• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to look into self-concept and teaching anxiety of elementary school teachers about inquiry instruction in science class, and investigate correlations among them. For this study, the survey was carried out on 338 elementary school teachers, and the interview was conducted with 5 of them. The results of this study are as follows; Self-concept of elementary school teachers about inquiry instruction in science class was more positive than usual. And the teachers who were male, older and majored in science education showed more affirmative self-concept about inquiry instruction in science class. Teaching anxiety of elementary school teachers about inquiry instruction in science class was less than usual. And the teachers who were male, older and majored in science education showed less teaching anxiety about inquiry instruction in science class. The correlation of self-concept and teaching anxiety of elementary school teachers about inquiry instruction in science class was an negative interrelation. This presents that the teachers, who have more positive self-concept about inquiry instruction in science class, have less teaching anxiety than those who have more negative one. Consequently, teacher training and retraining programs should be developed and conducted by grasping teachers' self-concept and their anxiety, to reduce anxiety about inquiry instruction in science class.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.440-449
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to make a preference and result analysis on the free inquiry method of pre-service elementary school teachers. Also, this study investigates how free inquiry activities effect the science-related attitudes and the self-directed learning characteristics of pre-service elementary school teachers. For this study 76, second year, science education pre-service elementary school teachers from Busan National University of education were selected. The inquiry examined the effectiveness of each of the following teaching methods: the IIM method, the PBL method, the PROJECT method, and the small group inquiry method. The students were divided into groups in which they incorporated the respective methods into their practice. In conclusion, the IIM free inquiry activities proved to be much more effective than the PBL method, the PROJECT method, and the small group inquire method in terms of developing self-directed learning characteristics and science related attitudes at the significant difference of p=0.05.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of an free inquiry method based on PBL(Problem-Based Learning: PBL) to improve students science process skills and self-directed learning characteristics. To verify this research, twenty-two third-grade students were selected from Chung-ryeol Elementary School located in Busan. They have received pre-test and post-test about their abilities in their science process skills and abilities for self-directed learning characteristics. Also, their self-reflection data was analyzed. The teaching and learning PBL process is to provide the information named 'I am the expert on Earth and Moon' which is recreated by analyzing the science curriculum and characteristics of students from Lesson 3 'Earth and Moon', and to make plans for solving the information with K/NK method. Then, to solve the information is gathered and investigated using the PBL workbook. Lastly, students present their finding using the free inquiry method in a group. The post-test showed following results : first, the free inquiry method based on PBL stimulates inquisitiveness in students about science learning and the research group shows improved science process skill. It shows us that using the free inquiry method based on PBL can be used effects to elevate science process skill. Second, the free inquiry method based on PBL has a positive effect on self-directed learning. The research tells us that using the free inquiry method based on PBL can improve a student self-directed learning characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.415-424
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• 2009

This study was performed to reveal the effects of a science experience class, in which children of low-income family(LIF) were involved. The children's science inquiry skills, science-related attitude, self-esteem and self-competence were investigated before and after the science experience class. Not only 61 children in LIF but also 75 ordinary ones participated in the class and the tests to collect the data, and interviews in which 9 children of each group participated were conducted as well. The results are as follows. First, through the science experience class, the children in LIF's average point of science inquiry skills increased meaningfully, but ordinary children's did not. Second, the science attitude's points of both increased meaningfully. Third, the children in LIF's average self-esteem point increased meaningfully, but the ordinary group's did not. Fourth, the children in LIF' self-competence increased meaningfully, but the other's did not. The children from both groups were influenced positively by the science experience class. Especially, compared with ordinary children, the children in LIF who have fewer chances of science experience than other children were more positively influenced m every aspect of this study.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.773-796
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• 2011

This study examined the thinking styles of scientifically gifted students on the basis of Sternberg's theory of mental self-government, and the relationship between thinking styles and self-regulated learning ability of the students and their scientific inquiry ability by the different types of thinking styles. 110 middle school students who belonging to the university science-gifted education center participated in this study. 13 thinking styles were postulated that fall along 5 dimensions which are functions, forms, levels, scopes and leanings of the mental self-government. Scientifically gifted students responded to the Thinking Style Inventory (TSI) that standardized Korean version, Self-regulated Ability Inventory and Test of Science Inquiry Skills Inventory (TSIS). The results indicated that scientifically gifted students prefer legislative, liberal, external, hierarchical and judical thinking styles, rather than conservative style. This result also showed that subscales of thinking styles were significantly correlated with self-regulated learning ability and scientific inquiry ability. The legislative style, hierarchical style, local style and liberal style were significant predictors of self-regulation learning ability. The legislative style was significant predictor, whereas oligarchic style was negative predictor of scientific inquiry ability. The results of k-means clustering analysis and MANOVA showed that the self-regulated learning ability and scientific inquiry ability were significantly correlated with the pattern and level of thinking style.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.233-253
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• 2018

