• Journal of Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.304-316
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• 2009

This study investigated the change of pre-service science teachers' epistemological views of education according to the stages of the field education programs application. For this study, surveys and interviews were carried out threes times before and after participation through participant observation of classes and teaching practices. All data recorded and collected of 28 pre-service science teachers who had answered entire surveys were transcribed and analyzed. The conclusion is as follows; before the participant observation of classes, the pre-service science teachers had views of traditional education affected by epistemology of objectivism. After the participant observation of classes, the views of traditional education increased due to in-service teachers that showed teaching methods through the course of the participant observation. However, it was changed significantly into the views of modern education affected by epistemology of constructivism through the course of the teaching practices. Based on the conclusions of this study, it was identified that the field education programs might have both positive and negative influence on the change of the views of education for the pre-service science teachers. Therefore, Pre-service science teachers should have a opportunity to intensify of constructivism epistemological views of education through the field education programs. The teacher training institutions have to provide systematic and organic cooperation with schools.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.561-568
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• 2002

This study examined secondary school science teachers' thinking on physical and chemical change. For this research, we analysed the answers of 80 secondary school science teachers. According to the result of the analysis,teachers had various opinions when they classified phenomena of dissolving ionic compound or diluting acid into phys-ical change and chemical change. Many teachers tended to classify similar phenomena into different change when those were represented with different focus. It means that teachers' opinions were not consistent.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.396-404
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• 2010

This study aimed to investigate a perception of teachers engaged in special education for scientifically gifted regarding nature of science and identify attitudes toward teaching nature of science. The sample of this study consists of 122 science teachers who are teaching or taught students attending gifted classes of any primary school in Korea and any gifted education center of every District Office of Education. We made a partial amendment of a VOSE that was developed by Chen(2006) and then used. We tested their perception and attitudes in regard to nature of science. In terms of nature of science, we devide it into 7 sub-areas to analyse. For attitudes toward teaching nature of science, we investigate and analyse following 5 sub-areas; tentativeness of scientific knowledge, nature of observation, scientific methods, theories and laws and subjectivity and objectivity. The result showed that the generally teachers have a desirable recognitions about a nature of science. For attitudes toward teaching nature of science, the teachers showed that they have positive attitudes. However between degrees of teachers' recognition about a nature of science and attitudes toward teaching nature of science showed a low correlation. To increase their understanding of nature of science and develop attitudes toward teaching nature of science, there should be more training time for the teachers and training contents also should be changed. In addition, we hope that this study contribute to develop contents and direction of training for the teachers as a basic reference.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.134-146
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to examine how elementary pre-service teachers have a perception of 'science'. Especially, this study used photo-narrative method to analysis pre-service teachers' perception of 'science'. Photo-narrative is a way of describing what a study participant wants to say by taking a picture. Participants were 66 elementary pre-service teachers. The results of this study were as follows: First, elementary pre-service teachers used many words such as people, life, everyday as well as scientific terms such as phenomena and principles to explain science. Secondly, the pictures used by elementary pre-service teachers to explain science included household goods, natural phenomena, advanced devices, and living things. Third, elementary pre-service teachers explained science with knowledge of science, knowledge, convenience, and nature of science. As a result of this study, it was found that elementary pre-service teachers recognized that science is closely related to life and that it is necessary for learning. The results of this study can contribute not only to curriculum composition and curriculum content of elementary and middle school science education but also to curriculum development for teacher training.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.88-106
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• 2023

This study aims to investigate the disparity between the teacher's perception of student-centered inquiry classes and the actual implementation of such practices. Specifically, we compared an elementary science teacher's self-perception of her science lessons with the observers' evaluation using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) of the "Temperature and Heat" unit. Research data were collected through classroom teaching survey, interview, and science lessons video which were analyzed using the RTOP. As a result of the study, the teacher recognized that she was practicing inquiry-oriented/student-centered classes, but the results judged by the RTOP score were found to be transitional/student-affected classes by a slight difference. Teacher H planned and practiced classes based on a high understanding and content knowledge of the curriculum and created a science classroom culture that promotes active interaction among students as well as students and teachers. However, teacher-led aspects were still emphasized in teaching design and implementation, and the project theme and content were inappropriate to improve the quality of students' science inquiry experience. In the end, the slight difference between teacher's perception of inquiry-oriented/student-centered classes and actual implementation is related to how student-centered "lesson design" is and how to plan and implement classes supported by "procedural knowledge" for students' experience in the science inquiry process. These results indicate that the teacher's self-evaluation alone is not enough to determine whether the teacher's intentions and efforts are actually being implemented, and that it is necessary to conduct objective analysis, evaluation, and discuss the results of science classes by the external observers.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.693-703
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• 2018

