• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.205-229
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• 2014

The purposes of this study were to explore what components of science communication and its level are contained in text panels of exhibitions in natural history museums and to propose its development direction of exhibition education in Korea. First, to find out the component and level of science communication contained in exhibition panels, the researcher team developed the analyzing tool which was called SEPAT (Science Exhibition Panel Analyzing Tool), then employed them to profile the component and level of science communication. Second, the researchers introduced the exemplary designed media of exhibitions to demonstrate how much science communication could be enhanced. The results were made as follows. First, the components of science communication was considerably weighted toward to 'concept' one. There were also a few 'awareness' and 'engagement', both of which were under 5% in each zone of exhibition and there was not 'NOSI' or 'opinion' embedded in the analyzed exhibitions. Second, the various type of designing exhibitions were found to promote or enhance the restrictedly represented components of science communication. It is suggestable for exhibitions to be designed through various type of 'media' to enhance science communication. Visitors are required to experience rich science communication to meet their educational needs, and exhibition developers in natural history museums and other museums are recommended to be professional in containing all components of science communication through various type of designing exhibitions.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.773-786
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• 2009

Recently, the connection between science museum and school science curriculum has been emphasized, but the frameworks for evaluating school science curricula are insufficient in terms of how much of school science curriculum was reflected and attained. The purposes of this study are to develop a framework that can be utilized to evaluate levels of curriculum that are reflected and attained in the texts of exhibition panels displayed in science museums. We developed an evaluation tool based on the frameworks used to assess students' achievement in the secondary school curriculum, and we used the tool to measure the reflection and attainment levels demonstrated in the texts of exhibition panels about earth science contents of secondary school curriculum in three science museums located in Chungcheong-do, central part of Korea. Findings showed that the levels of reflection and attainment of secondary school curriculum in exhibition panels about earth science contents in science museums were measured 38.7% and 2.82 points out of 5.0respectively. We hope that the evaluation tool used in this study could be utilized to measure the levels of reflection and attainment of secondary school science curriculum demonstrated in the text of each of exhibition panels in science museums.