• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1109-1123
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of small group discussion on elementary students' science writing. In this study, four 6th grade students were chosen from an elementary school in Seoul. Students were involved in eight science writing classes and the contents of a small group discussion and interactions were recorded and observed. Students' science works were collected and analysed based on three domains: scientific thinking, logic and originality. The result of this study showed that the contents of a small group discussion greatly affected the scientific thinking domain. A low-achieving student received lots of help from a high-achieving student. It was easy to improve in the logic domain through the science writing classes. Average students got good grades in an originality domain when the subject was related to their real life. A small group discussion would have an effect on science writing ability positively if the students acquired proper guidance on the procedure and manner of discussion. The science writing lesson would be more effective if the learning group was organized homogeneously in the aspects of intelligence achievement and interpersonal relationships.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.535-547
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• 2014

This study analyzed the characteristics of National Science Curricula in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Korea with respect to core competencies. In the case of overseas countries, literature review on their curricula was conducted, and four common features were extracted: 'association of cross-curricular competencies with science-specific competencies', 'a combination of science contents and scientific practices', 'an emphasis on communication skills', and 'representation of an achievement level of competency'. In addition, the common core competencies of science education were 'critical thinking', 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', 'inquiry skills', 'communication skills', 'cultural literacy', 'ability to integrate discipline', 'application skills', and 'personal/social competency'. In relation to these features, this study also investigated Korean science teachers' perceptions of core competencies in science education. A survey was conducted on 135 teachers in elementary, middle, and high school in Korea. Teachers were not well aware of what core competencies are, and after introduction, they thought that they wanted to and needed to teach core competencies to their students. Teachers claimed that critical core competencies in science education are 'creative thinking', 'problem solving', and 'inquiry skills'. Teachers thought that core competencies-based science class would help develop students' scientific literacy and communication skills. However, they have difficulties in conducting core competencies-based science class because they are not familiar with how to conduct the class and they expect that it will take a long time to prepare such a class.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.839-851
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the science reasoning differences of elementary school students' science writing. For this purpose, science writing activities and analysis frameworks were developed. Science writing data were collected and analyzed. Third to sixth grade elementary students were selected from a middle high level elementary school in terms of a national achievement test in Seoul. A total of 320 writing materials were analyzed. The results of the analysis were as follows. Science writings show science reasoning at 52 % for $3^{rd}$ grade, 68% for $4^{th}$ grade, 85% for $5^{th}$ grade, and 89% for $6^{th}$ grade. Three types of scientific reasoning such as inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, and abductive reasoning appeared in science writing of the third to sixth graders. The abductive reasoning appeared very low in comparing with inductive and deductive reasoning. Level three appeared the most frequently in the science writing of the elementary students. The levels of inductive and deductive reasoning in science writing increased according to increasing grade and showed statistical differences between grades. But the levels of abductive reasoning did not show an increasing aspect according to increasing grade and also did not show statistical differences between grades. The levels of inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning of the 3rd grade was very low in comparing with the other grades.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.480-497
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• 2021

This study intends to explore the content and organization characteristics of elementary school science textbooks in the astronomical domain from the perspective of understanding the astronomical spatial concept. This study analyzed the relevant unit of the achievement criteria in the 2015 revised science curriculum for the 'space' domain in elementary school science textbooks in comparison with that in secondary school textbooks according to the spatial concept analysis criteria by texts, illustrations, and inquiry activities. As a result, elementary school science textbooks were found to be organized around phenomena rather than concepts, targeting observable celestial bodies linked to real life in order to optimize the amount of learning content. However, the learning contents of astronomical observation related to observation and phenomena-centered real life should stimulate the curiosity and imagination of elementary school students and encourage their intellectual participation. Students need to be supported for understanding of the spatial concept to find an answer to the question of 'why'. The content organization for core concepts should be organized around the transferable spatial concept rather than simply focusing on presenting results by accurately describing the phenomena observed by students through scientific practice in order for students to answer various questions that arise in the course of scientific practice.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.525-542
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the internal and external frameworks of elementary science textbooks, which first appeared as the authorization system of elementary science textbooks changed from the national government system. In order to confirm the purpose of the authorization system to support the development of diverse and creative textbooks, this study compared 7 authorized textbooks with the national textbook developed as the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 2015 revised science curriculum. In this study, the textbook's framework was largely divided into an external framework and an internal framework for the 'Use of Magnets' unit of elementary science textbooks, and quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted in parallel according to each subcategory. According to the research results, in the external framework of textbook units, all textbooks had the same structure: unit introduction, scientific inquiry, creative convergence, unit arrangement, and scientific reading materials. The framework in the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 7 types of authorized textbooks was found to have some differences according to the textbook development team's interpretation of the curriculum achievement standards and many commonalities that maintained the framework in the national textbooks. In addition, the characteristics of each textbook were clearly revealed in some areas not specified in curriculum such as unit introduction activities and science reading materials, a meaningful change was also found in that the level of inquiry activity was classified and operated in response to the uniform inquiry activity operation of the existing government textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.560-576
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• 2023

