• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.719-730
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school students' perceptions about science, engineering and technology and their images of scientists, engineers, and technicians. In order to investigate students' images of scientists, engineers, technicians and student's perception of science, engineering, and technology, we used the tools "Draw a scientist at work, Draw an engineer at work, and Draw a technician at work". We have revised the tool DAST (Draw a scientist test), which was used in Fralick et al.'s study (2009). Subjects were 209 6th grade students sampled from an elementary school in G-city in Korea. According to the results of this study, the students' representative image of a scientist was similar to stereotypical scientist image in previous studies, but the students perceived science as a field of research with various professionals. The students' representative image of an engineer was a man with short hair, no beard or mustache, wearing ordinary clothes but no glasses. The engineer was designing or constructing a ship, a robot, a computer, and an airplane. The students' representative image of a technician was a man with short hair, wearing protective goggles and a mask for welding. The technician was fixing a car, a robot, a rocket, etc. and working with wrenches, hammers, screw drivers, welding machines, etc. Many students didn't perceive engineering and technology as fields of research. Also, many students didn't variously perceive engineering and technology as fields and ways of study.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.701-724
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• 2022

In this study, the Nature of Science (NOS) instrument for elementary school students in the form of open questionnaires was developed specifically to reveal elementary school students' perceptions of the NOS, and its validity and effectiveness were investigated. To develop a NOS instrument for elementary school students, problems that may occur when applying the existing NOS instruments to elementary school students were analyzed and based on this, the development direction of the NOS instrument was established. In addition, after selecting seven NOS types suitable for the level of elementary school students, the preliminary instrument was produced by modifying and supplementing the items in the existing instruments for each type or by developing new items. Finally, the NOS instrument consisting of eight questions was developed by adding one question asking for a comprehensive understanding of science to seven questions related to each type of NOS after a content validity test of the science education expert group. To verify the practical effect of the developed instrument, pre- and post-tests were conducted on 50 students in two classes of sixth grade at two elementary schools in Seoul: 'existing instrument → development instrument' in one class, and 'development instrument → existing instrument' in the other class. The collected data were then compared and evaluated through summary content analysis and analyzed by executing the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. As a result of comparing and analyzing students' responses to the existing NOS instrument and the developed NOS instrument, students' perspectives on the NOS were more diverse when using the developed instrument, and the level of error in the response caused by misinterpreting the intention of the question was reduced. In addition, when using the developed instrument, the responses of the majority of students at a statistically significant level changed more specifically. In this study, the implications for the development of NOS instruments suitable for elementary school students were discussed based on these results.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.191-206
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to find an implication for a direction to improve professional development in mathematics by exploring elementary school teachers' perception of the need for professional development in mathematics. To this end, 4 elementary school teachers were organized into one focus group, and group discussion materials were collected and analyzed based on cases of mathematics professional development needs. As a result of the study, the elementary school teachers' perception that the need for professional development in mathematics is both unnecessary and necessary. The perception of unnecessary was influenced by the easy level of elementary school mathematics content and the ease of teaching. Also, the perception of necessary factors were considering various aspects of mathematics teaching, changing the accumulation of failures in mathematics classes, maintaining authority of students, demand for class improvement due to social change, the impact of school work, the influence of the community of professional development and peers in school, and efforts to grow as teachers. Based on these results, the author discussed ways to promote teachers' participation in mathematics professional development by considering elementary school teachers' perceptions of the need of mathematics professional development.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.21 no.1 s.29
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• pp.107-124
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• 2007

This study, at this point where a national attention is being focused on the special education for brilliant children after the enactment of the law regarding the promotion of the special education for brilliant children and the establishments of various policies on the education of excellence, investigated and analyzed the perceptions of students who are participating in the program for elementary school brilliant children on mathematics. First, the understanding of the area of the definition of brilliant students by the teachers with the institutions for the special education for brilliant children that use the program for elementary school brilliant children on mathematics should be increased. Second, the professionality of the teachers should be secured for an efficient operation of the program for elementary school brilliant children on mathematics. Third, the students who participated in the special education lot brilliant children tended to be self-initiative in participating in the program but the self-initiative aspect was insufficient in the lessons. Fourth, the students who are participating in the special education for brilliant children have positive opinions on the contents and methods of the lessons. Fifth, as for the materials for brilliant children's learning supplied to the program for elementary school brilliant children on mathematics, the brilliant students perceive them as the teaching materials for brilliant children. In this thesis, the program for special education for brilliant children was assessed and analyzed through the questionnaires to the teachers and students participating in the program. More abundant brilliant children programs should be developed so that the programs suitable the brilliant students can be provided to the students and the studies to improve the programs with regards to the effectiveness etc should be continually done from now on.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2010

