• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.115-128
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• 2014

Students' argumentation during science inquiry should be regarded important as it could help students to make meaningful connections between theories and experiments and to make scientific claims based on evidences. In this study, elementary science-gifted students' argumentation during small group inquiry was analyzed according to inquiry process. There were three stages of argumentation during students' inquiry. The first argumentation was to predict what would happen(Prediction stage). In this stage, the scientific problem was presented by concept cartoon as a way to start and to facilitate students' argumentation. The second argumentation was to design an experiment to solve the problem(Planning stage) and the third was to interpret the result of experiment(Interpretation stage). The discourse move, level of grounds and their relationship were analyzed to find the characteristics of argumentation during science inquiry. In terms of discourse move, 'Asking for opinion' was the most frequent whereas 'Claim' or 'Rebuttal' were rare. Students tended to listen to or ask others' opinion rather than provide their own claims or critics on others' opinion. 'Rebuttal' was shown a few times only during prediction and planning stage. There was no single 'Rebuttal' during interpretation stage. Students tended to easily accept or agree other student's interpretation of data instead of arguing their own ideas. In terms of level of grounds, students mostly provided their ideas without any attempt to justify their position. Especially during planning stage, students tended to suggest or decide ways of measuring or controlling variables without any grounds. They used evidences only a few times during prediction stage. In terms of relation between discourse move and level of grounds, students provided grounds most frequently when they dispute others' claims. The level of grounds were higher when they advocate or clarify their own or others' ideas than when they claim their ideas. The result of this study showed that the quality of elementary science-gifted students' argumentation during science inquiry was undesirable in many ways. Implications for scaffolding and facilitating argumentation during science inquiry were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.282-295
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• 2011

Prior research has reported that student epistemological beliefs might affect their participation in learning and the process of conceptual change. The purposes of this study were to investigate the characteristics of sixth grade students epistemological beliefs about science and the relation between their epistemological beliefs about science and factors related their learning. For this research questions, 245 sixth grade students participated and various test instruments were used in this study. Students answered two types of questionnaires on epistemological beliefs about science and three test instruments on factors related students' learning(achievement in science, science inquiry skills, and cognitive levels). The results of this study were as follows. First, a large number of elementary school students believed that the purpose of science to perform activities like simple experiments. A lot of students believed that scientific knowledge was changeable according to the nature of scientific knowledge and that scientific knowledge could be learnt on their own. Also, many students believed experiment results to be basis on which to form personal scientific conceptions. Second, students who believed in more modern epistemology about science represented higher levels of science learning achievement, science inquiry skills, and cognitive levels. Therefore, when developing science curriculum, science educators need to consider how to develop student modern epistemological beliefs about science.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2002

