• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.415-427
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• 2020

This study aims to understand science education conducted in North Korea by analyzing the PCK components shown in two science teacher's guidebooks: (1) Guidebook for 1^st grade elementary school and (2) Guidebook for 1^st grade middle school. These were published after 2013, when "the first 12-year Universal Compulsory Curriculum" was implemented in North Korea. The analysis shows that both elementary and middle school guidebooks had the highest percentage of content in "Knowledge of Subject Matter", followed by "Knowledge of Instructional Strategies in Science" and "Knowledge of Science Curriculum". On the other hand, "Knowledge of Assessment in Science" and "Knowledge of Students" were significantly low in content. Within the "Knowledge of Subject Matter", both elementary and middle schools had the highest proportion of content in "Concepts and Theories", along with "Experiments and Inquiries" that was also significantly higher than other PCK components. Science teacher's guidebooks in North Korea advocates constructivist teaching style by using "discussions" as the main activity when conveying scientific concepts and theories to students or conducting scientific inquiry classes. Furthermore, "Knowledge of Instructional Strategies in Science" was mainly focused on guiding the "Instruction sequence and method" from the "Topic-specific Strategies", while only a small part of the "Subject-specific Strategies" was being presented. Also, Science teacher's guide books in North Korea included only a few theoretical elements of science education in both the general outline and the particular sections of guidebooks. "Knowledge of Science Curriculum" was mainly composed of "Lesson Objectives" with some inclusion of "Vertical Articulation" and "Horizontal Articulation". "Knowledge of Assessment in Science" and "Knowledge of Students" accounted for a small portion compared to the science teacher's guidebooks in South Korea.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2017

It has been suggested that character education, taught only in ethics and social science, should be integrated into other subjects including science education. In terms of inquiry and the nature of science, science education is related to character education, which is emphasized by SSI (Socioscientific Issue) education. Followed by necessity of character education, the Character Education Promotion Act was established in 2015. To investigate what and how character education is conducting in schools, analysis of curriculums and textbooks is needed in terms of elements underlined in the Character Education Promotion Act. For this purpose, this research analyzed general remarks and science sections in the 2009 revised and the 2015 revised curriculums and science textbooks based on the 2009 revised curriculum with regard to essential virtues in the Character Education Promotion Act. Results showed that parts of essential virtues were included in both curriculums, of which elements were inconsistent with those of science textbooks. Curriculums and textbooks reflecting whole elements faithfully need to be developed.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.65-89
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• 2004

The article attempts to suggest s a direction of science education in terms of development of creative human resources based on discussion about scientific literacy and scientific creativity. Students are supposed to develop scientific attitude, inquiry skills, problem solving ability through science learning, and be prepared for the 21st century of rapidly developing age. The paper introduces definitions of scientific literacy and scientific creativity and discuss their meanings within science education in general as well as for the gifted. To enhance students' scientific creativity, science education should strengthen content of science related to technology, integrated science content, personal and social views, social inquiry for problem solving. In particular, science education for the gifted should emphasize students' holistic views in interpreting data, ability to connect artistic aspects to science process, intuitions to explain scientific phenomena and pursue of personal satisfaction. It may be said that science education and science education for the gifted is realized when students have opportunities to experience such elements in their science learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.572-581
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• 2000

