• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.spc5
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• pp.532-547
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were to investigate the creative science problem solving (CSPS) process amongst scientifically-gifted students and average students through the qualitative think-aloud research method, and to compare the differences in their CSP, scientific knowledge, scientific process skills, creative thinking, and finally, the affective domain used in their CSPS. For the purposes of this study, two scientifically-gifted 6th grade students and one average student were selected. The results show that one gifted student with good creative thinking skills exhibited better performance in CSPS than the other gifted student, who had the highest level of scientific knowledge. In the case of the average student, in spite of her high level of factual knowledge, she had difficulty in proceeding in CSPS due to her shallow scientific knowledge along with her low level of understanding of the given problem. This study highlights the importance of considering the factors which influence successful CSPS and which can play an important role in the education of scientifically-gifted children. These factors were identified as scientific knowledge, understanding of the scientific process, creative thinking, the affective domain, and science problem solving skills.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.635-647
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• 2018

Motivated reasoning refers to biased reasoning that is affected by motivation to achieve a particular result or goal. In this study, we attempted a theoretical study on motivated reasoning that hinders the development of scientific thinking and empirical study on actual context of motivated reasoning in the research experiences of next-generation Korean researchers in the field of science and technology. To be specific, literature reviews were conducted to explore the psychological meaning of motivated reasoning and its negative impact on scientific thinking and science research. To understand the substantial meaning and context of motivated reasoning in the field of real science and technology research, we conducted in-depth interviews with eight graduate students and one young science and technology researcher. As a result of the literature reviews, we found out that motivated reasoning can interfere with the proper theory and data coordination, which is the core process of scientific thinking at the individual level. At the socio-cultural level, it can lead to cessation of constructing scientific knowledge and it can act as a mechanism in the process of using science for specific socio-cultural beliefs or purposes, thereby hindering the development of science and technology based on rationale and objective scientific thinking. Quantitative analysis with in-depth interview data showed that graduate students and the young researcher's experienced motivated reasoning results in trying to protect prior beliefs, make hasty conclusions, protecting socio-cultural belief or rationalizing decisions made by their community. Their motivated reasoning could become an obstacle in constructing valid science and technology knowledge through appropriate theory and evidence coordination. Based on these findings we discussed science education for improving scientific thinking.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.61-73
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• 1998

This research suggests science inquiry play of analogy as a teaming method to help the students in concrete operational stage to develop scientific thinking skills and to understand abstract science conceptions. The research focuses on/considers the characteristics and merits of the science inquiry plays, and the learning method by analogical reasoning. This learning through the science inquiry play of analogy can be considered as a meta-model for scientific thinking skill. The learning has the following processes: 1) Students analogize the abstract science conceptions and facts into play-type activities including the concrete contents such as students themselves, their physical-sensory motions, concrete objects, play methods, and play rules. 2) Students as analogized objects play a role physically and sensuously according to the methods and rules analogized in the play. 3) Students find out the concrete contents included in the science inquiry play of analogy, draw the results, and deduce the new conceptions from the results by reflective thinking and analogical reasoning.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.344-364
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• 2021

The study explored how two elementary school teachers perceived computational thinking, reflected them into curriculum revision, and taught them in the classroom during longitudinal professional developed program (PDP) for nine months. Computational thinking is a new direction in educational policy-making including science education; therefore we planned to investigate participating teachers' perception of computational thinking to provide their fundamental understandings. Nine meetings, lasting about two hours each, were held with the participating teachers and they developed 11 lesson plans for one unit each, as they formed new understandings about computational thinking. Data were collected through PDP program while two teachers started perceiving computational thinking, revising their curriculum, and implementing it into their class for nine months. The results were as follows; first, elementary school teachers' perception of computational thinking was that the definition of scientific literacy as the purpose of science education was extended, i.e., it refers to scientific literacy to prepare students to be creative problem solvers. Second, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) lessons were divided into two stages; concept formation stage where scientific thinking is emphasized, and concept application, where computational thinking is emphasized. Thirdly, computational thinking is a cognitive thinking process, and ICT (informational and communications technology) is a functional tool. Fourth, computational thinking components appear repeatedly and may not be sequential. Finally, STEAM education can be improved by utilizing computational thinking. Based on this study, we imply that STEAM education can be activated by computational thinking when teachers are equipped with competencies of understanding and implementing computational thinking within the systematic PDPs, which is very essential for newly policies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.556-564
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• 2004

Two biology modules were developed previously for the purpose of improving creativity and scientific thinking of secondary school students. A hypothetical-deductive experimental procedure was reflected in the module when students themselves can perform a series of activities of making hypothesis and designing an experiment to solve the questions. They followed a series of scientific processes to determine some characteristics regarding plant pigments and the transport process of materials in living organisms. Four classes of 9th graders in'S' Science High School were divided into the experimental and the control group. The same contents of the modules were taught to the control group by the traditional experimental way. The students' creativity, scientific thinking, scientific inquiry skill and knowledge achievement were examined before and after the interventions. As results, the experimental groups showed more significant improvement on the areas of the students' creativity, scientific thinking, scientific inquiry skill and achievement than the control groups. Results indicated that the specially designed modules in terms of hypothetical-deductive experimental procedure were effective to improve science high school students' creativity and scientific thinking abilities.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.11-22
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• 1998

