• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.154-160
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• 2009

Correlational reasoning is used to analyze results from an experiment and create meaningful relationships among variables. Although there were many recognition development studies, not a single study found the optimal period for the development of logical thinking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find the optimal period for students whose logic for variable controlling and correlational reasoning are poor. This study made a logic program treatment subject for students between the 4th and 8th grade whose recognition in reasoning has not been developed in general in order to find the optimal period for their development. The variable-controlling reasoning was performed the program of voice survey and sugared-water melting in subsection survey and sugared-water melting in subsection. And, the correlation reasoning was performed the program of rat's size and tail color, treatment, and effect. As a result of research, students, who were not formed variable controlling and correlational reasoning, could be known to be enhanced through learning, but to fail to be formed the qualitative change like the cognitive development. In other words, the optimal period couldn't be found that is grown the formation of students, who are not formed the variable controlling and correlational reasoning, through learning. It is expected that this research can contribute to the improvement of students' cognitive level and there would be more active researches in different fields to improve the cognitive level.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.587-599
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze variable-controlling strategy (below vcs) and the ability to infer the effect of variables in Middle school students who experienced 'Thinking Science' activities in a CASE program. For this study, 71 9th grade students experienced in CASE program for 2 years were selected as the experimental group and 72 students were selected as the control group. All students were tested with Science Reasoning TaskVII. The five types of variable-controlling strategy were extracted from students' response. According to the result of this study, the students experienced in CASE program was more successful in the variable-controlling strategy of length, quality, and shape than the control group. The types of reasoning ability of the variable effect intuitively were categorized as possibility of reasoning, impossibility of reasoning, and impossibility of reversible thinking. It has shown that the reasoning ability of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in the length and thickness variable effect. The results of this study implied that the variable controlling activities in CASE program could be effective for learning variable controlling, and eventually, for the development of reasoning ability of the variable controlling effect. In the ability to infer the effects of variables to get difficult Intuitively, both groups were similar to the rate of cognitive level reached to the formal operation in generalization, and the student of experimental group was 1.5 times faster than the control group.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.667-680
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop teaching stratege focused on Conservational reasoning, Proportional reasoning, Variable-controlling reasoning, Probabilitic reasoning, Correlational reasoning, Combinational reasoning and investigate its effects on enhancing students' logical thinking skills through the science teaching on common education. And the teaching materials was implemented to 110 students in middle school over about six months. The results indicated that the experimental group presented statistically meaningful improvement in logical thinking skills (p<05). Especially, this teaching stratege was effective on Conservational reasoning, Variable-controlling reasoning, Combinational reasoning but was not effective on Proportional reasoning, Probabilitic reasoning, Correlational reasoning (p<.05). Logical thinking according to the teaching strategy skill was not affected by gender, cognitive level, academic achievement (p<.05).

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.32-47
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the ability to control variables and the ways by which variables are controlled. First, the assessment criteria for evaluating the students' ability to control variables were developed for 8th grade students. Second, the ways variables are controlled were classified from student activity reports. These students' answers were categorized into six types (type A~ type F). Type A is defined as the group that excelled in recognizing the importance of controlling variables, eliminating unnecessary variables and identifying manipulated, dependent and controlled variables. Third, the scores of ability to control variables (CV score) and the classroom test of scientific reasoning (Lawson SRT) scores were measured. The results indicated that the CV score was highly correlated with Lawson SRT scores (r=.67, p<.01). Therefore, the assessment criteria developed in this study was used to evaluate the ability to control variables (CV score) and to measure the students' scientific reasoning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of experimental design and evidence choice of the elementary school students in problem solving process related to controlling variable. For this study, 96 6th grade students were selected and tested with Science Reasoning Task. This study revealed that the types of experimental design were categorized as variance of control variable, controlling of causal variable, perfect controlling variable, imperfect controlling variable, variance of all variable. Prior belief had a strong influence on student's experimental design. The types of evidence choice were categorized as perfect controlling variable, controlling causal variable, variance of causal variable. The degree of controlling variable in evidence choice process was much lower than that in experimental design. Most students tended to choose evidence according to prior belief without controlling variable. The results of this study implied that student's prior belief and characteristic of science process skills should be considered to develop program for promoting controlling variable ability.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.571-585
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• 2002

