• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.552-566
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• 2010

This paper is an in-depth case study to analyze integrated elementary science lesson planning and practical teaching by two teachers at an urban elementary schools. One is an experienced teacher and the other is a beginning teacher. For this study, researchers asked teachers to design 5 stages of lesson planning after sharing basic theories about the integrated science education. The first of the 5 lesson planning stages is curriculum analysis and choice of integrated science topic. The second stage is constructing the frame of integrated science lesson contents, and the third is drawing a diagram of the integrated science lesson development. The fourth stage is making a table of lesson plans, and the last stage is writing integrated science lesson plans. Then, the teachers implemented the lessons they created. They taught students one unit of science which is composed of 8 lessons. Difficulties that teachers meet during designing plans and integrated science class were analyzed. 5 staged lesson planning, video transcriptions, teacher interview about lesson planning and teaching, researchers' checklists, reports of inspection classes, teachers' self evaluation, and students interviews were used for this study. One of the significant results of this study is that both experienced and beginning teachers had many difficulties in deciding on time to teach and contents of science and other subjects, as well as selection and organization of whole topics of integrated science teaching. The beginning teacher especially had greater issues with developing definite teaching-learning strategy to conduct thoughts and views for integrated science at the whole unit and each lesson. However, the experienced teacher was using various teaching-learning strategies by utilizing integrated science teaching professionalism to develop students' integrated thinking ability during the instruction of other subjects. The outcomes of this study are that both teachers could deeply understand the need and value of integrated science education at the elementary school through planning and teaching 8 lessons, and that they could have self-confidence with development of teaching professionalism for integrated science teaching. It may be possible that this study could help the development of pre- and in-service program for improvement of integrated science teaching professionalism for elementary school teacher.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.83-92
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary school students' understandings about scientific inquiry. Data were collected from 119 elementary students who are in the 4^th grade using the Views About Scientific Inquiry questionnaire for elementary students (VASI-E). We also conducted semi-structured interviews of 21 students from 119 students who responded to VASI-E. Students' responses were analyzed as naive, mixed, or informed views on each aspect of scientific inquiry that VASI-E includes. We found that, first, 53.8% of students have mixed views, and 30.3% of students have informed views, and 16% of students have naive views on the knowledge 'investigation begin with a question'. Second, 54.6% of students have naive views, 37.8% of students have mixed views, and 7.6% of students have informed views on the knowledge 'scientists use many methods to answer their questions.' Third, 47.9% of students have informed views, 34.5% of students have naive views, and 17.6% of students have mixed views on 'procedures guided by question asked.' Fourth, 55.5% of students have mixed views, 42% of students have informed views, and only 2.5% of students have naive views on 'conclusions must be consistent with data and explanations come from data and prior knowledge.' Based on the results, implications for teaching and learning scientific inquiry at elementary level in Korea were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1312-1328
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• 2013

In this study, we investigated preservice secondary science teachers' uses of curriculum materials in curriculum design through a case study. Two preservice science teachers at a college of education in Seoul participated in this study. We interviewed them about their beliefs on teaching and learning prior to their teaching students. We then observed their teaching and collected all of the teaching/learning materials. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted before and after the instructions. Their uses of curriculum materials were systematically analyzed in the aspects of reading, evaluating and adapting curriculum materials. The analyses of the results revealed that their uses of curriculum materials had a significant difference in curriculum design. There was a difference in the way of reading curriculum materials that derived from different perspectives of curriculum reconstruction. The perspectives of curriculum reconstruction also affected the way of adapting curriculum materials. While the 'adding' was an important adaptation in curriculum design with active perspectives, the 'changing' was an important one with passive perspectives. In addition, the degrees of evaluating curriculum materials from the learners' views depended on their beliefs on teaching and learning. It was also connected to qualitative differences of adaptation in 'increasing student control over an activity' and 'increasing teacher control over an activity'. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.399-413
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• 2020

In this study, we analyzed science teachers' NOS-PCK in Science Inquiry Experiment lessons. Four science teachers in charge of Science Inquiry Experiment in high schools located in the Seoul metropolitan area participated in the study. NOS Lessons were observed, all of the teaching-learning materials were collected, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. All the collected data were analyzed according to five factors of NOS-PCK. As a result of the study, their understanding and consideration of the curriculum related to NOS were insufficient in some cases. They thought that given inquiry activities or textbook composition was not effective for NOS teaching so that they actively reconstructed the curriculum. In terms of teaching strategies, their lessons were close to explicit approaches. However reflective approaches were generally lacking. They were neglected in evaluating NOS for reasons that views of NOS are individually subjective or that NOS is not an area of cognitive learning. They guessed the state of students by relying on their own experiences rather than based on evaluation results. They recognized a specific aspect of values of NOS learning. And intention to teach NOS played an important role throughout their classes. Based on the above results, we discuss some ways to improve the professionalism of science teachers for NOS teaching.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the educational context variables on students' science achievement and interest in TIMSS 2015. TIMSS 2015 science data and questionnaire results were used to fit the Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) in this study. According to the results, books at home, parents' level of education, and students' views on science lessons have significant influence on science achievement of above-high level 4th-grade students, and books at home on below-intermediate level 4th-grade students. Books at home, students' views on science lessons, and school composition by student economic background have significant influence on science achievement of above-high level 8th-grade students, and books at home and students' views on science lessons on science achievement of below-Intermediate level 8th-grade students. In all grade levels, books at home, and students' views on science lessons have significant influence on science achievement and interest. Discussed in the conclusion are ways to improve science teaching and learning including offering systematic reading programs for all students, reinforcement of student-participation in science classes, connecting science hands-on activities with science concepts for below-Intermediate level elementary students, and so on.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.627-641
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• 2022