Reasonable and reliable assessment method is one of the most important issues in science education, Partial credits method is an effective tool for assessing students' science inquiry problem solving. The purposes of this study were to classify the Problem solving types based on the analysis of the thinking Process, and how much the related science concept and the science process skills were used in solving science inquiry problems, and to describe the possibility and rationality of the assessment method that gives partial credit 128 high school seniors were selected and their answers were analyzed to identify science concepts they used to solve each problem, and the result was used as the criterion in the scientific concept test development. Also, to study the science inquiry problem solving type, 152 high school seniors were selected, and protocols were made from audio-taped data of their problem solving process through a think-aloud method and retrospective interviews. In order to get a raw data needed in statistical comparison of reliability, discrimination and the difficulty of the test and the production of the regression equation that determines the ratio of partial credit, 640 students were selected and they were given a science inquiry problem test, a science process skills test, and a scientific concept test. Research result suggested it is more reasonable and reliable to switch to the assessment method that applies partial credit to different problem solving types based on the analysis of the thinking process in problem solving process, instead of the dichotomous credit method.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.244-256
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply an scientific inquiry program related to school science for elementary gifted students. And development of a program had been used a geological museum. A science inquiry program had developed after verifying a content validity to 3 science education experts about program's design and content selection, and then program applied to 20 elementary gifted students during 4 weeks, 14 hours. The results of this study showed that gifted students interested in an inquiry program using a geological museum, and they were in full activity. Especially gifted students replied that they lodged in their memory that inquired into activities on listening a docent's explanation about exhibits. Gifted classroom teacher also replied that gifted students saw a high level of participation and expectation. And they replied that this program supplied a chance that gifted students can understand a meaning of inquiry.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.83-92
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary school students' understandings about scientific inquiry. Data were collected from 119 elementary students who are in the 4^th grade using the Views About Scientific Inquiry questionnaire for elementary students (VASI-E). We also conducted semi-structured interviews of 21 students from 119 students who responded to VASI-E. Students' responses were analyzed as naive, mixed, or informed views on each aspect of scientific inquiry that VASI-E includes. We found that, first, 53.8% of students have mixed views, and 30.3% of students have informed views, and 16% of students have naive views on the knowledge 'investigation begin with a question'. Second, 54.6% of students have naive views, 37.8% of students have mixed views, and 7.6% of students have informed views on the knowledge 'scientists use many methods to answer their questions.' Third, 47.9% of students have informed views, 34.5% of students have naive views, and 17.6% of students have mixed views on 'procedures guided by question asked.' Fourth, 55.5% of students have mixed views, 42% of students have informed views, and only 2.5% of students have naive views on 'conclusions must be consistent with data and explanations come from data and prior knowledge.' Based on the results, implications for teaching and learning scientific inquiry at elementary level in Korea were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.285-297
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• 2013

The purpose of this research is to find the effect of the lesson using open-inquiry report Lubric on open-inquiry standard and science process skill; to find the change of cognition on open-inquiry for elementary school 5th grade students. Two classes (elementary school 5th grade) were selected which located in a small and medium-sized city for this research and they were separated as an experimental group and a comparative group. Open-inquiry lesson was done by referring teaching method which introduced through the curriculum. The procedure was understanding about open-inquiry, making open-inquiry subject, planning, and performing inquiry, mid-term, performing inquiry, making a report, presentation, and evaluation. Open-inquiry report Lubric which developed by Sook-Kyung Kim et al. (2010) was provided to the experimental group. Comparative group was instructed by using open-inquiry report which introduced to the elementary school 5th grade science text book. Interview paper was developed in order to check out the effect of the research by using a test paper of science process skill. The following could be found out through the research. After open-inquiry lesson, 10 open-inquiry reports(5 reports from experimental group, 5 reports from comparative group) have been drawn at random as samples from the total 62 sets (30 reports from experimental group, 32 reports from comparative group) and evaluated by a researcher and two elementary school teachers who have master degree. The reliability of the 3 scorers was 0.923 of mean correlation coefficient. And then the researcher evaluated all open-inquiry reports. The average score of open-inquiry report was 66.78 for experimental group, 54.27 for comparative group, respectively. And there was a significant difference at p<0.05 level as a result of the t-test. The experimental group rated high at p<0.05 level according to the analysis of post-science process skill test. According to the result of survey, both experimental group and comparative group had understood open-inquiry activity. It was especially rated high for experimental group on understanding scientific inquiry process, interest and satisfaction in open-inquiry and re-participation rate. By interviewing experimental group, it is recognized that the students utilized Lubric very well through the overall process. Finally, self-evaluation was done during open-inquiry activity and it was reported that the students gained more knowledge about science and changed to positive about science. As a result, the lesson using open-inquiry report Lubric was effective for students to improve writing skill of an open-inquiry report and science process skill and finally changed the cognition to positive about open-inquiry lesson.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.282-295
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• 1993

