• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 1993

The purpose of this study is to analyze the inquiry activities of SCIIS and Korea primary school science curricular meterials and to make suggestions for the improvement of inquiry learning based on the analysis The Scientific Inquiry Evaluation Inventory (SIEI: Myung Hur, 1984) was used to evaluate the inquiry activity content of the primary school "Science, Level-6" and "SCIIS, Level-6" textbooks. The results are as follows: 1) The inquiry activities of Korean science textbooks are stressing on gathering and organizing data, but rarely require students to formulate a hypothesis, to design an experiment. 2) The SCIIS textbooks relatively tended to put more weight on interpreting/ analysing data and hypothesizing/ designing experiments. 3)The Korean science textbooks had little concern about establishing hypothesis and designing experiments, interpreting / analysing data. 4) The SCIIS textbooks require students to perform a variety of inquiry skills when compare to Korean science textbooks. 5) Competition / Cooperation Scale checks the level of competition and cooperation among student teams inherent in science curricular materials. The result from each team is incorporated into the formation of a class result. The communication is required to formulate a synthesized class response, enhances cooperation among teams. The SCIIS(84%) is the higher than Korea(50%) in cooperation scale. 6) Korean science textbooks rarely require students to discuss about experiment when compare to SCIIS textbooks. 7) Korean science textbooks provide students with both inquiry problems and experimental procedure, or including answers SCIIS textbooks provide students with both inquiry problems and experimental procedure, or problems only. 8) The Korean textbooks emphasize demonstrating or verifying of the text while the SCIlS emphasize extending the content of the text in inquiry scope scsle. The inquiry pyramid which helps analysis the inquiry activity curriculum as a whole is one of type 1- the course is centered on gathering and organizing data. The SCIIS are better than the Korean science textbook in the light of proportion of interpreting / analysing data and hypothesizing / designing experiments.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.307-324
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• 2022

This study examined the content diversity of seven authorized science textbooks by comparing the characteristics of the science concept description and the contents of inquiry activities in the "weight of objects" unit. For each textbook, the flow of concept description content and the uniqueness of the concept description process were analyzed, and the number of nodes and links and words with high connections were determined using language network analysis. In addition, for the inquiry activities described in each textbook, the inquiry subject, inquiry type, science process skill, and uniqueness were investigated. Results showed that the authorized textbooks displayed no more diversity than expected in their scientific concept description method or their inquiry activity composition. The learning elements, inclusion of subconcepts, and central words were similar for each textbook. The comparison of inquiry activities showed similarities in their contents, inquiry types, and scientific process skills. Specifically, these textbooks did not introduce any research topics or experimental methods that were absent in previous textbooks. However, despite the fact that the authorized textbook system was developed based on the same curriculum, some efforts were made to make use of its strengths. Since the sequence of subconcepts to explain the core contents differed across textbooks, this explanation process was divided into several types, and although the contents of inquiry activities were the same, the materials for inquiry activities were shown differently for each textbook to improve and overcome the difficulties in the existing experiments. These findings necessitate the continuation of efforts to utilize the strengths of certified textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between the patterns of elementary school teachers' explanations and the patterns of students' questions types on scientific phenomena. for the purposes of this study, we collected questions related to scientific phenomena from 255 $3rd{\sim}6th$ students in 2 elementary schools. Classifying the students' questions collected, 20 representative questions for each type were selected. Data regarding teachers' scientific explanation from 62 teachers of 3 elementary schools were also collected. The results of the analysis of the questions for each science field show that the students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades have the most questions regarding biology, and those in the 6th grade have more questions regarding earth science. Regarding question types, object exploration questions and explican exploration questions formed the majority. Moreover, the higher the students' grades, a decrease in the number of conjectural questions and an increase in the number of causal questions were observed. As a result of the analysis of the teachers' explanation, the following explanation types could be discerned; conjecture, hypothesis, prediction, teleological explanation, information given to feed exploration questions, as well as verification and information supply fer verification purposes. There were 4 kinds of relationships between question types and explanation types. One was the explanation fitting to each question type, a second was the explanation with additional content than the question required, a third was where the explanation was inappropriate to the question, and a forth was where the teacher responded that they "don't know." This study, investigating the relationships between questioning as a scientific inquiry process and explanation, will help to promote discussion regarding science classes in elementary school.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.181-193
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• 2016

We examined the inquiry activities in the material domain of the elementary science textbooks and experimental workbooks based on 2009 revised curriculum. The analysis framework was SEP (Science and Engineering Practices) - 'Asking questions and defining problems', 'developing and using models', 'planning and carrying out investigations', 'analyzing and interpreting data', 'using mathematics and computational thinking', 'constructing explanations and designing solutions', 'engaging in argument from evidence', and 'obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information'. Sub-SEP of each grade band were also used. The results showed that the $3^{rd}{\sim}5^{th}$ grade science textbooks and workbooks mainly emphasized 'make observations and/or measurements', 'represent data in tables and/or various graphical displays', or 'use evidence to construct or support an explanation or design a solution to a problem' among around 40 sub-SEP. In the case of the inquiry activities for $6^{th}$ grade, majority of sub-SEP included were also only 'collect data to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer scientific questions or test design solutions', 'analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena' or 'construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources'. The type of 'asking questions and defining problems', 'using mathematics and computational thinking' or 'obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information' were little found out of 8 SEP. Educational implications were discussed.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.167-182
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• 2020

