• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1427-1442
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• 2012

This study tracked the changes of preservice biology teachers' pedagogical knowledge along with science teaching efficacy throughout sequentially developed science methods course I and II over two consecutive semesters. Two courses, science methods course I and II, aimed these preservice teachers to discuss the notion of science teaching with teaching and learning theories, to learn science instructional models, to design lessons utilizing science instructional models, and to eventually implement microteaching. The preservice teachers were mainly engaged in cooperative instructional planning activities through science methods course I, and engaged in cooperative microteaching activities through the science methods course II. This study revealed that preservice teachers successfully developed pedagogical knowledge and science teaching efficacy after two science methods courses. The science methods course I where cooperative instructional planning activities occurred helped the preservice teachers to improve pedagogical knowledge but not science teaching efficacy. Based on their pedagogical knowledge development, then, these preservice teachers increased science teaching efficacy belief after completion of the science methods course II.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1452-1469
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• 2012

This study examined the science learning environments experienced by Korean and U.S. preservice elementary science teachers during their 3-week clinical experience. Observational experiences of 97 Korean and 112 U.S preservice teachers were surveyed with an instrument that we developed for the study. Follow-up interviews provided a clearer picture of what preservice teachers observed and experienced in science classrooms during their clinical experiences. Korean preservice teachers experienced a variety of science teaching environments, whereas the U.S. preservice teachers reported limited opportunities to observe science teaching and learning in terms of 6 identified facets that we posed. Along with our interpretation of the contrast in findings, some of the challenges are discussed in providing preservice teachers with opportunities to observe, experience, and teach in effective science learning environments during the clinical experience.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.245-255
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• 2012

The purposes of this research are to analyze preservice elementary teachers' degree of difficulty in classes of seasonal variation and suggest the measures of classes so that preservice elementary teachers can progress classes of seasonal variation effectively. To achieve them, the research was conducted for 90 first graders completing teaching method of elementary science in P university of education from Sep. to Dec. 2012. This research was conducted, based on the results of in-depth interview for 9 preservice elementary teachers who performed classes of seasonal variation, survey on the degree of class difficulty and evaluation of classes on 8 classes theme of Earth sector in elementary science. The results of this research are as follows. The first, preservice elementary teachers had relatively high class difficulty for teaching seasonal variation among the sector of the earth in elementary science. The second, in the evaluation of preservice elementary teachers' classes, the more the subject showed high class difficulty, the more the score of class evaluation was low. The reason is analyzed that high class difficulty reduces teacher's confidence. The third, preservice elementary teachers had insufficient knowledges and concepts which are basically necessary for the classes of seasonal variation. Especially, it was more serious for preservice elementary teachers who didn't learn Earth-science during their high school time. The fourth, it is necessery that concrete and systematical teaching method should be developed so as to improving preservice elementary teachers' teaching method for the classes of seasonal variation.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.32-46
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice elementary teachers' understandings and instructional strategies about children's science misconceptions. The participants were sixty senior students from a national university of education located in the midwestern area of Korea. A questionnaire, developed on the basis of Gomez-Zwiep's semi-structured interview questions, was used. The results of this study are as follows: first, many of the preservice teachers showed appropriate understanding of 'definition of misconceptions' (96.67%), 'examples of misconceptions' (78.33%), 'resistance to change of misconceptions' (71.67%), and 'impact on instruction of misconceptions' (91.67%), except for 'sources of misconceptions' (45.00%); second, although almost all the preservice teachers (96.67%) appreciated the necessity of identifying children's misconceptions before instruction, 43.33% of the preservice teachers did not show appropriate understandings on when and how to identify children's misconceptions; third, most of the preservice teachers (81.67%) were generally aware of instructional strategies to address children's misconceptions.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.314-328
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine Korean preservice science teachers' understanding of the nature of science (NOS). Thirty-one Korean preservice teachers were given an open-ended questionnaire about their understanding of NOS. The Korean preservice teachers' responses were categorized according to pattern and theme. These findings will provide information to aid in the development of curriculum and instruction to improve preservice teachers' understanding of NOS. Compared to in previous studies, Korean preservice teachers demonstrated various philosophical stances that have been suggested by philosophers of science. In addition, they were more likely to connect science to human endeavors and social needs. These results were interpreted in relation to the influence of the science methods course, secondary science curriculum, and the traditional cultural view.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.297-304
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate inservice elementary teachers' view and the change of preservice elementary teachers' view on the nature of science by the science education course. The subjects were 386 junior preservice teachers in a National University of Education and 257 inservice teachers working in a metropolitan city. An instrument consisting of fifty eight items were developed on the bases of previous studies. Before entering the course, preservice teachers view was compared by gender with T-test and no significant differences were found except the category 'role of a scientist'. Preservice teachers view was also compared by major with ANOVA and significant differences were found on the categories 'scientific method' and 'scientific law'. After the course, on comparing their view by gender, significant differences were found on the categories 'scientific theory', 'scientific knowledge', and 'scientific law'. The result of ANOVA by major, significant differences were found except the category 'role of a scientist'. Inservice teachers view was compared by gender and major and the differences were no significant, the significant differences, however, were founded in comparing by career and ability.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.991-1009
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• 2002

