• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.553-568
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• 2022

This study investigated the level of academic passion for elementary school teachers' science pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and examined the factors that influence the passion. To this end, 161 elementary school teachers in Seoul were selected, and academic passion tests were then administered to evaluate their academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge. Individual in-depth interviews were also conducted with some of the participating teachers. The results revealed that 'importance' and 'harmonious passion' for learning science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge were found at a high level. However, 'time/energy investment' and 'obsessive passion' for learning the knowledge were slightly higher or lower than normal. The 'like' for learning science subject matter knowledge was relatively high, but the 'like' for learning science pedagogical knowledge was slightly higher than normal. The differences in academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge were greater according to advanced major at undergraduate than teaching career. The teachers evenly selected some factors that influenced their academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge. These identified characteristics included 'individual interest', 'high school track', 'experience in advanced major at undergraduate', 'experience in science-related graduate school', 'experience teaching science in elementary school', 'experience teaching science at the gifted education institute', 'experience in charge of science subject teacher', 'experience in science-related teacher training', 'experience in developing science-related teaching and learning materials', 'experience in charge of science or science-gifted related work', and 'experience in a science-related teacher community'. However, a slight difference was noted in the selection ratio depending on advanced major at undergraduate. Based on these results, the practical implications for improving their academic passion for science PCK are suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.87-103
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• 2024

The content system table of the subject-matter curriculum is considered important in the Korean national curriculum, textbook writing, and teaching and learning in the classroom. However, studies that comprehensively organize the issues concerning the format of the subject-matter curriculum content system have been scarce. This study scrutinized the evolution of the content system from its inception in The 6th Curriculum to the most recent 2022 Revised National Curriculum, focusing on science curricular. The following issues and suggestions were derived for the format of the subject content system. First, caution should be exercised in using terms such as "domain," "field," and "category," and it should be clarified whether these terms are intended simply for logical differentiation or to serve as a content organizer with a specific emphasis. Second, the nature of components such as "core ideas," which can serve as innovative content organizers, should be strictly defined. Third, while the introduction of three-dimensional content elements such as "knowledge and understanding," "process and skill," and "value and attitude" is viewed positively, it is suggested that a further delineation be made, elaborating how each can be utilized to form core competencies. Fourth, the construction of the subject-specific content system in national curriculum needs caution because whether it will resolve or exacerbate the 'disparity between general curriculum and subject-matter curriculums' is uncertain. Finally, as an apparent pendulum motion of the subject-matter content system is observed in national curriculum documents, efforts should be made to ensure that it does not result in meaningless repetition, but instead achieves meaningful dialectical progress.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.342-356
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• 2001

Integrated science for high school is required in the present Korean National Sixth Curriculum and the Seventh Curriculum which will be effective in 2002. Currently, most science teachers in secondary school have concerns about teaching integrated science subjects and this continues to raise a significant problem for practical implementation of integrated science education in schools. In this paper, we discuss two reasons for these concerns that our analysis revealed: 1) Science teachers do not understand how to implement integrated science education and 2) there are insufficient teaching-learning materials supporting integrated science. Three different approaches to integration that have been suggested to overcome the problem of implementation are outlined here. They are the knowledge centered, social problem centered, and individual interest centered approaches. Reported here are the first two steps we undertook in preparation for testing the relative effectiveness of these approaches. First, we analyzed the content of the Korean Sixth and Seventh National Science Curricula, seven Korean integrated science text books, the American National Science Education Standards, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks looking for common themes. We identified in the analyzed materials the common themes: energy conservation, energy transformation, energy transport, energy degradation. We then used their energy related content to organize sets of concept structures, one set for each of the three approaches. These concept structures will provide the foundations for the development of integrated teaching-learning energy plans to be used in our research into the effectiveness of the approaches.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.21-32
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• 2014

The feasibility of integrated concepts as a key element in designing integrated science curriculum has been investigated by analysing science contents included in performance expectations stated at different grades. The science curriculum of Singapore and the state of Ontario in Canada, and next generation of science standard (NGSS) were selected. Each of them presents theme, fundamental concepts, and crosscutting concepts, which has the characteristics of integrated concepts proposed in the study. Analysis showed that theme, fundamental concepts, and crosscutting concepts were influenced by the characteristics of each curriculum. In addition, science contents related to integrated concepts at different grades varied with the nature of integrated concepts. Based on results, some suggestions were made. First, the total number of integrated concepts should be considered for designing integrated curriculum. Second, the nature of integrated concepts and science contents associated with the integrated concepts should be considered. The integrated concepts should be vast and deep enough in the meaning to contain various content knowledge of different science domains. Third, it should be considered that how the integrated concepts have to be presented at different grades.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.215-223
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• 2017

