• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.131-155
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate if top-ranked high school students do integrated understanding about the concept of a differential coefficient. For here, the meaning of integrated understanding about the concept of a differential coefficient is whether students understand tangent and velocity problems, which are occurrence contexts of a differential coefficient, by connecting with the concept of a differential coefficient and organically understand the concept, algebraic and geometrical expression of a differential coefficient and applied situations about a differential coefficient. For this, 38 top-ranked high school students, who are attending S high school, located in Cheongju, were selected as subjects of this analysis. The test was developed with high-school math II textbooks and various other books and revised and supplemented by practising teachers and experts. It is composed of 11 questions. Question 1 and 2-(1) are about the connection between the concept of a differential coefficient and algebraic and geometrical expression, question 2-(2) and 4 are about the connection between occurrence context of the concept and the concept itself, question 3 and 10 are about the connection between the expression with algebra and geometry. Question 5 to 9 are about applied situations. Question 6 is about the connection between the concept and application of a differential coefficient, question 8 is about the connection between application of a differential coefficient and expression with algebra, question 5 and 7 are about the connection between application of a differential coefficient, used besides math, and expression with geometry and question 9 is about the connection between application of a differential coefficient, used within math, and expression with geometry. The research shows the high rate of students, who organizationally understand the concept of a differential coefficient and algebraic and geometrical expression. However, for other connections, the rates of students are nearly half of it or lower than half.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.359-374
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• 2020

This study is a complex type consisting of survey study and self-study. The former investigated elementary teachers' epistemological beliefs on convergence knowledge and teaching. As a representative of the result of survey study I, as a teacher as well as a researcher, was the participant of the self-study, which investigated my epistemological belief on convergence knowledge and teaching and my execution of convergent science teaching based on family resemblance of mathematics, science, and physical education. A set of open-ended written questionnaires was administered to 28 elementary teachers. Participating teachers considered convergent teaching as discipline-using or multi-disciplinary teaching. They also have epistemological beliefs in which they conceived convergence knowledge as aggregation of diverse disciplinary knowledge and students could get it through their own problem solving processes. As a teacher and researcher I have similar epistemological belief as the other teachers. During the self-study, I tried to apply convergence knowledge system based on the family resemblance analysis among math, science, and PE to my teaching. Inter-disciplinary approach to convergence teaching was not easy for me to conduct. Mathematical units, ratio and rate were linked to science concept of velocity so that it was effective to converge two disciplines. Moreover PE offered specific context where the concepts of math and science were connected convergently so that PE facilitated inter-disciplinary convergent teaching. The gaps between my epistemological belief and inter-disciplinary convergence knowledge based on family resemblance and the cases of how to bridge the gap by my experience were discussed.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to explore how students' fractional knowledge is related to their solving of proportion problems. To this end, 28 clinical interviews with four middle-grade students, each lasting about 30~50 minutes, were carried out from May 2021 to August 2021. The present study focuses on two 7th grade students who exhibited their ability to coordinate three levels of units prior to solving whole number problems. Although the students showed interiorization of three levels of units in solving whole number problems, how they coordinated three levels of units were different in solving proportion problems depending on whether the problems required reasoning with whole numbers or fractions. The students could coordinate three levels of units prior to solving the problems involving whole numbers, they coordinated three levels of units in activity for the problems involving fractions. In particular, the ways the two students employed partitioning operations and how they coordinated quantitative unit structures were different in solving proportion problems involving improper fractions. The study contributes to the field by adding empirical data corroborating the hypotheses that students' ability to transform one three levels of units structure into another one may not only be related to their interiorization of recursive partitioning operations, but it is an important foundation for their construction of splitting operations for composite units.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.229-250
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is analyzing 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher', which is being submitted to screen and enhance the utilization of gifted students in accordance with recently introduced gifted students observation, recommendation and screening system. For the purpose, this study will provide with objective securing plan of 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' by developing an optimum evaluation model. The research findings were as follows: First, the result of analysis on the mathematically gifted students behavior characteristic as appeared in 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' suggested that the recommending teachers have the tendency of giving superficial statement instead of giving concrete case description. When it was analyzed for frequency by the 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' analysis framework devised by the author, the teachers showed the tendency of concentrating on specific questions. Meanwhile, there was a tendency that teachers concentrate on specific gifted behavior characteristic or area for which concrete case had been suggested. The reason is believed that such part is easy to observe and state while others are not, or, teachers did not judge the other part as the characteristic of gifted students. Second, the gifted students behavior characteristics as appeared in 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' were made into scores by Rubric model. When the interrater reliability was analyzed based on these scores, the correlation coefficient of 1st scoring was .641. After a discussion session was taken and 2nd scoring was done 3 weeks later, the correlation coefficient of 2nd scoring increased to .732. The reason is believed that; i) the severity among scorers was adjusted by the discussion session after the 1st scoring, ii) the scorers established detail judgment standard on various situations which can appear because of the descriptive nature, and, (iii) they found a consensus on scoring for a new situation appeared. It implies that thorough understanding and application of scorers on evaluation model is as important as the development of optimum model for the differentiation of mathematically gifted elementary students.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.558-564
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• 2004

This research investigated the connection between science textbook contents in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and those in Republic of Korea (ROK). Both text books in the field of earth science were analyzed and classified into 70 categories based on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Comparison was specifically made between the elementary and middle school text books of both countries; the result are as follows: First, the scope and the level of the textbooks' contents are quite different between DPRK and ROK. Text books in the South are much limited in concepts and terms than those in the North. In contrast, textbooks in DPRK are written mainly to explain concepts. Second, there are many common contents of the textbooks in DPRK and Republic of Korea. The level and scope of the contents in Republic of Korea are more inquisitive, quantitative and detailed than those in DPRK. Third, we found content connections in science textbooks between primary and secondary schools in both countries: 27 items (38.5%) are related in ROK and 19 items (27.1%) in DPRK.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.693-701
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• 2014