The active participation and active interaction of learners in small group science inquiry activities are the main factors that determine the effectiveness of science learning. Roles can be assigned to members of a small group to facilitate interaction between members within the small group. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of role assignment on the types and patterns of verbal interactions in middle school students' small group science inquiry activities. For this, 172 students from middle schools located in metropolitan cities were surveyed. We analyzed 18 small groups with assigned roles and 15 small groups without assigned roles. The change in verbal interaction type in small group science inquiry activity according to role assignment was largely divided into alienation and participation. In the case of small groups with assigned roles, the participation type occupied a higher proportion than the alienation type. The change in verbal interaction patterns did not show much significant differences when the role was assigned in terms of cognitive and affective. Based on this, further research is needed on how role assignment affects verbal interactions depending on the type of scientific inquiry and the stage of inquiry. In addition, further research on the composition of small groups and role assignment is required.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 2008

In this study, the test that were used in entrance examination for chemistry class in a Science-Gifted Education Center for middle school students were analyzed by using criteria for identification and measurement of scientific giftedness and a classical test theory. The result of analysis exhibited that most of problems measured more than two elements of scientific giftedness and required applications of scientific knowledge of middle school level to solve problems. In the analysis of sub-elements of scientific giftedness, originality, fluency in creativity and finding problems/formulating hypothesis, planning inquiry, interpreting data in science process skills were dominant while drawing conclusion and generalization processes were lacking. In correlation analysis between total score and each type of problems, total score was most influenced by the problems measuring science inquiry linked with scientific knowledge. Item difficulty is moderately high and item discrimination is moderate.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.418-427
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to describe the elementary teachers' teaching behavior procedure in verification-type laboratory instructions. In order to do this, we should know first what constituted the teaching behavior elements in the teachers' instructions, before the teaching behavior can be analyzed. Thirty sets of instructions were recorded and their transcripts were used in this study. The results of this study indicated that the number of teaching behaviors numbered twenty four in total, and that the teaching behaviors could be classified into nine categories, and finally the procedure used in verification-type laboratory instructions generally followed seven steps. These steps can be described as follows; reminding subjects of the preliminary learned concept, presenting inquiry type questions or introducing the main concept, explaining the method used or presenting the predictable outcome/matter for verification, performing lab-based activities, presenting the outcomes, applying the main concept, and finally closing the instruction. For the purpose of promoting more authentic scientific inquiries using these types of instructions, the authors's claims were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.201-209
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• 2012

This study aims to explore patterns and characteristics of coordination between evidence and theories which were found in pre-service elementary teachers' writing for their science inquiry. Five science inquiry activities and a total of 115 writings of the participant teacher at the elementary teacher preparation university in Korea were collected and analyzed for this study. Based on the writing analyses there were found four types of coordination between the evidence and theory. We proposed four types as: Type 1-Consistency of evidence and theory; Type 2-Consistence of evidence and theory including more extension or elaboration of theory; Type 3-Inconsistence of evidence and theory Type 4-Inconsistence of evidence and theory followed by coordination of them. Firstly the findings indicated that the most to least frequent types were Type 1, Type 3, Type 2, and Type 4. The most frequent type was Type 1. It is interpreted that theory in the inquiry questions were frequently figured out by participants and they selected supporting evidence out of data found. There were rarely found relations between activity topics and frequencies of coordination types except in activity 1. The findings in this study will connect to the point of how students collaborate their previously owned knowledge with experiment planning, data analysis and interpretation and making of their own scientific claims.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.282-290
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• 2008

The Research and Education (R&E) program was a year-long, apprenticeship and research-based program that was guided by mentors who are scientists or science teachers. The objective of the R&E program was to help scientifically gifted students in Korea Science Academy (KSA) and Science High Schools (SHS) to enhance abilities in creative thinking, scientific inquiry, problem solving, positive attitude towards scientists, and promoting cooperative research and interests in science and technology. In this study, the impact of the R&E program on the goals of 182 gifted college students in KAIST was evaluated using Likert-type items and multiple-choice method approach that provided a more comprehensive evaluation of the program's impact on science attitudes, creative thinking, scientific inquiry, and interests in science and technology. The results indicated a positive impact on cooperative research, gaining knowledge on the research topic, attitude towards scientists, interest in science and technology, scientific inquiry, and creative thinking in that order. There were rather remarkable and meaningful differences in science inquiry (p<.05), and scientific knowledge (p<.01), between the two groups of KAIST freshmen who came from SHS and KSA in 2006. Implications for science apprenticeship or a research-based mentorship program and their respective evaluations are also discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.239-252
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• 2022

This study aims to develop performance criteria based on characteristics observed in science inquiry tasks for elementary school students. First, the performance characteristics by observing 70 fifth-grade elementary school students' science inquiry activity report are listed. Second, the checklist-type scoring criteria in connection with the theoretical framework of scientific inquiry process and relevant competencies are developed. Third, with the developed scoring criteria, 11 raters participate in scoring 350 students' reports. The main findings are as follow: first, the scoring data are well-fitted for the many-faceted Rasch model, and 22 scoring criteria are reasonably-well differentiated for various levels of proficiency. Second, at low performance level, observable characteristics are to answer questions explicitly required by the task or to observe objects or phenomena using pre-learned scientific concepts, while at high performance level, to explore additional data other than given data or to reflect on one's experimental process. Based on the results, the usefulness of analyzing students' performance characteristics for developing the scoring criteria, and further research directions are discussed.