This study aims to find an effective way to present essential science concepts in national science curriculum through international comparisons. Next Generation Science Standard (US), Ontario Science Curriculum (Canada), Australia Science Curriculum, and British/English Science Curriculum were selected for comparison. In science curriculum documents, these countries used terms such as 'Key ideas,' 'Big ideas,' 'Key concepts,' 'Disciplinary core ideas.' and 'Fundamental concepts' to present essential concepts of science. This study reviewed the characteristics of the meaning, the status, and the role of essential concepts country by country. The result shows essential concepts have been used with different meanings and statutes in each case. Furthermore, various roles were performed through essential concepts in order to organize their science curriculum. From these foreign nation's cases, this study proposes several ways to present essential science concepts based on results. First, interdisciplinary integrated concepts were needed to organize an integrated science curriculum. In science curriculum documents of the United States, Canada, Australia and England, two types of terms were used in order to structuralize an integrated science curriculum. Second, essential concepts should include concepts related with function and value as well as scientific knowledge. Third, essential concepts need to be presented in such a way as to show specific contexts. Therefore, selecting appropriate contents and structure are needed to be able to improve the way to present essential concepts in Korea's educational environment.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.659-667
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• 2004

The purposes of this study were to examine the middle school science textbooks published according to the 7th curriculum by analyzing overall structure of the books and STS contents, and to diagnose the current status of STS education in science classroom through interviews with teachers and students of the middle schools. It was found that STS approaches were of increasing importance in the science textbooks, however, they were not popular in the science classes. STS topics in the middle school textbooks were related mostly to 'applications of science' and 'social problems and issues', and few of the topics were related to 'cooperative work on real problems', 'multiple dimensions of science' and 'practice with decision making strategies'. Major barriers of STS education implementation in middle school science classroom were identified as follows; difficulties of assessment, teachers' insufficient cognitions and experiences regarding STS education, perceptions of students and parents that prefer didactic lecture methods and working on exercises. Desirable directions for the improvement of present status of STS education in middle school science classes were proposed.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.131-152
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• 1999

일반적으로 영재교육을 실시함에 있어서 가장 먼저 선행되어야 할 것은 영재아 판별기준을 정해 학생선발과정을 운영하는 것과 실제 가르칠 교육내용을 구체적으로 정의하여 교재를 개발하는 것이다. 특히, 최근에 각광받고 있는 정보과학 분야의 영재교육에 대한 연구는 이제 시작단계에 불과하여 서로 다른 이론적 근거와 주관적인 기준에 따라 전국의 과학연재교육센터들을 중심으로 다양한 논의가 활발하게 이루어지고 있다. 본 논문에서는 아주대학교 과학영재교육센터에서 초등학교 4학년부터 중학교 3학년까지의 학생들을 대상으로 운영되고 있는 정보과학 영재교육 프로그램을 자세히 소개함으로써, 앞으로 정보과학 분야의 영재교육을 위한 구체적인 영재판별기준과 학생선발절차는 물론 체계적인 교육과정 및 교과목의 개발을 위한 하나의 실례로써 소개하고자 한다.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.147-158
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• 2001

Recently, with the increase of environmental problems, the importance of environmental education has also been emphasized. Science is a subject that enormously contributes to education about the environment, education in the environment, and education for the environment. Among various fields of science, earth science has a large amount of contents related environmental education, from the perspectives that the subjects of earth science are natural and artificial changes in the earth surface. Accordingly, it is clear that earth science education can play an important role in environmental education. This is proved in the fact that the goal and specifics of earth systems education coincidence with those of environmental education. Earth science curriculum in Korea, however, contains few contents related to environmental education. Earth science education that concerns our environment as a whole will help not only catch a new interest on the field of earth science but actively participate in solving our environmental problems.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.1599-1612
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the management status of science in senior high schools based on the 2009 Curriculum Revision and the science teachers' perception of the content and a class of science. The way of managing a class was surveyed and discovered that the percentage of more than two teachers giving lessons depending on their major was higher than that of a teacher giving all the lessons. Analysis of teachers' perceptions of the content of science showed that science textbooks reflected the revised science curriculum well. However, teachers thought that the terms and concepts introduced to describe the knowledge of frontier science were so difficult that they feel it's very hard teaching them to the students. Even though science teachers thought that science was mainly focused on cultivating scientific literacy of the students, they assess mostly understanding of science concepts on the students. It means that science teachers stay in line with old position in assessment.

• Journal of Science Education
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.250-261
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze how the content elements of the environment education are displayed between related subjects in elementary school curriculum and find a desirable direction of the environment education. Major subjects that handle the components of the environment education include science, physical education, social studies, ethics, and practical arts. Among these subjects, science aims for the ecological perspective, social studies aims for rational decision making and practical behaviors, and ethics aims for the correct formation of environmental ethics and values. In the component ratio of the environment education, the domains of the natural environment, environmental ethics, environmental pollution, environmental protection and measure were higher. In the formation of content elements according to grades, the connectivity of the environment curriculum has been relatively well secured in the order of the learning about the environmental components, awareness on environmental problems and the measures and efforts to overcome environmental problems. Based on the findings above, the followings are proposed for future environment curriculum in elementary school. First, it is necessary to increase the ratio of the ecological perspective based on science and coordinate the period to suggest this contents. Second, it is necessary to complement the contents of social studies regarding green growth and sustainable development which have become global issues in the environment education. Third, Pan-curriculum and integrated discussions to prepare multi-academic and interdisciplinary environment curriculum have to be preceded and through this process it is necessary to set the target of environment education and select the content elements of the curriculum.