This is one of the basic research for inspecting the possibility of the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking. The 5th grade students (n=306) in the elementary school were participated in this study. Performing the 6 variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' program for one semester, the SRT II test and the Variable-Controlling test were operated to examine the effects on the development of the variable-controlling ability by treatments, gender, and cognitive levels. Performing of the variable-controlling activities was highly successive on the development of students' variable-controlling ability. Although learning effect on the ability of identifying causal variable was moderate, the abilities of controlling experimental condition, measurement of variable, and identifying result variable were significantly developed. There was statistically significant difference by gender. Girls showed better performance all the time in both groups. Boys in the experimental group were getting better gradually, so the difference by gender was somewhat decreased. Examining the variable-controlling ability by cognitive levels, students in the experimental group show significant increase in all levels, especially the students in early, mid, and mature concrete level show substantial learning effects. The results of this study implied that the variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' could be effective for learning of variable-controlling and eventually for the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.154-165
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of metastrategic exercise on a scientific reasoning strategy to control variables, and investigate the developmental patterns in the strategy usage within a given period. Two groups composed of 90 fifth grade students engaged in a scientific reasoning task over six daily sessions. Additionally, one group engaged in metastrategic exercise on fictional students' strategies of controlling variables on the task, while the other spent equivalent time on an unrelated task. Based upon results of the study, the following conclusions can be drawn. First, the metacognitive exercise on the strategy to control variables has positive and long-standing effects on the strategy performance at the reasoning task. The exercise also takes effect of near-transfer. Taking into consideration only about sixty minutes of metastrategic practice, the results provide the validity of the activity in order to develop children's reasoning strategies. Second, in a scientific reasoning task, each child seems to go through one out of two developmental patterns in their usage of reasoning strategies: gradual change or fundamental change. Considering the ratio of pattern of fundamental change between the two groups, it is clear that the metacognitive exercise influences the developmental pattern of strategy usage.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.117-127
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• 1999

The present study investigated Korean and the US college students' scientific reasoning skills involving hypothesis-testing skills and tested the hypothesis that hypothesis-testing skills are more advanced ones than other scientific reasoning skills investigated in this study. Seven hundred and seventy-four(774) Korean and five hundred and sixty-eight(568) the US students were sampled in university level. The Test of Scientific Reasoning was used as a scientific reasoning test. The test is consisted of two conservational reasoning, two proportional reasoning, one pendulum, two probability reasoning, two controlling variable, one correlational reasoning, and two hypothesis-testing reasoning tasks. Korean students showed a significant higher score in proportional and probability reasoning tasks than the US students. However, the Korean showed a significant lower score in conservation and correlation reasoning tasks than their American counterparts. Further, Korean and the US college students showed a notably poor performance in hypothesis-testing skills comparing with other scientific reasoning skills, which supported the hypothesis that hypothesis-testing skills are more advanced ones than other scientific reasoning skills. In addition, the Korean showed a severe deficiency in candle-burning task which required the skill that students have to design a scientific test-procedure to test theoretical hypotheses. This study also discussed on the educational implications of the results of the present study.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.110-121
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• 2002

In this study, the verbal interactions occurred during the CASE(Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education) activities in the middle school science class has been analyzed regarding with students cognitive level. The subjects were 24 students of 6 groups in a middle school in Korea. Verbal interactions within group discussions during CASE activities were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed. Also, classroom observation and interview with students were carried out. The results showed that the student with higher cognitive level tended to be a group leader. They had strong influences on the group discussions in each step of problem solving. Also, the higher cognitive level students were more active in metacognitive discussion and more often used scientific terms. When their group met difficulties in each stage of problem solving, such as perception of problem and designing experiment, the higher cognitive level students suggested some ideas to help their peers and gave them an explanation of how they worked. Low cognitive level students had difficulties in perception and solving the problem as compared with high cognitive students. It was common during activities for the low cognitive level students to fail to identify variables and to distinguish between dependent variables and independent variables. They failed to hold a number of variables at once. However, the metacognitive questions from their peers or teacher were helpful for them to construct the concept of controlling variables. If there is no student who has a high level of thinking in a group, it was necessary to intervene for teacher. A well judged questions from teacher created the cognitive conflict which causes the students to reconstruct their strategy for problem solving and reinforce the control of variables reasoning pattern. From the above results, it is concluded that students' cognitive levels are much related to the verbal interaction patterns. This suggests that teacher should consider individual student's cognitive level in organizing groups and intervene to facilitate the environment for metacognitive interaction.