This study aims to help elementary school teachers increase their knowledge about the changes in the positions of the sun and moon during the day and the first time the moon observation begins in the Earth and Space section of the Earth and the Moon. The survey questions were grouped into four categories, namely, textbook explanation, inquiry activities, achievement of learning goals, and other opinions. The perception of each question differed according to advanced science majors and teaching careers and experiences of this unit. In addition, understanding the diverse views of the participants using descriptive questions was possible. The study recruited 67 teachers working at an elementary school in Gyeonggi-do. The conclusion is as follows. First, the teachers exhibited similar positive and negative perceptions about the description of the textbook on the changes in the positions of the sun and moon during the day. Second, the study found that majority of teachers used alternative methods when guiding students regarding the change in the positions. This trend was not correlated with the sun and the moon, and the study observed no difference in advanced majors and teaching careers and experience of this unit. Third, the majority of teachers responded that they could achieve their learning goals through this learning. However, many teachers complained of various difficulties in guiding students about the lesson, and the majority alternative methods. The results demonstrated the perception of teachers that students can achieve learning goals through alternative methods without direct observation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.214-221
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to inquire into the effects of teaching methods in the class on the conceptual change of atmospheric pressure for middle school students. After analyzing the concept of atmospheric pressure in the middle school science textbooks on the present 7th Curriculum, classes were performed adopting classified Method A and Method 3. For Method A, the textbook is used to explain the concept in the view of weight. For Method B, the textbook is used to approach the concept in the views of molecular movement as well as of weight. This study consists of four classes in the third grade students of middle school in Busan, where they were divided into the Method A group and the Method B group. These study was carried out with pre-post on each of these classes on the learning achievement and on the conceptual change of atmospheric pressure. The results of this study were as follows: First, the effect on the learning achievement was displayed the average score of the Method B was showing a meaningful difference comparing to the Method A. Second, the effect on the conceptual change measured by verifying the score for the difference among the averages for each sub-scale three out of four conceptual factors,'the direction of atmospheric influence and the reason','the principle of atmospheric action' and 'the atmospheric changes by the temperature rise on the surface of the earth and the reason', showed meaningful improvement. But, the one left factor,'the distribution of atmospheric pressure by altitudes and the reason', displayed no meaningful difference. Third, The concept of atmospheric pressure is better defined as the pressure created by the movement of air particles, in the view of kinetic theory of gas, rather than explained by the notion of the weight of air.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.362-375
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• 2022

In this study, science teachers' NOS lessons were observed and the characteristics of the lessons were analyzed. Three science teachers who taught NOS in the 'Science Inquiry Experiment' developed under the 2015 revised curriculum participated in the study. Their NOS lessons were observed and interviews were conducted before and after lessons. The collected data were analyzed using analytical induction and constant comparative method. The analyses of the result revealed the teachers' naive views on NOS were also revealed during the lessons. There were some cases where they showed naive views during the lessons even if they showed informed views in the interviews. Although the domains of NOS taught by them were diverse, all of them taught 'tentativeness' and considered this an important goal. They tended to teach NOS with content related with their major, and teaching NOS was found to be deeply related to their major. In the activity where students learn NOS by inferring the unknown object, teachers disclosed the unknown object, which is unlike the rule of the activity. They thought that could help students' learning. At last, although they emphasized teaching NOS, they either did not assess NOS or assessed NOS in a limited way. Based on the results, some directions for teacher education and follow-up study are suggested.

• 한국지구과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.02a
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• pp.2-12
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• 2004

The purpose for this study is to inquire into the effects of teaching methods in the class on the conceptual change of atmospheric pressure for middle school students. After analyzing the concept of atmospheric pressure in the middle school science textbooks on the present 7th Curriculum, classes were performed adopting classified Method A and Method B. For Method A, the textbook used that explains the concept in the view of weight. For Method B, the textbook used approaching to the concept in the views of molecular movement as well as of weight. This study consists of four classes in the third grade students of middle school in Busan, which were divided into the Method A group and the Method B group. The result of the study carried out pre-post each of these classes on the learning achievement and on the conceptual change of atmospheric pressure. The result of this study were as follows: First, the effect on the learning achievement was displayed the average score of the Method B was showing meaningful difference comparing to the Method A. Second, the effect on the conceptual change measured by verifying the score for the difference among the averages for each sub-scale three out of four conceptual factors, 'the direction of atmospheric influence and the reason', 'the principle of atmospheric action' and 'the atmospheric changes by the temperature rise on the surface of the earth and the reason', showed meaningful improvement. But, the one left factor, 'the distribution of atmospheric pressure by altitudes and the reason', displayed no meaningful difference. Third, The concept of atmospheric pressure is better defined as the pressure created by the movement of air particles, in the view of kinetic theory of gas, rather than explained by the notion of the weight of air.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.1-19
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• 1999

Based on the analysis of commonalities and differences in the views of science achievement in major reform documents in the United States and Korea, an aggregated view of science achievement is presented in this paper Science achievement is conceived of in terms of science content and science process. The components of science content include: (a) concepts and theories I n physical, life, and earth and space science;(b) science, mathematics, and technology;(c) science in personal and social perspectives;(d)history and nature of science;and (e) unifying themes. The components of science process include: (a) scientific understanding;(b) scientific investigation;(c) scientific communication; and (d) scientific habits of mind. The components of science process.cut across and intersect with the components of science content. The components of science achievement overlap and are related to one another. Despite such an overlap, understanding the rot e that each component plays provides insight into its unique contributions as well as its interactions with other components. A definition of science achievement and identification of its components based on major reform documents provides a guideline for science assessment as well a s science teaching and learning.