This qualitative study investigated two preservice teachers' conceptual ecologies in professional development during the science teacher preparation program. The notion of a conceptual ecology contains nature of knowledge, science and science teaching, learning, and content knowledge and comfort level. The data were collected during the participants' preservice year and their practicum experience. Both data collections and analyzing were from the various sources of interviews, teaching observations, journals, and information and profiles by the participants' supervisor. Two preservice teachers serve as cases representative of this study. Results show that problems preventing the preservice teachers from moving closer to conceptual change teaching were their understandings of the nature of science and the nature of knowledge. The preservice teachers' views about knowledge come from, and what knowledge is, are largely shaped by the nature of science and learning drive pedagogy and classroom practice. Knowledge of and comfort with the subject matter are also important.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2020

In this study, we investigated elementary and preservice elementary school teachers' actual and preferred types of science assessment focusing on the purpose and the method of assessment. Participants were 75 elementary school teachers and 93 preservice elementary school teachers. The questionnaire adopted from previous relevant studies was administerd in order to examine the types of assessment which the teachers have actually implemented and the preferred types of assessment for hypothetical situations known as the prototypical examples of constructivist assessment. The results revealed that most teachers and preservice teachers tend to possess the summative-oriented purpose of assessment. An affective assessment purpose focused on evaluating students' interest, attitude, and curiosity toward science was newly identified in this study. In analyzing teachers' responses from the viewpoint of the method of science assessment, responses of an informal mode such as observation and portfolio were noticeable. However, most of them were found to correspond to the traditional summative-oriented purpose of assessment. For prototypical constuctivist assessment situations, teachers and preservice teachers were found to prefer the performance and the informal modes than the measurement mode of the assessment methods, whereas their purposes of the assessment were not found to be constructivist.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.447-460
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• 2017

This study asked preservice elementary teachers to conduct an inquiry of observing the moon, and analyzed the phenomena observed, difficulties experienced, and pedagogical suggestions by the preservice teachers. Participants were 31 undergraduate students enrolled in a science course in a university of education. As a part of the course, the preservice teachers observed the moon for about a month and completed personal journals which described the phenomena they observed, difficulties they experienced, and the pedagogical suggestions to help elementary students conduct the same inquiry activity. The analysis of the journals revealed that the preservice teachers observed the moon mostly during the evening or night and that they noticed lunar phases, directions, altitudes, and color and brightness more frequently than other phenomena. The preservice teachers experienced difficulties related to the observation time, lunar phases, directions, and altitudes, and, reflecting on their own experiences, suggested a variety of pedagogical ideas about these difficulties. The pedagogical suggestions by the preservice teachers also included how to help elementary students keep their interest and perform the moon observation for a rather long period of time. Implications for moon investigations in the elementary school science classroom and relevant research were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.99-108
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• 2012

This study investigated the characteristics of preservice elementary teachers' science PCK through a mentoring program. Their perceptions of the mentoring program were also examined. The participants of this study were 33 preservice elementary teachers who prepared science lessons in small groups. A mentoring program was implemented in the processes of science lessons planning and evaluation to support their professional development. The characteristics of the preservice elementary teachers' science PCK exhibited through the mentoring program were as follows: They showed poor understanding of instructional models and logical connections of each instructional step. They also had problem in setting a clear learning goal for their science lessons. This was related with their poor understanding of the curriculum. They seldom considered students' misconceptions, and their perceptions of assessment were quite restricted. The analyses on their perceptions of the mentoring program revealed that the preservice teachers thought it was helpful for their professional development in several aspects. Mentoring could play an important role to examine and improve preservice elementary teachers' science PCK.