• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1041-1054
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• 2013

Big ideas are overarching principles that help students to build a holistic understanding of domain-specific knowledge and assimilate individual facts and theories. This study aims to design a standard-based integrated science curriculum framework based on Big Ideas. The core contents were extracted by analysing the 2009 National Science Standards curriculum of primary and middle schools. Four Big Ideas, 'diversity,' 'structure,' 'interaction,' and 'change,' were generated after the process of examination and categorization of core contents. The scientific facts, disciplinary concepts, and interdisciplinary concepts of every scientific domains included in each Big Idea are represented as a knowledge pyramid. Essential questions guiding the direction of curriculum design were proposed on each Big idea. Based on the framework, teaching modules for 'structure' were developed for grades 5~6.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.215-223
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• 2017

This study aims to find an effective way to present essential science concepts in national science curriculum through international comparisons. Next Generation Science Standard (US), Ontario Science Curriculum (Canada), Australia Science Curriculum, and British/English Science Curriculum were selected for comparison. In science curriculum documents, these countries used terms such as 'Key ideas,' 'Big ideas,' 'Key concepts,' 'Disciplinary core ideas.' and 'Fundamental concepts' to present essential concepts of science. This study reviewed the characteristics of the meaning, the status, and the role of essential concepts country by country. The result shows essential concepts have been used with different meanings and statutes in each case. Furthermore, various roles were performed through essential concepts in order to organize their science curriculum. From these foreign nation's cases, this study proposes several ways to present essential science concepts based on results. First, interdisciplinary integrated concepts were needed to organize an integrated science curriculum. In science curriculum documents of the United States, Canada, Australia and England, two types of terms were used in order to structuralize an integrated science curriculum. Second, essential concepts should include concepts related with function and value as well as scientific knowledge. Third, essential concepts need to be presented in such a way as to show specific contexts. Therefore, selecting appropriate contents and structure are needed to be able to improve the way to present essential concepts in Korea's educational environment.