The present educational and social circumstances require the improvement of science education and the promotion of scientific technology simultaneously Under this situation, it is necessary to develop the performance assessment evaluating the ability of scientific inquiry. The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument of the performance assessment that is can evaluate the scientific inquiring ability. The characteristics of the instrument developed through this study, are as follows, 1. The performance assessment can be impartially achieved for all the elements of scientific inquiry, which are required in the units of elementary science from 3rd to 6th grade of elementary school. 2. To maintain the objectivity of performance assessment, the detailed standpoints and standards are established. 3. The instruments are devised to evaluate the thinking skills with the experimental reports of student, the operation skills by the check list of evaluation that the teacher's observation for the student are recorded. 4. Considering the level of elementary school student, the items required the complex thinking and the investigative skills are exclude as much as possible. 5. The items are arranged according to the learning steps of elementary school, so that the evaluation may be achieved in parallel with the process of the real teaching -learning in class. 6. According to circumstances, make use of these materials for the evaluation as the practical teaching-learning materials instead of the normal teaching-learning materials The first field trial with the instrument was carried out, using a sample of 20 students from the 3rd to 6th at K and Y elementary school located in Kwangju city. The results of mean achievement quotient for each grade are as follows, the first term of 3rd grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 85%, inquiry thinking skills ; 74%), the second term of 3rd grade (experiment and exercise skills : 81%, inquiry thinking skills ; 76%), the first term of 4th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 70%, inquiry thinking skills ; 59%), the second term of 4th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 61%, inquiry thinking skills ; 71%), the first term of 5th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 84%, inquiry thinking skills ; 67%), the second term of 5th grade (experiment and exercise skills; 73%, inquiry thinking skills ; 70%), the first term of 6th grade (experiment and exercise skills : 83%, inquiry thinking skills ; 84%), the second term of 6th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 87%, inquiry thinking skills ; 81%).

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.92-111
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• 2020

The 2015 revised science curriculum and NGSS (Next Generation Science Standard) suggest computational thinking as an inquiry skill or competency. Particularly, concern in computational thinking has increased since the Ministry of Education has required software education since 2014. However, there is still insufficient discussion on how to integrate computational thinking in science education. Therefore, this study aims to prepare a way to integrate computational thinking elements into scientific inquiry by analyzing the related literature. In order to achieve this goal, we summarized various definitions of the elements of computational thinking and analyzed general problem solving process and scientific inquiry process to develop and suggest the model. We also considered integrated problem solving cases from the computer science field and summarized the elements of the Computational Thinking-Scientific Inquiry (CT-SI) model. We asked scientists to explain their research process based on the elements. Based on these explanations from the scientists, we developed 'Problem-finding' CT-SI model and 'Problem solving' CT-SI model. These two models were reviewed by scientists. 'Problem-finding' model is relevant for selecting information and analyzing problems in the theoretical research. 'Problem solving' is suitable for engineering problem solving process using a general research process and engineering design. In addition, two teachers evaluated whether these models could be used in the secondary school curriculum. The models we developed in this study linked with the scientific inquiry and this will help enhance the practices of 'collecting, analyzing and interpreting data,' 'use of mathematical thinking and computer' suggested in the 2015 revised curriculum.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.513-531
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• 2012

This study was to analyze the characteristic of scientific argumentation in the classes for the gifted of elementary school. The participants of this study were 5 fifth graders and 9 sixth graders, 14 in total, from the basic unit schools for gifted students of J elementary school in Incheon city. And it constituted small scale groups made up of 2~3 students with similar or identical ability in scientific reasoning. It had set up hypothesis for each group before the experiment, and students had a group discussion as a whole after the experiment. Classes were conducted 4 times, all courses were recorded as a sound/video. The ability in scientific reasoning of the students was inspected, making use of SRT II by means of pre-survey, and their argumentation levels were analyzed, utilizing 'Rubric for scientific argumentation course assessment.' As a result, argumentations did not incurred in every class. Analysis in argumentations of the students resulted in low level argumentation. This means argumentation cannot incur based on that with the limit in understanding the principle of experiments over the threshold of textbook no matter that he is an gifted student or not. The student both in formal operational period and transition period (2B/3A), the ability of scientific thinking in upper level, was improved of his argumentative ability in an overall aspect. However, a student of concrete operational period, the ability of scientific thinking in lower level, had argumentation with still lower level even after the experiment at the moment of discussing with the students on the upper level of scientific thinking ability.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.426-441
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was getting the information for successful application to the national curriculum and students' core competencies enhancement, through investigation about competencies discussed in 2015 revised national curriculum development process and analysis about perception of 150 elementary school teachers in study. The results were as follows : Communication skill is considered to be the most important. Thinking ability what has been important traditionally is the middle of the rankings. Elementary school teachers think that a competency is specific to a subject. From this point of view, Creative/Scientific Problem-Solving Ability is the most important in science. They think that the enhancing of the ability of inquiry performance is highlighted in current science class. On elementary school teachers' awareness, inquiry model is the most effective in enhancing of scientific thinking and the ability of inquiry performance. And STS instruction model is in the other. PBL learning model and experimental inquiry model is the most effective in enhancing a competency has the highest feasibility like scientific thinking or the ability of inquiry performance.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2007

This research was conducted with an intention to develop a teaching program that possesses a goal of elevating higher thinking ability within the science class and to investigate its effect. The hypothetico-deductive teaching model was developed and its' program was designed to be directly put into the practical use, and apply it in class. The application of the hypothetico-deductive teaching program had a positive effect in the improvement of students' creative thinking ability and critical thinking ability. And it had a positive influence on scientific attitudes. After completing the program the opinions of the students who participated in this research by a poll were gathered and analyzed. The students felt uneasy and had a lot of difficulties during the program activity because they had to keep on thinking newly, critically, and scientifically, but they admitted that they gained the ability to think on their own when the program was completed.