The purpose of this investigation is to: (1) to derive an improvement factor for inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning in pre-service teacher training programs, and pre-service teachers practice simulated teaching that reflect the improvement factor, (2) to analyze the difference in science intrinsic motivation according to science self-efficacy and inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning experience. To achieve these goals, we recruited five elementary and secondary teachers as experts to help us develop an improvement factor based on expert interviews. Subsequently, third-year pre-service teachers of a university of education participated in our analysis of differences in science intrinsic motivation, according to their level of science self-efficacy and experience with inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning. Our methodology involved applying the analytic hierarchy process to expert interviews to derive improvement factor for inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning, followed by a two-way ANOVA to identify significant differences in science intrinsic motivation between groups with varying levels of science self-efficacy. We also conducted post-analysis through MANOVA statements. The results of our study indicate that inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning can be improved through activities that foster digital literacy, ecological literacy, democratic citizenship, and scientific inquiry skills. Moreover, small group activities and student-centered teaching-learning approaches were found to be effective in developing core competencies and promoting science achievements. Specifically, pre-service teachers prepared a teaching-learning course plan and inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning in seventh-grade in the Earth and Space subject area. Pre-service teachers' science intrinsic motivation analyze significant differences in all levels of science self-efficacy before and after simulated teaching-learning and significant difference in the interaction effect between simulated teaching-learning and scientific self-efficacy. Particularly, group with low scientific self-efficacy, the difference in science intrinsic motivation according to simulated teaching-learning was most significant. Teachers' scientific self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation are needed to improve science achievement and affective domains of students in class. Therefore, this study contributes to suggest inquiry-based simulated teaching-learning reflecting school practices from the pre-service teacher curriculum.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.519-528
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• 2011

The main purpose of this study was to develop a teaching program, especially designed to improve the skills of control variables. The secondary purpose was to investigate the effect of the program on enhancing students' scientific reasoning and understanding. The program was designed based on the 3-step learning model: i.e. students recognize the necessity of controlling the variables (step 1), perform their own experiments (step 2), and reflect on their variables control process (step 3). The program included 9 topics of increasing difficulty. In results, Lawson's SRT scores increased in both experimental and control groups after application of the program, but the difference was not statistically significant. After the application, there was an increase in type A and type B which implied that students' skills of control variables was improved. In addition, responses of students in the experimental group to the open-ended items showed that it was challenging for them to think scientifically and critically when controling variables, but they ended up feeling proud of their achievement after the program.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2002

This study was analyzing what studying factors are affecting on the development of science process skills of the 5th graders in the elementary school. For this research, 2 hundreds of elementary students were chosen and questioned on 3 factors like teacher, school environment, and learning strategy which are supposed to affect the development of science process skills. According to the result, there were differences in the categories according to the region. Especially, science process skills were significantly different in level of school category(p<.05)). Science process skills were significantly correlated with teachers and school category, and learning environment in 5th grade. Based on these results, it is expected to perform analysis about the influences that studying variables have on science achievement and attitude as well as scientific reasoning ability. Also, further study is needed about the influence that these small difference have on middle and high school students, though studying variables are not statistically significant on this research.

• 한국정보교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.243-249
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• 2010

2007 revised curriculum in primary schools by the educational programming should be carried out due to a number of practical constraints have been performed well. Elementary education program conducted by the EPL and Scratch Programming for haneunge was not long after the development of intuitive interface and blocks created using the syntax, contains multimedia elements, such as the benefits that can create artifacts due to the elementary education program is appropriate for. The researcher targeted the school for a semester, 4th year 12 weeks based on the results of scratch programming, programming by way of the Plan and the training and the results were analyzed. Scratch programming to increase student interest and enhance creativity and Formal help cultivate the scientific attitude can give you results. Scratch Programming for Elementary EPL Education is an effective lead of the students' prior knowledge or interest in sex by level of achievement because of the variation to allow individual learning needs to organize a program of study. And results in the production of sufficient thinking ahead and given time to discuss the purpose of education and programming will need to be alive.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.468-478
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• 2000

In this study, the effects of a teaching strategy based on interactive formative assessment on students' science concept understandings and science-related attitudes were investigated. Students' perceptions toward this teaching strategy were also examined. Eight classes chosen from a co-ed middle school in Seoul. Four classes were assigned to the experimental group and the other four classes were assigned to the control group. After the instructions, tests regarding students' conceptions and science-related attitudes were administered. We also interviewed 24 students randomly chosen from the experimental group to investigate their perceptions toward the teaching strategy used. The results showed that the teaching strategy used was more effective for enhancing students' science concept understandings. However, there was no significant difference in science-related attitudes between the two groups. For the experimental group, no significant differences were found in the gain scores of the conceptions tests between the subgroups by previous achievement or cognitive levels. From interviews, it was found that students thought that the teaching strategy used encouraged much interactions and motivated them to think, and that teacher's appropriate feedbacks were helpful to their understanding scientific concepts.