This study was accomplished to survey of current situation and management of science education in the special classroom(school) managed by firm. The status of management and the evalution of the scientific inquiry ability were taken on workers attending 17 Special Classes and 9 Special Schools located in Taegu City and Kyungpuk Province. As a responses, most students chose the subject "Science"as an option within their limited 8 units credits. About 88.5% of the students were female. About 78.3% of the classes/schools were conducted in the evening only. About 59.4% of teaching staffs were prevailed with female in these classes, and most of them were young, naive, and unexperienced with their major in chemistry and physics. Insufficient facilities and equipments, crowded classes, understaffed instructors, and inappropriated text materials. etc., were reasons for the students not receiving maximum benefit from these classes and schools. In order to evaluate of scientific inquiry ability, 25 items were constructed and administered to 250 students. The processes of scientific inquiry were classified into 5 categories(category I : establishing a subjects, category II : planning a experiments, category III : conducting a experiments. category IV : interpreting a result of experiments, category V : formulating generalization). As the result obtained from the achivement test analysis, the scores for all the students were significantly low, and the scores for girls were higher than those for boys. The results of test in the selected students showed that inquiry abilities in the category I, II and V were higher than those in category III and IV.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.476-488
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• 2016

The purposes of this study were to develop a scientific inquiry-based STEAM education program and to investigate its effect on changing middle school students' self-efficacy in science, job awareness, and attitudes toward STEM. A scientific inquiry-based STEAM program was developed with the theme of 'earthquakes', using the ADBA model, which was taking up the total of six class periods. The final program, which had been revised and completed after being pre-tested with middle school students, was implemented to 105 third-graders of middle school in a metropolitan city. One sample pre-post paired t-test before and after applying the program to the same group was conducted, and its effectiveness was analyzed in terms of self-efficacy in science, job awareness, attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Results showed that the STEAM program on the theme of 'earthquakes' demonstrated its effect on improving the students' of self-efficacy in science subject and their awareness of science-related jobs. Furthermore, this program indicated a statistical significance in improving middle school students' attitudes, awareness, and abilities, values, and continuing interest towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Therefore, we suggest that this scientific inquiry based STEAM program be used to help students to improve their scientific investigation skills as well as their creative and integrated thinking abilities in schools.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.299-313
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• 2018

Inquiry-centered education is important in science education, but in the actual education field, scientific research is being done in a uniform manner due to realistic difficulties. In this study, we use RS (Reverse Science) as a secondary chemistry class to provide opportunities for students to engage in inquiry learning and scientific thinking through process-oriented activities. In this study, we developed and applied it to explore the effects on the scientific inquiry abilities of middle school students and checked the students' perception of it. For the application of the program, 128 students were selected from 6 classes of the 2nd grade in D district middle school, 64 from the experimental group and 64 from the comparative group. The experimental group taught RSP-based the chemistry inquiry programs and the comparative group taught instructor-led classes and verification experiments on the same topic over the seventh hour with three themes. In addition, we analyzed the results of the pre- and post-test by using the science inquiry ability test, and discussed the effects of the program based on the students' perceptions through class observation, student activity area, questionnaire and interview. As a result, the class using the program showed statistically significant changes in the science inquiry ability of secondary school students. Specifically, the experimental group was found to be significant in its prediction among the subcomponents of basic exploration ability compared to the comparative group. The differences have also been shown to be significant in terms of data translation, hypothesis setup and variable control, which are subcomponents of integrated exploration capabilities (p <. 05). In addition, students became interested in the process of creating the theory of science, and were highly interested in collaborating with their friends. It also provided students with opportunities to experience scientific thinking through process-oriented inquiry. Finally, based on the positive impact of the RSP-based chemistry inquiry program on students, we were able to identify the potential use of the program.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.617-625
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect that using mind map instruction has on the students' scientific inquiry skill and science-related attitudes in 11th grade in the earth science instruction. The objects of this study were consisted of two classes with 11th graders at K public high school in Kimhea city. The experimental group using mind map was lessoned 2 hours a week for 10 weeks. On the other hand, the controlled group was traditionally taught. Each group was consisted of 34 students. Student's science inquiry skills and science-related attitudes were assessed in pre-test, and then each group was instructed. The post-test was conducted after the instruction. Findings were as follows: First, As for the scientific inquiry skill, the result revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. This finding means that the mind map instruction was more effectiveto improve students' scientific inquiry skills. Second, Regarding the science-related attitudes, the t-test analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. This result implies that the mind map instruction was more effective in promoting students' attitudes toward science. In conclusion, the earth science instruction using mind map showed more effectiveness on the high school students' improvement of their science inquiry skills and science-related attitudes.