Teachers' perceptions about curricular objectives are very important to achieve given educational objectives. This study examined teachers' perceptions about priority and hinderance of science objectives. The national science curriculum stated four areas of objectives: inquiry, knowledge, attitude, and STS. A total of 76 elementary and 217 secondary teachers were responded to questionnaire developed for this study. Non-parametric statistics, such as Friedman test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and chi-square test were used by using SPSS/PC program. Teachers in general ranked the inquiry first among the four areas at their perception on the national curriculum, on themselves, and on their instructions. Elementary teachers ranked inquiry higher than secondary science teachers, while secondary science teachers ranked knowledge higher than elementary teachers. As factors hindering teachers from achiving the objectives, elementary teachers pointed out overcrowded classroom and secondary science teachers pointed out college and university entrance examination respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.38-54
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare the concepts and inquiry activities of textbooks in Korea and Singapore textbooks focused on the field of geology, and to provide implications for the future development of Korean curriculum and textbooks. For the study, it was selected as the 2015 revised science textbook in Korea and 'My pals are here' that is the most used textbook in Singapore. The results of this study are as follows: First, Korea had a lower level of concept than Singapore. Second, we could confirm that Korea is composed of 'inquiry' centered compared to Singapore. Third, Korea deal with only one concept in one grade, however Singapore is structured so that concepts are divided hierarchically into several grades. Fourth, Singapore has been instructing students to learn how the learned concept interact with the Earth, which is different from Korea. These results may give implications for the curriculum composition and textbook development in Korea.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.356-375
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop the informal education based elementary gifted education program utilizing local resources in Yeongheung island for enhancing the creative problem solving, science process skills, scientific attitudes. This program was totally consisted 36 lessons and 3 part. For this purpose, 7 weeks' informal gifted education program utilizing local resources was treated to a class students who were 5th graders of elementary school in Yeongheung island. The results of this study were as follows : First, the change of science creative problem solving ability in the gifted class was found statistically meaningful difference. Second, science process skills were showed statistically meaningful difference. Third, scientific attitudes were not showed statistically meaningful difference. Fourth, the student responses about effectiveness of this programs were generally positive. Therefore, the gifted education programs showed meaningful results. Based on the results of this study, a number of studies to overcome the limitations will be needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.56-71
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the role and effectiveness of argumentation structure and the developmental characteristics of science PCK with Earth science preservice teachers who used argumentation structure as a pedagogical reasoning tool. Since teachers demonstrate PCK in a series of pedagogical reasoning processes using argumentation structures, we explored the characteristics of future-oriented family resemblance-PCK shown by preservice science teachers using argumentation structures. At the end of the semester, we conducted in-depth interviews with 15 earth science preservice teachers who had experienced lesson design and teaching practice using the argumentation structure. Qualitative analysis including a semantic network analysis was conducted based on the in-depth interview to analyze the characteristics of preservice teachers' family resemblance-PCK. Results include that preservice teachers organized their classes systematically by applying the argumentation structure, and structured classes by differentiating argumentation elements from facts to conclusions. Regarding the characteristics of each component of the argumentation structure, preservice teachers had difficulty finding warrant, rebuttal, and qualifier. The area of PCK most affected by the argumentation structure is the science teaching practice, and preservice teachers emphasized the selection of a instructional model suitable for lesson content, the use of various teaching methods and inquiry activities to persuade lesson content, and developing of data literacy and digital competency. Discussed in the conclusion are the potential and usability of argument structure as a pedagogical reasoning tool, the possibility of developing science inquiry and reasoning competency of secondary school students who experience science classes using argumentation structure, and the need for developing a teacher education protocol using argumentation structure as a pedagogical reasoning tool.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.31-43
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to identify a domain-specificity of the scientific creativity and the component of scientific creativity. Conducted from theoretical study, this study suggests that a domain-specific view of creativity offers a more useful and constructive components of scientific creativity based on the literature associated with the component of scientific creativity. Scientific creativity has a domain-specific component and so there is need to distinguish scientific creativity from creativity in general. As a result, scientific creativity is different from other creativity it is concerned with scientific knowledge, science process skill, creative scientific problem finding and solving and so on. And since scientific creativity is a kind of ability, it is possible to improve through a scientific creativity program.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze Korea STEAM Programs in the perspective of Engineering Design. A pilot study of analyzing 41 STEAM programs was conducted by using Guzey et al. (2014)'s STEM program analysis framework. Based on the pilot study result, we suggested specific criteria to analyze Korea STEAM program and developed an analysis framework by considering characteristics of Korea STEAM program we found. The analysis framework suggested by this study has 5 more criteria compared to the Guzey et al. (2014)'s framework. By using the suggested framework, we analyzed another 76 STEAM programs developed by the grant of Korea foundation for the Admin of Science & Creativity (KOFAC) in 2016. The analysis results show that only 28.5% of total 76 Korea STEAM programs are focused on Engineering Design and the programs categorized as 'Complete Engineering Design Lesson' were only 5.4%. More than half of the programs (62.3%) are focused on only science contents with crafting and/or concept drawing activities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.794-806
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze what kinds of science education theories are targeted in the "Examination for Appointing Secondary School Science Teachers (EASST)." For the analyses, we extracted the contents related to the science education theories in the question items of the EASST of 2008 through 2012, and categorized those theories into science curriculum, history of science and philosophy of science, scientific inquiry, theory of teaching and learning, model of teaching and learning, and assessment. The results of this study indicated that the theory of teaching and learning appeared most frequently and there were high proportions of question items related to the following topics: contents in science curriculum, scientific method, contemporary philosophy of science, process of inquiry, Ausubel's theory, learning cycle model by Lawson, cooperative learning, criteria of performance assessment, and etc. While we, as science educators, believed that the other categories such as 'history of science' provides important topics for pre-service science teachers, questions items dealing with those were rarely found in the past EASSTs. As EASST has strong influences on the professional developments of pre-service science teachers, more research should be pursued on how much and what domains of science education theories would be appropriate for the test.