• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.215-233
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• 2008

Deep comprehension of basic mathematical notions and concepts is a basic condition of a successful teaching. Some elements of algebraic thinking belong to the elementary school mathematics. The question "What stays the same and what changes?" link arithmetic problems with algebraic conception of variable. We have studied beliefs and comprehensions of future elementary school mathematics teachers on early algebra. Pre-service teachers from three academic pedagogical colleges deal with mathematical problems from the pre-algebra point of view, with the emphasis on changes and invariants. The idea is that the intensive use of non-formal algebra may help learners to construct a better understanding of fundamental ideas of arithmetic on the strong basis of algebraic thinking. In this article the study concerning arithmetic series is described. Considerable number of pre-service teachers moved from formulas to deep comprehension of the subject. Additionally, there are indications of ability to apply the conception of change and invariance in other mathematical and didactical contexts.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 2004

Pre-service teachers' understandings on magnet was investigated through the questionnaire method. The questionnaire was composed of 17 questions about the strength of magnet, the magnetized object and the direction of magnetic field around magnet. In this investigation study, 225 pre-service teachers were selected through random sampling method, who were sophomores in a National University of Education. The formation rate of the scientific conceptions on the strength of magnet was 30.3% and that on the direction of magnetic field around magnet was 53.9%. The average formation rate of scientific conception of all questions on magnet was 44.13%, which doesn't seem to be high as expected. It shows that many of subjects of the questionnaire don't understand fully the concept of moleclar magnet model and the superposition effects of magnetic field around magnet. The formation rate of the scientific conception on magnet of females who took courses in sciences in high school were higher than that of females who took courses in arts in high school, which had meaningful difference (p<.05).

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.1-27
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• 2006

This study investigated kindergarten teachers' experience and perceptions of education about death concepts in kindergarten children. Twenty kindergarten teachers were interviewed for this qualitative study. Results were that most kindergarten teachers perceived the necessity of the practice of the education about death concepts for kindergarten children; most kindergarten teachers recognized that all kindergarten teachers need to have professional knowledge for the successful practice of education about death concepts for kindergarten children; most kindergarten teachers recognized that education about death concepts needs to be included in the early childhood education curriculum.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.399-413
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• 2004

In this study, a survey was conducted of students of elementary through college on their conceptions of phenomenon related with dissolution, saturation, and extraction. The teaching strategies of elementary and secondary teachers related to dissolution phenomena were also investigated. Most of elementary and secondary school students thought of dissolution as a phenomenon in which particles broke into the spaces between other particles. This explanation called 'space conception' can be sought in elementary school science textbooks. Some of high school students also had this type of thought. A concept of dissolution phenomenon as 'hydration through attraction of solvent and solute' was held by most of students of 11th, 12th grade, and college. This explanation called 'attraction concept' can be sought in high school chemistry textbooks for 11th and 12th grade. But many students of elementary through college used analogies and models related to 'space conception' when they tried to explain the dissolution phenomena. This indicates that the 'attraction concept' was not firmly established in the students' cognition. 90% of elementary school teachers thought and taught dissolution as a phenomenon in which two different size particles were mixing together like as mixing beans and millets. The model does not represent the attractions among solvent-solvent particles, solvent-solute particles, and solute-solute particles. This model only represents the space size effect (smaller size particles fitting into the spaces of larger size particles). Half of the secondary school teachers also had 'space conception' and only 20% of the teachers had 'attraction concept' Many teachers who had 'attraction concept' used to represent explanation related to 'space conception' for teaching dissolution.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.104-115
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• 1995

Teachers' conception about the nature of science is considered to be an important factor to improve the students' conceptions of that. It is assumed that teachers' conception of the nature of science may be influenced by their views of learning. The first purpose of this study was to investigate the exploratory relationships between teachers' conceptions about the nature of science and their views of learning. The second one was to compare the their conceptions and views of learning before and after science education lectures during 1 semester. We administered the questionnaires for the nature of science and for constructivist's learning, respectively, consisted of 5 dimensions (relativism-positivism; inductivism- deductivism; decontextualism-contextualism; content-process; instrumentalism-realism) and of 6 aspects (student; learning; instruction; teacher; curriculum; evaluations) were administered to 57 pre-service elementary teachers (female=44; male=13) before and after lectures. In pre-test it was revealed that respondents had not the consistent conceptions about the nature of science. The conception of relativism was more dominant than those of positivism, deductivism than inductivism, decontextualism than contextualism, process than content and instrumentalism than realism. They had more constructivist views in the respect of process of learning than in other respects, that is, students, instruction, teacher, curriculum and evaluation. But no significant correlations between the dimensions of the nature of science and the aspects of the views of learning suggest that constructivst views of learning was not deeply related with their conceptions of the nature of science. In post-test we had similar results with those of the pre-test, but the process-content dimensions of the nature of science was correlated with the constuctivist views of learning. Therefore we concluded that elementary pre-service teachers had the constructivist views of learning which was isolated with their conceptions of the nature of science although they had science educations course. We need to develop the course to make the conceptions of the nature of science relate view of learning.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.147-164
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• 2011

