• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.334-338
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• 2017

This research aims at investigating science teachers' perception of the refractive index of materials, and thus achieving proper information transmission and teaching of refractive index. Specifically, we have made questionnaires on what physical factors influence the refractive index of a liquid easily available in secondary schools. It was found that 80.0% of science teachers perceived that the density has the greatest influence on the refractive index, among a variety of factors such as molecular structure, the number of molecules per unit volume, mass of each molecule, and the wavelength of light, to mention just a few. This may be due to the fact that current textbooks deal with the refraction of light based on analogy to a mechanical wave. Such a misunderstanding may lead to confusion and misunderstanding for students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.665-673
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• 1999

We examined how science teachers in middle schools practiced and perceived using analogies. A survey was administered to obtain 131 teachers' responses from 22 middle schools in Seoul. Most science teachers used analogies frequently in their instructions, and had positive attitudes toward the effect of analogies. They agreed that relevant figures should be presented with analogies, analogy itself should be explained to their students, and something to mislead the students' idea should be mentioned. They also responded that they practiced so in their instructions. However, it was revealed that they neither explained a concept with several analogies nor helped students to make self-generated analogies. Their idea was that proper analogy sources and instructional models were needed for using analogy effectively in science instruction. The teachers with above masters degree explained the analogy itself, and they perceived the needs for supplements and strategies in using analogy more affirmatively. The teachers possessing modern perceptions to science instructions and students' activities rather than classical ones used analogies more frequently and effectively.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.788-800
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary school teachers' perception of science writing. In this study, 10 elementary school teachers who have taught in the 3rd or 4th grade science lesson in 2010 were selected. Researchers constructed interview guide in three parts including the teachers' understanding of science writing, the status of science writing teaching and the difficulties of science writing in their classes. For the investigation, semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 elementary school teachers were conducted individually. The results showed that the elementary school teachers were unfamiliar with the word ‘science writing’ and considered science writing as a writing using science learning contents. Also, they think that teaching science writing in their science lessons was not needed and didn't assess and provide detailed feedback with the students' written works. Most teachers needed teaching materials and assessment tools for science writing. To develop elementary teachers' understanding of the value and use of writing for learning in science, they will need to participate in science writing programs for in-service teachers and various teaching materials and assessment tools should also be developed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.666-679
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to survey the teachers' view on using argumentation in school science. For the purpose of this study, the questionnaire was designed for in-depth interview with an in-service middle school science teacher with Ph.D. and was completed through pilot testing with elementary and secondary in-service teachers. The data was surveyed from 1,015 teachers; 762 elementary school teachers, 127 middle school science teachers, and 126 high school science teachers. From the frequencies analysis of the data, the results indicated that the first students made some argumentation accord claim with evidence, the second, the teachers gave some opportunities to their students through the theme within their living environment or lab-activities involving argumentation, and lastly, most of the teachers recognized the absolute necessity of argumentation. From these results, recommendations about some post researches were suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.974-990
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore practical meanings of convergence education and to seek ways of implementing it in school science education. The study adopted focus group interview method in order to elicit science teachers' perceptions and practical knowledge related to various ways of integrating educational aims and contents from the perspectives of science education. Two focus group interviews were held with four science teachers with the themes of the concept and potential of convergence education, and the implementation and systemic support, respectively. The qualitative data was analyzed by deriving major themes comprising teachers' perception on convergence education: they are 1) related concepts and rationales, 2) contents, methods, and assessment, 3) the characteristics of the science subject that make it suitable for convergent education, 4) teacher perception and professionalism required for implementing convergent education, and finally 5) environmental conditions for putting the idea into practice. Based on this result, the study discusses conceptual and practical issues for implementing convergence education in ways that contribute to overcoming the problems of the traditional educational system and reorienting science education towards the future society.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.658-666
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• 2014