Based on social cognitive theory, self-efficacy in the context of learning has been steadily emphasized as an indicator of students' motivation and performance. The premise for developing such an instrument was that a specific measure of Physics self-efficacy was deemed to be an important predictor of the change processes necessary to improve students' physics understanding. In this study we described the process of developing and validating an instrument to measure students' beliefs in their abilities to perform essential tasks in physics and then investigated high school students' self-efficacy about physics learning and performance. Validity and reliability of PSEI were tested using various statistical techniques including the Cronbach alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analysis. The result of factor analysis supported the contention that the Physics Self-Efficacy Inventory (PSEI) was a multidimensional construct consisting of at least four dimensions: understanding and application of Physics concepts, achievement motivation, confidence for physics laboratory, confidence for Mathematics. The result showed that Kroean high schools students have low Physics self-efficacy for the all four dimensions. Therefore, researchers should focus on development of students' Physics self-efficacy. In addition, the instrument may lead to further understanding of student behavior, which in turn can facilitate the development of strategies that may increase students' aspiration to understand and study Physics. More specifically, by using the PSEI as a pre- and post-test indicator, instructors can gain insight into whether students' confidence levels increase as they engage in learning Physics, and, in addition, what type of teaching strategies are most effective in building deeper understanding of Physics concepts.where they freely exchanged opinions and feedback for constructing better collective ideas.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.433-441
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• 2007

Creativity has very important significance to children. Although active researches and educations on other studies (for instance, mathematics, science, logics, music, etc) are being done, evaluation or development on children's creativity in design is very inadequate. Therefore, this study is a basic research to develop evaluation to judge design creativity of children as an incipient stage of educational method development to develop children's creativity in design. Evaluation categories (originality - novelty/fun, practicality-function/possibility) that can evaluate design creativity of children were drawn out based on documentary records, and as the results or performing experimental research to figure out correlativity between creativity of idea and design creativity targeting children in second grade of elementary school, subordinate provinces of idea's creativity related to design creativity were fluency and elaboration. However, it does not mean that fluency and delicacy are the only subordinate provinces of idea's creativity related to design creativity, but they are more influential compared to other provinces (creativity, abstractness of title, and resistance to premature closure) This study is to prepare basic framework of educational method to improve design creativity education of children, and has its meaning to complement what are lacked in design creativity through the educational method.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.336-344
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to analyse achievement of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R), which was performed in 1999 with 38 nations participating. Korean 8th grade students' achievement of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' was compared to that of other countries and other content areas in science. Average percent correct of items in each subcategory - Scientific Method, Experimental Design, Scientific Measurements, Describing and Interpreting Data - was also analysed. Although 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' topics were not included in intended curriculum in Korea, Korean students' average scale score of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' was significantly higher than international average and, in comparison with other science content areas, achievement of that area was relatively high. The reasons could be that the most students studied topics related to 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' through the implemented curriculum and that the Korean teachers recognized the importance of inquiry. According to the results to analyze subcategories, the average percent correct of Korea were higher than 50% except the 'Scientific Measurements' subcategory. However, the international average percent correct were lower than 50%. Especially, the average percent correct of Korea was the highest in 'Describing and Interpreting Data' subcategory despite there were many students who were confused at observation, hypothesis and conclusion.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.251-266
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• 2013

With elementary school students who have learned the primary concepts of the four arithmetic operations as its subjects, this study has investigated in depth how schema and transformed schema are composed by recognition of the correct concepts and connection of concepts, that is to say, what schema learners form along with transformed schema with the primary concepts of the four arithmetic operations to understand the secondary concepts when power and mixed calculations are taken into contents. It has also investigated how the subjects use the schema they have formed for themselves and the transformed schema to approach problem solving, and how their composition of concepts and schema in problem solving ability achieve transformations. As a result, we can tell that the recognition of precise primary concepts and transformed schema work as important factors in the development from the primary to the secondary concepts. Here, we can also see learn that the formation of the schema created due to the connection among the primary concepts and the recognition of them and of the transformed schema play more important roles in the development toward the secondary concepts and the solution of arithmetic problems than any other factors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-47
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• 2021

This study developed a big data-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) program using WWT (World Wide Telescope), focusing on content elements of 'solar system', 'star and universe' in the 2015 revised science curriculum, and in order to find out the effectiveness of the STEAM program, analyzed creative problem solving, STEAM attitude, and STEAM satisfaction by applying it to one middle school 176 students simple random sampled. The results of this study are as follows. First, we developed a program to encourage students to actively and voluntarily participating, utilizing the astronomical data platform WWT. Second, in the paired t-test based on the difference between the pre- and post-scores of the creative problem solving measurement test, significant statistical test results were shown in 'idea adaptation', 'imaging', 'analogy', 'idea production' and 'elaboration' sub-factors except 'attention task' sub-factor (p < .05). Third, in the paired t-test based on the difference between the pre- and post-scores of the STEAM attitude test, significant statistical test results were shown in 'interest', 'communication', 'self-concept', 'self-efficacy' and 'science and engineering career choice' sub-factors except 'consideration' and 'usefulness / value recognition' sub-factors (p < .05). Fourth, in the STEAM satisfaction test conducted after class application, the average values of sub-factors were 3.16~3.90. The results indicated that students' understanding and interest in the science subject improved significantly through the big data-based STEAM program using the WWT.