The national mathematics curriculum revised in 2007 emphasized students' mathematical communication and the curriculum is currently applied to all grades. In order to promote students' mathematical communication, the teacher needs to understand full implications and apply them to instruction. This study examined how teachers employed mathematical communication in their instruction and how they perceived it. The results showed that teachers had lack of understanding of student-centered instruction and mathematical communication. They also did not use various representation activities and discussion-based activities as expected. The number of students per classroom was reported by teachers as a main barrier to promote mathematical communication, but it did not make substantial differences in practice. Building on the results, this paper included implications for improving teachers' conception of mathematical communication.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.805-812
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• 2006

In this study the description patterns of chemistry textbooks on the boiling point elevation phenomenon and the understanding patterns of high school students, pre-service teachers and chemistry teachers were investigated. High school chemistry II textbooks developed in the 6th and 7th national curricula were analyzed and the conception patterns of subjects on this phenomenon were categorized using a questionnaire developed for this study. The description patterns of science textbooks were classified into three: 'decreasing of surface solvent molecules', 'attraction force between solvent and solute molecules' and 'decreasing of surface solvent molecules and attraction force between solvent and solute molecules'. In the result of the conception analysis, the ratio of 'attraction force between solvent and solute molecules' was high among students, pre-service teachers, and chemistry teachers. There was a propensity that they would like to explain the boiling point elevation in terms of enthalpy rather than entropy, and in order to analyze this propensity, follow-up interviews were carried out.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2004

Many idealizations and ideal conditions in physics have been an important role in understanding of the basic physics concepts and in solving physics problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships of pre-service teachers' misconception of heat with their understanding of the ideal conditions involved in solving problems of heat and temperature. Test instruments were composed of two parts. One part was asked to answer the heat conceptions, the other to write statements in relations to ideal condition hidden in the process of heat problems solving. For this study, pre-service teachers who are in four major courses in the University of Education in a local city were selected and total numbers of pre-service teachers were 108 students. The framework was developed for classifying pre-service teachers response of open items of ideal conditions of heat domains. According to the framework, each types of response were coded, analyzed and processed with a SPSS/PC program. The results are as the followings. In the heat conceptions, most of students showed correct response, and there was no significant differences between major courses. In understanding of ideal conditions, students' responses of "idealized condition relevant to problem" showed 65.2％ of them, and "not relevant idealized conditions" 15.5％, and no response 12.2%. In the 15.5% of students "not relevant idealized conditions", 10.5％ of them did not explained correctly conditions, just simply 2.7％ stated the laws in physics or formula, 1.6% generally, but irrelevantly described the idealized conditions. More importantly pre-service teachers showed very weak correlation between heat conception and understanding of ideal condition. Although we concluded there were no significant relationships of heat conception in understanding of ideal conditions in thermodynamics domain, these suggest that many other factors may influence understanding of ideal conditions in physics.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.535-552
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school teachers' conceptions on the general remarks (GR) in the new science teacher's guide, the teachers' conceptions on inservice training program of the GR, and their opinions of improvement on the GR. Also, the teachers' utilization of the GR was examined. The participants were 152 elementary school teachers who were teaching grade 3~6. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The results of this study are as follows; First, at least 13.2~17.1% of the teachers did not have specific conception of the purpose of the GR, and more than 90% of the teachers expressed that the GR is necessary in the teachers' guide. Second, about 60% of the teachers responded that the training program on the GR is necessary, and when the program is open, their most favorite agency and speaker were a provincial education office and a textbook developer(or author), respectively. Their most favorite time and period of the training program were the vacation and 15~30 hours, respectively. Third, the mean values on the frequency of use were lower than 3 point of the five-point Likert scale at both the GR for grade 3~4 and the GR for grade 5~6, and the teachers' main use of the GR was the planning a science lesson for an open class. Fourth, the teachers suggested various opinions and there was difference between the opinions about the GR for grade 3~4 and the opinions about the GR for grade 5~6.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2005

Elementary preservice teachers' understanding about the insect molt and metamorphosis was examined. Data were collected through the paper-pencil test of 448 junior students at a National University of Education. The instrument used was developed by Son(2003) and modified for the test. The results are as follows: First, Only 3.1$\%$ of students had a scientific concept on the molt periods in the insect life cycle. Students had an alternative conception that molt occurs either only in the larval period (29.9$\%$) or only in the period from pupa to adult (22.3$\%$). The percentage of the students thinking that molt occurs in the period from larva to pupa was low. Second, 98$\%$ of students stated that molt has to do with the larval growth, but 39.1$\%$ of students had an alternative conception that molt occurs after the larval growth at each instar. 25.1$\%$ had a conception that molt is related with the larval growth, but did not show any further understanding. Third, most students understood the correct meaning of metamorphosis. 34..2$\%$ of students had an alternative conception that metamorphosis occurs only in the period changing from pupa to adult, and only a few thought that it occurs in the period from larva to pupa. 24.8$\%$ of students had a scientific concept on the periods in which metamorphosis occurs. Fourth, some students understood the hatching process as molt in the sense that the egg shell is taken off (21.0$\%$), and as metamorphosis in terms of the appearance change from egg to larva (25.0$\%$). Fifth, 35.5$\%$ of students selected bees as an insect of incomplete metamorphosis, and 35.3$\%$ responded 'I have no idea', showing that they had poor understanding about the insect life cycle.