One of the important competencies in knowledge and information society is the competency of Knowledge information processing. This is closely related to science education and described as one of the core competencies in the 2015 national curriculum revision. Even with a general agreement of the educational necessity of this competency, its practice in class depends mostly on teachers' will. Therefore, we surveyed science teachers' perceptions and classroom condition about the competency of Knowledge information processing, and we analyzed the questionnaires of 64 middle and high school teachers in Seoul and interviewed three teachers. As a result, all teachers shared the importance of Knowledge information processing competency and explained it in terms of social paradigm and goal of the subject. However, there were not many cases of actual practice in class. The teachers answered that time for Knowledge information processing competency is not enough in class and they also lack of PCK on this competency. About half of the teachers had experiences in teacher training about Knowledge information processing competency but most of their experiences are related to information utilization literacy. The importance of Knowledge information processing competency was very high in three factors (collection, analyzation, and utilization), among which information analysis was the highest. Middle school teachers showed higher scores in most questions even though the differences were not significant, and high school teachers showed higher scores in the importance of information sources at a significant level. In order to cultivate competencies, it is necessary to expand the meaning of science inquiry so as to cover this competency and to consider ways of linking with other subjects and develop methods of teaching and learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.277-287
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• 2022

This study aims to investigate the main effects and interaction effects of individual variables on the epistemological beliefs of elementary school science teachers. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on 338 elementary science teachers in the metropolitan area on gender, teaching career, and epistemological beliefs. Epistemological beliefs show significant differences not only in gender and teaching career, but also in the interaction between gender and teaching career. Depending on gender, female teachers are more integrated in knowledge than male teachers, and process is more important than outcome in learning. Depending on the teaching career, it was found that high-career teachers generally value the process rather than the results, as knowledge is integrated and constantly evolving, knowledge is acquired by individual reasoning and justified through external interaction. On the other hand, teachers with low career perceive that efforts are indispensable in learning compared to other groups. Depending on the interaction between gender and teaching career, elementary school teachers believe that the higher the teaching career, the more integrated and constantly evolved, but low-career male teachers believed that learning ability was born with experience, while high-career male teachers value the learning process. Based on this study, it is expected that many training sessions aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning will provide more effective opportunities to develop elementary science teachers' epistemological beliefs, considering teachers' personal characteristics.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.937-949
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated how science teachers perceive the changes in school systems, including infrastructure and curriculum, in the context of preparing for future education. And the changes in their perception of the educational environment, the challenges, and changes of science teachers' classroom practices were also explored. In-depth interviews and analysis were conducted with two science teachers in a middle school that is trying to innovative on changes compared with general schools. The results of the study are as follows: First, teachers perceived that their schools had factors that could change the science class in terms of school size and infrastructure, peer teacher culture, and students' abilities. Second, the enthusiasm of teachers who are trying various ways of teaching and the students' ability to adapt in a smart learning environment formed a synergistic circle that lowered entry barriers to trying changes. Third, science classes changed to activity-centered classes, and teachers realized that these changes promoted students' self-directed learning. Fourth, teachers perceived themselves as playing an independent role in curriculum management, and this perception promoted more varied attempts in improving their classes. Through the changes of the learning environment and systems of the school and the formation of a culture that shares their challenges and innovations with the voluntary learning community, teachers constantly try to change their classes and schools. The changes of school need to be understood in the context of the interaction of teachers, students, and infrastructure.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to research pre-service chemistry teachers' inquiry ability and perception on inquiry by analyzing their argument structure. Nine graduating senior students have participated in this study. They have experimented with mass change during state change, which is included in 7th grade science textbook. We have analyzed pre-service teachers' experimental reports using Toulmin's argument model. Also, we have researched their views on science and experiments through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. As results show, various factors have affected pre-services' argument structures; lack of science knowledge and inquiry ability, belief about error, and additive data. This study shows that pre-service teachers' inquiry abilities is insufficient, and it is necessary to review rearrangement of pre-service science teacher curriculum in order to offer inquiry experiments in teacher education program.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to draw implications for future Korean science education by analyzing the PISA 2015 science teacher questionnaire. To this end, descriptive statistics and difference tests were conducted for each questionnaire item, using raw data from science teacher surveys in Korea, the United States, and China. As a result of the analysis, first, the perception that Korean science teachers should participate in professional development activities was lower than that of comparative countries, and it was found that improvement was needed in the practice of adaptive instruction and various evaluation methods. Second, although Korean science teachers were generally satisfied with their jobs, the response that they were hindered in science education activities due to limitations in various resources at their current school was relatively higher than that of comparative countries. Third, scientific inquiry was less emphasized in science curriculum and science class in Korea, and self-efficacy in inquiry teaching process was relatively low. Fourth, in Korea, it was found that there were fewer classes for discussion and using ICT in science classes.