• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.75-98
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine practice of strategies childcare teachers use in order to promote peer interaction among young children and difficulties in implementing strategies by using mixed methodology. The participants of current study were 155 inservice childcare teachers and they completed SIPPY questionnaire. To investigate strategy practice with difficulties, 44 teachers participated in theme writing and 3 teachers were interviewed. SIPPY data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 and theme writing and interview transcripts were coded by qualitative analysis procedure. Results are as follows; First, teachers in this study use more environmental and naturalistic activity strategies than intensive strategies. Depending on educational experience and education level, there was a statistically significant difference. Second, participants reported various natural activity strategies that they use in the classroom such as compliments, modeling, suggestion, cooperative activity plan. Based on the analysis of qualitative data, four categories of difficulties were presented such as environmental component, disconnection with families, child individual characteristics, and teacher component. Implications were discussed in terms of teacher education and teacher driven professional development program.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.116-130
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difficulties of science classes experienced by newly appointed elementary school teachers in terms of science content knowledge and teaching method, and to suggest some implications for their effective adaptation. We recorded science lessons conducted by 3 beginning elementary school teachers with less than 5 years experience and also analyzed their classes and interview materials. The results were as follows. First, difficulties that they experienced in science content knowledge was the possession of scientific errors or misconceptions, the lack of awareness and confidence in scientific concepts and principles, and the possession of negative concept about learning materials. Second, difficulties that they experienced in teaching method was the absence of reorganization of the textbook contents, using closed questions, one-sided instructions and explanations by teacher, the application of incomplete analogy, and the lack of understanding about experiment activities. The implication from this study is that beginning teachers need to be provided with curriculum oriented in experiment at teachers college and to participate in various types of educational opportunities.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.171-186
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• 1999

This study investigated behavior problems of toddlers in the day care setting and difficulties of the caregivers due to such behaviors. The subjects were 24 toddlers enrolled in two day care centers and 56 caregivers at day care centers in Seoul. Toddlers were observed and teachers filled out questionnaires. Analysis of the data by $x^2$ and correlations revealed the kind of behavior problems frequently shown by toddlers, sex differences, differences between centers, and the caregivers' points of view regarding the frequency and difficulties of such behaviors.

• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2010

The purposes of this study were to understand mathematics teachers' difficulties under the context of community and to contribute to the research on professional development using a partnership between a high school and a university. I examined what struggles mathematics teachers had in building a learning community. I used data from a project in South East area in U.S.A. Three student teachers, three mentor teachers, and a university teacher participated in this study. Data sources included cluster meeting observations, interviews, and documents (such as open-ended surveys and e-mail responses). Data were analyzed using case study and narrative analysis methods. The results showed that the participants had power issues, issues about selecting topics to discuss, criticizing others, sharing goals, and managing time and the number of members.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.49-71
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• 2021

Objective: This study aims to explore the experiences of women who take a career break while working in daycare center as a teacher assistant. Methods: Seven assistant teachers and two child care teachers who took more than two years of career break were selected and given in-depth interviews over 17 weeks from August to December in 2020. Results: The results of this study are as follows. First, the women experienced the need for a career transition as an assistant teacher because it was time to for a change. Second, while working as a teacher assistant, they had various experiences and meanings in the process of career transition while playing the role as a teacher in daycare centers. Third, they also had some difficulties in conflict and some needs to build their professional expertise as a teacher. Conclusion/Implications: The study is expected to give insights to understand the difficulties of teachers who had experienced the need for a career transition as teacher assistant and to provide important data to develop teacher professional development.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.173-200
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• 2020

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore the implementation status of positive behavior support(PBS) for child care and education teachers and special education teachers at inclusive settings, and to investigate support needs of both teachers for improving the implementation of PBS. Methods: This study made up 405 surveys for child care and education teachers and special education teachers in 45 inclusive settings from July to August in 2019. A total of 244 surveys(60.2%) were completed and returned. Results: Special education teachers were statistically higher than child care and education teachers in the implementation of the center based level 1, the small group based level 2, and the individual based level 3 of PBS. In open-ended responses, when implementing PBS, the two groups of teachers had difficulties in getting knowledge about how to instruct preschoolers and implementing PBS. Both groups of teachers wanted the education and the training opportunities for PBS at first, and to 'reduce the teacher-to-child ratio'in the public support system. Conclusion/Implications: Based on the results, suggestions were discussed on how to improve the implementations of PBS of child care and education teachers and special education teachers at inclusive settings.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2008

In this paper, the current problems and challenges of mathematics teachers practice and conditions are discussed with an oriental perspective. What are mathematics teachers' needs of their professional practice? What contradictions and difficulties do they meet in the condition of their professional development? The problems and challenges are described with the result of a group of surveys.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.89-109
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• 2020

This study aims to improve teacher education by analyzing the causes and backgrounds of which pre-service mathematics teachers experience learning difficulties on the topic of discrete mathematics. To this end, we conducted a questionnaire and an evaluation on the topic of discrete mathematics, and the obtained data were analyzed. The results show that (1) pre-service mathematics teachers need to share their perceptions of the need for discrete mathematics education; (2) a review of the adequacy of the discrete mathematical content and its credits are required; (3) the causes of their learning difficulties need to be looked at from a different perspective than the learning factors. And two implications were obtained. First, it is necessary to study the systematicity and sequence of content elements of discrete mathematics in the aspect of its continuity of curriculum of secondary school and university. Second, it is required consideration for adjusting the ratio of discrete mathematics to secondary teachers' employment examination.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.175-191
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to acquire in-depth understanding regarding teachers' experiences with North Korean defectors' young children during their initial settlement period at Pyeonghwa Kindergarten. The participants of this study included 2 kindergarten teachers and 15 North Korean defectors' young children along with 3 local classmates. Qualitative data was collected via interviews and in-class observations. The study results show that (1) teachers witnessed that North Korean defectors' young children came from diverse backgrounds and struggled with emotional insecurity while local classmates were being excluded by them, (2) teachers had difficulties to communicate and make a consensus with their parents while teachers' efforts to communicate were being paid off gradually, and (3) teachers felt that kindergarten education was de-prioritized administratively to elementary education, and many programs were cancelled due to lack of understanding of in-charge staff.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.527-534
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• 2013

This study investigated elementary school teachers' understanding of the image formation by converging lens, pinholes camera, mirror and water. In each case teachers were asked to draw the ray diagram to indicate the position of the image. Teachers' ray diagrams were analyzed in accordance with the scientific process of image formation. Results of analysis showed that teacher's conceptions were classified into five levels for each situation. And most of the teachers were in level 3 and level 4 in each case. Because they had difficulties in the appling scientific conception(propagating path of light, diffused reflection from each object point, role of the eye, ray tracing) to finding location of image. Also most of teachers didn't know how to apply the law of reflection and refraction to each situation. The study finally discussed the teacher training program of the optical image.