This study was designed to explore pre-service secondary science teachers' understanding and views of argument-based inquiry approach. Participants were 17 pre-service secondary science teachers enrolled in chemistry curricular materials and teaching methods course for majors in the college of education at a university in Seoul. Main data sources included each student responses to an open ended survey and individual interviews. Data analyses indicated that the pre-service teachers had very limited and biased understanding on scientific inquiry at the beginning of the semester. While the pre-service teachers understood that scientific inquiry should be an essential component of science teaching, a few pre-service teachers mentioned 'argumentation' or 'discussions' when they defined what scientific inquiry is. The majority of the pre-service teachers mentioned that science should be taught through scientific inquiry since science is inquiry itself. However, the pre-service teachers expressed several potential barriers and their concerns on implementing argumentation in scientific inquiry. While they concerned about students' lack of participation at the beginning of the semester, they concerned more about the teachers' ability of leading student argumentation at the end of the semester.

• 한국과학교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.01a
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• pp.132-132
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• 2008

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1157-1168
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• 2012

This study examined the effect of simulated instruction activities based on a constructivist teaching approach on epistemological belief, science teaching efficacy belief, and teaching motivation. The RTOP (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol) played a role to guide preservice biology teachers to obtain insights on current reformed teaching and to further practice teaching based on constructivism. The results indicated that preservice teachers changed their epistemological beliefs toward more sophisticated views, especially for 'simple knowledge'. They also improved their science teaching efficacy beliefs, both personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTEB) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). In addition, these perservice teachers decreased their scores of extrinsic teaching motivation. The Pearson correlation represented the negative relationship between personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTEB) and extrinsic teaching motivation. After intervention, the preservice teachers mentioned inquiry, active participation and discussion as ideal science teaching methods and qualifications for science teachers.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.359-374
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• 2020

This study is a complex type consisting of survey study and self-study. The former investigated elementary teachers' epistemological beliefs on convergence knowledge and teaching. As a representative of the result of survey study I, as a teacher as well as a researcher, was the participant of the self-study, which investigated my epistemological belief on convergence knowledge and teaching and my execution of convergent science teaching based on family resemblance of mathematics, science, and physical education. A set of open-ended written questionnaires was administered to 28 elementary teachers. Participating teachers considered convergent teaching as discipline-using or multi-disciplinary teaching. They also have epistemological beliefs in which they conceived convergence knowledge as aggregation of diverse disciplinary knowledge and students could get it through their own problem solving processes. As a teacher and researcher I have similar epistemological belief as the other teachers. During the self-study, I tried to apply convergence knowledge system based on the family resemblance analysis among math, science, and PE to my teaching. Inter-disciplinary approach to convergence teaching was not easy for me to conduct. Mathematical units, ratio and rate were linked to science concept of velocity so that it was effective to converge two disciplines. Moreover PE offered specific context where the concepts of math and science were connected convergently so that PE facilitated inter-disciplinary convergent teaching. The gaps between my epistemological belief and inter-disciplinary convergence knowledge based on family resemblance and the cases of how to bridge the gap by my experience were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.253-262
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• 2017

This study aims at investigating the perceptions of science teachers about the role of visual representations in the teaching of electromagnetism, and finding out how science teachers use visual representations in their teaching of electromagnetism and the difficulties they experience in dealing with those representations. A total of 121 science teachers responded to the online survey. The results showed that most of the teachers agreed to the significance of using visual representations in the classroom but regarded their role as means of simply delivering science knowledge rather than constructing or generating knowledge. For the three visual representations widely used in teaching of electromagnetism in secondary schools (electrostatic induction on electroscope, magnetic field around current carrying wire, structure and principle of electric motor), the teachers preferred teacher-centered use of visual representations rather than student-centered and teacher's construction of representations were the most frequent among four types of use; interpretation, construction, application, and evaluation. The difficulties of teaching with these three visual representations were categorized into several factors; teachers, students, the characteristics of the representations, and lack of resources and classroom environment. Teachers' limited perceptions about the role of visual representations were associated with the ways of using visual representations in their teaching. Implications for the effective use of visual representations for science learning and teaching were discussed.