This study was to analyze the effect of 'mobile science-lab' through the survey of students' perception. 'Mobile science-lab' is the one of the most distinguished public science programs and has been made in order to promote the students' understanding of science by providing students an opportunity to be engaged in several activities of science and high-technology. To fulfill the purpose of this study, we analyzed the opinions of 3,643 students who participated in 'mobile science-lab'. As the results, 'mobile science-lab' is very effective on improving the students' interest and concern of science. Most students recognized that the best advantage of 'mobile science-lab' is the participation in experiments. To overcome the mobile science-lab's some limits, more researches including development of the training program of science show coordinators should be done.

This research defined professionality of science teacher from the perspective of PCK. An teaching strategy in the in-service teacher training for the gifted education was proposed based on the definition and implemented at an in-service teacher training program for the gifted education in order to explore about the teaching strategy and suggest practical implications that could improve the program. The in-service teacher training teaching strategy proposed in this research consists of three components: 'crafting activity materials', 'conducting inquiry-based experiment', 'developing rubric for identification of giftedness'. The survey carried out for the participants of the teacher training program showed that teachers perceived the importance of the need for the rubric for gifted identification, developing activity materials for the gifted education in science, and developing the rubric of gifted identification as properties for in-service teacher training programs fur the gifted education. However, the insufficiency of time and opportunities for being fully engaged in such a program made teachers feel lack of self-confidence in developing activity materials for the gifted education in science and rubric for gifted identification. Therefore, teacher training programs reflecting real features of the gifted education should be constantly developed and provided to enhance the effectiveness of in-service teacher training programs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of background knowledge on problem solving. To achieve this aim, I proposed the model which shows problem solving process centering around background knowledge, conducted the lessons concerning the concept 'weightlessness' on pre-service elementary teachers, and then classified the pre-service elementary teachers into several groups by the difference of the results presented in the process of solving the problems on weightlessness. And I examined qualitatively the effects of background knowledge on problem solving through the interview with 11 volunteers. On the cause of the failing the problem solving, the failure of acquiring or activating the background knowledge related to the learning concept was most frequently, secondly the use of the background knowledge unrelated to the learning concept, and thirdly the failure of understanding the teaming concept. To acquire or activate the background knowledge related to the teaming concept was more difficult than to understand the new teaming concept, and the cases that use the background knowledge unrelated to the learning concept failed to solve problem. The result of interview, all interviewee understood the learning concept correctly, but all of them who fail to acquire or activate the background knowledge related to the learning concept, or use the background knowledge unrelated to the learning concept, could not solve the problem.

We analyzed $3^{rd}$ graders' images of scientists and science learning students. We chose $3^{rd}$ graders because this is the time when children first encounter formal science learning opportunities. Draw-A-Scientist-Test (DAST) and the revised Draw-A-Scientist-Test Checklist (DAST-C) were used to analyze students' images of scientists, whereas Drawing-A-Science-Learner- and a checklist were used to analyze students' images of science learning students. We found that $3^{rd}$ graders showed common features of scientists who wore laboratory coats but not wearing glasses, goggles or masks and smiling. While most boys drew a male scientist, about a half of girls drew female scientists. Old and weird looking images of scientists that were typically known in other literatures were not found in this study. Science learning students were not wearing lab coasts, glasses, goggles, nor masks. Most of those students were conducting chemistry related experiments, which seemed to be influenced by the $3^{rd}$ grade's science curriculum. We also found relationships among components of images of scientists and science learning students. Although $3^{rd}$ graders' images of scientists and science learning students showed common features, this typical image was not the same as the previous studies have reported. This implies that the images of scientists and science learning students have not yet fixed by $3^{rd}$ grade. Thus, this seems to be a critical time when children start developing images of scientists. Children's direct experiences in the science classroom along with environmental factors such as media exposures can influence their formation of images of scientists and science learning students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of students about pseudo-science in consideration to their personality traits, cognitive style, and awareness of the nature of science, which might all have a great impact on their behavior and thinking. The subjects of this study were 129 sixth-grade school children in a small urban community in Gyeonggi province. The way they looked at pseudo-science was investigated after three kinds of traits were selected as variables, including personality traits, cognitive style, and awareness of the nature of science. Four different instruments were utilized, which respectively covered personality traits, cognitive style, awareness of the nature of science and perception of pseudo-science. The results of the study were as follows: First, the children with higher emotional stability and liveliness showed higher permeability towards pseudo-science, while made no significant difference on their view of pseudo-science. Second, their cognitive style made no significant difference to their outlook on pseudo-science. Third, as for link between awareness of the nature of science and pseudo-science, the students with a poor understanding of the nature of science were significantly different from those who had a better understanding of it in perception of pseudo-science(p<.05).

The purpose of this study is to assist understanding the integrated subjects and to obtain implications required on the actual operation of curriculum by analyzing content elements and basic inquiry activities in the revised "wise lift" curriculum 2007. The result of this study is as follows. First, the formation of elements in contents of "wise life" deals with the passage of time based on changing seasons, myself and family in the 1st grade and the concept of space based on home and a village in the 2nd grade. Six main subjects and twelve activity subjects are presented per each grade. Second, number of activity subjects and content elements are reduced as compared with 7th curriculum so that the responsibility of operating classes based on activities is reduced and the purpose of rationalizing contents is somewhat fulfilled. Third, eliminating a relevant domains decisively when presenting the activity subjects assures the identification and purpose as the integrated subject focused on inquiry activities. Fourth, the result of analyzing the course-relevance on content elements shows that the allotment per each domain and course is less considered but the relevance of social studies is higher regardless of non-course characteristics as the integrated subject. Fifth, according to the component ratio of basic inquiry activities, 'Observing' and 'Debating' were presented as the most essential activities, and 'Measuring' and 'Making' were relatively low. By considering characteristics of course requiring balanced and various experiences of inquiry activities, additional discussions are required on appropriateness of the component ratio. Sixth, 'Observing' was increased and 'Debating' and 'Making' were decreased on the main activities in this revised curriculum as compared with 7th curriculum.

The purpose of this study is to identify the basic scientific knowledge of in- and pre-service elementary school teachers, specific areas having insufficient knowledge and the reason for the lack of understanding. For the study, we analyzed the survey asking basic scientific knowledge to in-service elementary school teachers within an urban communities and pre-service elementary school teachers enrolling the first, the second and the third year in National University of Education. The results shows that there is the lack of understanding about scientific knowledge such as boiling points, perihelion, substances, and elements, which elementary school teachers should have exactly known. With regard to the age, an effort is required to increase scientific knowledge of the in-service teachers in 50's, compared to those in 20s' and 30s'. In the pre-service teachers, the average in the third year was significantly higher than that in the first and second year. Regarding the major background in high school, both of in- and pre-service teachers who completed the science course showed significantly higher average than those who completed the liberal arts course. In addition, regarding the major in the university, the average of the group with science and engineering major was higher than that of the group with other majors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school teachers', students' and their parents' perceptions of new experimental grade $3{\sim}4$ science textbooks and teacher's guides developed by revised national science curriculum. 63 teachers, 436 students and their 448 parents were selected from 9 elementary schools selected as model schools, and were administered the questionnaires of the perceptions of the new science textbooks and/or teacher's guides. The results revealed that many teachers had a rather positive perception of the teacher's guides. In addition, most of the teachers, students and their parents, especially the students and their parents than the teachers, perceived positively the new science textbooks. They also had various views of the strengths and weaknesses of the new science textbooks and/or teacher's guides upon cognitive and motivational/emotional/affective aspects. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.