Since open inquiry of science was formally introduced at the 2007 Revised Science Curriculum Course, the purpose and effect of it has been positively evaluated, and it is underlined continuously until the revised science education course in 2015. However, through many previous studies, there is still a lack of awareness of open inquiry of both students and teachers in the field, and it was revealed they are continually appealing confusion and difficulties. Therefore, in this research, we analyzed the causes that make it difficult to execute open inquiry, and developed differentiated open inquiry guide materials that can contribute to the realization of teachers and students. They were developed by the brain-based evolutionary approach to provide students with authentic science. The brain-based evolutionary approach is reflecting the evolutionary attributes and the brain functions associated activities of scientists. It was revealed that, in the same way as the pilot test results, the usefulness of the differentiated guide materials were very high, and there was a statistically significant difference in the science attitude. It was found that the application of the brain-based evolutionary approach had positively influenced the stage of determining the inquiry themes, and self-confidence that could be able to do as a scientist. Analysis of top and sub group types on the basis of inquiry ability showed that both groups are improved at science attitude by the differentiated guide materials. There was a positive effect on change in the self-perception of scientific creativity. We were able to see a positive change in the post survey for open inquiry-efficacy. The developed differentiated open inquiry guide materials contributed to the improvement of open inquiry-efficacy for both the teacher and student.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.307-323
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• 2011

The study aims to investigate self-regulated learning ability (SRLA) of students and analyze its relationship to their science inquiry skill and affective domain of science in middle schools in Korea. For this end, the research questions include the followings: First, what level is SRLA of middle school students? Second, how does the relationship between SRLA and science inquiry skill look like? Third, how does the relationship between SRLA and affective domain of science look like? A research method employed in the study is the survey utilizing three questionnaires: a) a questionnaire of SRLA (Jung et al., 2004); b) a questionnaire of problem finding ability of the science inquiry skill (Jung et al., 2004); and c) a questionnaire of science affective domain (Seo et al., 2008, adopted from 2006 PISA Student Questionnaire). Responses to three questionnaires by 704 students from seven middle schools in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam in Korea were analyzed. The research findings were as follows: First, mean average scores of SRLA is 3.02 (${\pm}0.63$) in 5 Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Second, students with higher scores in science inquiry skill showed significantly (p<.05) higher scores in SRLA than others. Third, boys scored higher on self-efficacy scale than girls. As students advance their grade level, their affective domain levels of science significantly (p=.048) decreases, in particular, their self-efficacy level most significantly (p=.002) decreases. Fourth, SRLA was significantly (p=.000) correlated with science inquiry skill and affective domain of science. In conclusions, it appeared that the higher SRLA level of students in middle schools is, the higher level of science inquiry skill and affective domain of science is.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.759-772
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to understand characteristics of eighth graders' conclusions presented in their self-directed scientific inquiry reports. We developed a framework, Analysis of Conclusions of Self-Directed Scientific Inquiry, to analyze students' conclusions. We then compared the conclusions with the inquiry questions students generated to find out whether the questions affected students' conclusions. In addition, we analyzed students' responses from the survey about their perceptions of drawing conclusions. According to the results, the conclusions were characterized into two categories, i.e., scientific basic assumption and scientific explanation. Almost half of the students' conclusions fall under the scientific basic assumptions. Most of the scientific explanations were deductive explanations and inductive explanations. Then, the kinds of conclusions were affected by the inquiry questions because the scientific explanations were made more than the scientific basic assumptions in answering the inquiry questions. Some students couldn't recognize differences between conclusions and experiment results.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.707-715
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• 2019

The self-directed inquiry to improve students' core scientific competency is an important teaching method. Students experience a variety of difficulties in carrying out their inquiry tasks, sometimes fail to produce the desired results, or fail to perform a meaningless inquiry. This study was conducted to identify the causes of difficulties and failures in students' self-directed scientific inquiry. The study involved 16 high school students with experience in science research at science high schools and science-focused high schools. The data collection consisted of in-depth interviews centered on semi-structured open questions. Qualitative data analysis was imputed by finding paragraphs from the interview material that might reveal the difficulties and failures experienced by participants and the reasons for them. The study found that most of the causes of failure were lack of ability, incomplete procedures, and selection of complicated tasks. A variety of cognitive biases, such as overconfidence, planning fallacy, and groupthink, were also analyzed as causes. Based on the results of the study, it is necessary to develop an educational strategy that students can be fully prepared to reduce their trials and errors in a self-directed inquiry maximally.

• 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.