessment methods for scientific creativity.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.770-784
• /
• 2010

In this study, we investigated students' behavioral characteristics in the process of and their responses to scientific creativity activities developed based on the three steps of learning model (Park, Park, & Lee, 2008) and scientific creativity model (Park, 2004). Students' responses were obtained by questionnaire, effectiveness of learning materials was explored by comparing students activities before and after the second step, 'Guide', and various characteristic behaviors were obtained through video-recording of their activities. As results, students answered that even though the activities were a little difficult, the activities were nonetheless interesting to them, and they wanted to do the activities more completely, and wanted them in future courses. It was also found that the second step activity was helpful in improving students' divergent thinking. Finally, from the findings about various students' behavioral characteristics, some practical recommendations for more effective teaching of scientific creativity were suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.169-179
• /
• 2008

In this study, 46 teaching materials for understanding the nature of science (NOS) were developed based on the 42 statements describing the NOS. Each teaching material involves scientific knowledge and scientific inquiry skills as well as NOS statements. Teaching materials consist of students' learning worksheets and teachers' guides. Among the materials, 11 materials for understanding the nature of scientific thinking (NOST) were applied to 3 scientifically gifted students. As results, the degree of difficulty was appropriate and students showed interests in scientific thinking rather than new concepts or inquiry activities involved in the materials. It was expected that understating the NOST would be helpful for conducting scientific inquiry in more authentic way. And similarly to the Park's (2007) theoretical discussions about the relationship between the NOS and scientific creativity, students actually responded that undertrading the NOST could help their creativity. Therefore, it was expected that teaching the NOST would be plausible elements for teaching scientific creativity.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.320-330
• /
• 2019

This study analyzed changes in sociality and democratic-citizenship among elementary school students in the information class and the science class at the Science Education Institute for the Gifted, who were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group engaged in the Learning Together (LT) cooperative form of learning for which the remix function of Scratch, an educational programming language, was applied, while the control group was given general instructor-led lessons. Members in the experimental group were able to modify processes during projects through the usage of the remix function, thereby actively participating in the projects and eventually generating team-based results. The post-class t-tests showed a greater degree of improvements in sociality and democratic citizenship for the experimental group that was offered the remix-function-based cooperative learning than the control group. Statistically significant differences were present between two groups particularly in "cooperative spirit" sub-domain of sociality and the "community" and "responsibility" sub-domains of democratic citizenship.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.575-596
• /
• 2012

Students' perception on a science program for gifted was investigated. The whole program was designed in consistency and integrity based on the Autonomous Learner Model suggested by Betts & Kercher(1999). 7th, 8th and 9th grade students were enrolled in this program, offered by G Education Institute for Gifted(GEI) located in Seoul. A survey was done to ask students' perception regarding the effect of the program. The survey consisted of statements about the expected effects of the program and students were asked if they agreed with the statements. Most students strongly agreed that GEI's program has positive effects. Students replied that they learned useful and interesting science contents, enjoyed meaningful experience of cooperating with members in small groups, and were challenged by the inquiry tasks. They recognized that they were being trained to become autonomous learners. They also said that their choices and decisions were respected, which resulted in positive effects on their ability to negotiate or to inquire actively. These implies that Autonomous Learner Model had been successfully applied. Although it was not clear autonomy of students was fully grown, the possibility of becoming an autonomous learner was evident. Satisfaction level is higher for the older students, implying that the integrity in the program gave accumulating effect. Students response showed that three sub-programs of GEI, the classes of each subject, conference at the end of the year and autonomous learner training played equally important role for students to learn the process of scientific inquiry and autonomous learning. This was a positive sign that the strategies for scientific inquiry and autonomous learning were embedded and integrated deeply in the program. The results of current research suggests that the integrity of a program based on a specific education model for the gifted could provide better education environment for the gifted students.