This study was to examine science learning motivation of primary students participating in science museum educational programs. The subject was 36 primary students in the programs in a science museum during a month. The questionnaire for this study consisted of items developed by us and some items from Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire developed by Pintrich et al.(2001). The results included primary students' motivation of joining the programs in a science museum, their perceptions about the programs, and the effects of the programs on their science learning motivation. It seemed that the students had the opportunities of doing science activities in the museum on the recommendation of their family or teachers, especially their parents. And they were motivated to participate the programs with interests of science and they were interested in the activities in the programs. The statistics showed that the program have an positive effects on the students' self efficacies and values on science tasks. Based on this results, discussion and implications were presented.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.635-645
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to identify elementary school teachers' perceptions, practices, and background factors related to introducing students' everyday experience in science teaching process. The participants of this study were four elementary school teachers who have different features such as major, teaching period, gender, growth area, and age. The data was collected through semi-constructed and in-depth interviews. The results of the research are as follows: Teachers mostly used students' everyday experience during the introduction phase of science lessons for the purpose of motivation. They hold a positive view of using students' everyday experience during science lessons and thought that science teaching needs to actively use more of students' everyday experience, while in actual practice they disregarded or only passively introduced students' everyday experience. The various background factors found to affect teachers' practice are as follows: positive memory on their science class; educational experience of their own children; their own childhood environment; their learning style; their insufficient knowledge or enthusiasm; perceived educational value of everyday life in science education; teacher's duties; importance of students' achievement; difficulty in guiding experiment; reaction of students on introducing everyday experience; characteristics of science textbook and teacher's guidebook; lack of lesson time; realization of national common basic education; characteristics of their students; demands from parents or students; effect of introducing everyday experience. In addition, we found that the teachers behave not in accordance with what they thought due to external factors related to their profession and that, for a more active use of students' everyday experience in their teaching, teachers need support from textbooks and teachers' guidebooks.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.663-677
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to verify validity of Creative School Environment Perceptions (CSEP) scale developed based on the scale developed in 2010 by Mayfield and Mayfield. Factor analysis was used to assess construct validity. Another purpose of the study was to investigate factors related to students' perception of creative school environment through use of the group differences. The research participants were 203 elementary school students and all of them were 5th and 6th grade students. Factor analysis indicated that CSEP scale consist of three factors: creativity support, work characteristics, and creativity blocks. In addition the correlation between CSEP scale and the previous scale were investigated to verify the validity of CSEP scale. The results showed that the convergent validity were obtained. Independent-sample t test was performed to test for specific loci of significant between group differences in gender, grade, and the level of ideational behavior. The finding showed that 6th grade students said that their environment hinder creativity. Students with the high level of ideational behavior perceived their school environment was supportive while students with the low level of ideational behavior perceived their school environment was obstructive. Therefore teachers should understand students' perception of creative school environment using CSEP scale and should change students' perception of creative school environment through considering grade and the level of ideational behavior.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.239-252
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• 2008

This study was to explore the causal relationship among teacher efficacy, teachers' approaches to instruction, and students' achievement goal orientation. Among the 278 6th grade students (average age: 12 years) who completed a self-report questionnaire during the second term, 230 (102 boys, 128 girls) returned the completed questionnaire (overall response rate : 82.7%). Measures of teacher efficacy, teachers' approaches to instruction, and students' achievement goal orientation were based on students' perceptions. Structural equation modeling tested relationships among the variables. Findings were that teacher efficacy influenced both students' achievement goal orientation and teachers' approaches to instruction. Teacher efficacy positively influenced teachers' mastery approach to instruction and students' mastery and performance approach goal orientations, whereas teacher efficacy negatively influenced teachers' performance approach to instruction.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.123-135
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• 2016

Interest is one of the important factors in science education. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the follow-up interest of elementary school students on topics of 'Small Organisms' World'. The follow-up interests of the students on the topic were grouped into three categories; the developed-expanded-deepened (EDD), the simply expanded and maintained (SEM), and the stoped or decreased (SD) types. Each types had specific distinguishing features. Through the examination of students' responses and the in-depth interviews, the factors affecting on the follow-up interests of the students were analyzed. The factors were classified into two types of the external factor and the internal one. While the external factors were mainly related to the instructional materials used in science class and teaching methods, the internal factors were related to the desire for knowing, prior knowledge, students' experience and attitude toward the topics of science. In relation to the types of the follow-up interests, these factors were affected by different causes. The EDD type was most affected by internal factors, such as desire for knowing and prior knowledge. The SEM type was shown to be most affected by external factors, such as instructional materials. The SD type was mainly influenced by external factors, such as teaching methods. From the analysis of internal factors, it was revealed that the attitude and the prior knowledge about the topic are related with the follow-up interests. There was a positive relationship between the levels of science attitude and science knowledge. The students who had EDD type had a higher level of attitude and knowledge. However, there were some students who had higher level of scientific knowledge with SD type. The results of in-depth interviews showed that they were influenced by negative perceptions about science and stress on their grades. In conclusion, each follow-up interest type were caused by the external factors contained in the processes of the science class and the internal ones associated with the individual features and were influenced by the science class. So, the teacher should help the students be able to have the EDD type of follow-up interest which is persisted even after the completion of the science curriculum. For this, when the teachers design science curriculum and plan lesson, they should consider both internal and external factors significantly influencing the students' follow-up interests.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.44-49
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• 2004

This study was based upon the survey on the name of 13 basic experimental instruments used in elementary science class: Schale, evaporating dish, mortar & pestle, beaker, erlenmeyer flask, spuit(medicine dropper), graduated cylinder, balance, spatula, dropping bottle, gas collecting bottle, funnel, alcohol burner, and their uses. To implement this study, an open-ended, written questionnaire was administered to the subjects of in-service elementary school teachers, future elementary teachers who have attended at the Gyeongin national university of education, and elementary students in Korea. The findings of this study were as follows: The rates of in-service and pre-service elementary school teachers that knew correct name of experimental instruments were not high, the elementary school student's rates were especially very low. In this study, we found several reasons which they wrote inaccurately: the name to be represented at the textbook that they had studied, the confusion of the name about a fortis pronunciation, the recognition as the vocabulary like flask and cylinder to be meaningless, the habit to say in an everyday life, wrong expression in the internet and general book. All respondents had a wide range of perceptions of uses for the experimental instruments. Their understanding of uses for evaporating dish, erlenmeyer flask, balance, gas collecting bottle were very poor. And then most of them understood that graduated cylinder, beaker, and erlenmeyer flask were tools to measure the volume of solution or liquid, so they did not exactly distinguish the difference of their uses.