• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.133-144
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• 2020

As a part of the second-year monitoring study on the implementation of the 2015 revised science curriculum in middle schools, this study focuses more on examining middle school science teachers' perceptions on the process-based assessment (PBA). A total of 105 middle school science teachers (44 teachers from science leading schools, 61 teachers from ordinary schools) responded to the survey questionnaire, and 16 teachers participated in interviews. The results include teachers' perceptions on the changes in their teaching and assessment methods, some challenges of implementing PBA, and educational implications of PBA. Survey results indicate that the teachers perceived themselves using more PBA methods after the 2015 revised science curriculum was launched. The teachers in science-leading schools present statistically higher average scores to the items on the PBA utilization than the ones in ordinary schools. However, the teachers felt confused in conceptually differentiating PBA from prior performance-based assessment. They also experienced some conflicts when implementing PBA under the achievement-oriented school atmospheres. In addition, they often faced difficulties in securing objectivity and reliability of PBA and felt the burden of evaluating individual students. This study suggests the necessity of giving more authority and trust to science teachers regarding PBA, constructing more supportive environment to cultivate teacher competency as evaluation experts, and the need to reduce task burden. However, some teachers who actively implemented PBA express some level of satisfaction as observing students' positive reaction to PBA.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.159-166
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• 2016

This study analyzed perceptions and difficulties in applying Flipped Learning with an interview method grounded on understanding and experience of Flipped Learning in science class. The interviewees selected were six teachers working in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Three teachers having over two years of experience in operating Flipped Learning in science were selected, one each from elementary, middle, and high school and another three teachers who had just started to operate Flipped Learning this year were chosen, one each from elementary, middle, and high school. According to the result of a 3-step interview conducted with the participating teachers, they indicated very high satisfaction with the implementation of Flipped Learning in elementary, middle, and high school science classes. They responded that Flipped Learning was particularly more helpful for inquiry activity. The teachers, however, felt burdened by the class preparation and had difficulty in organizing the class. To explore ways to get rid of the difficulties in Flipped Learning, this author discussed the textbook system where one could draw various implications for improving the current class.

• Korean Educational Research Journal
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.153-182
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• 2022

This study explored the experiences and difficulties of science teachers who participated in overseas educational voluntary activities. Seven science teachers who had visited Timor-Leste participated in the study. All collected data including the teacher interview were analyzed. As a result, teachers visited Timor-Leste to fulfill social roles and to meet the expectations of others. After returning from Timor-Leste, the teachers regained their passion for teaching and gained confidence in taking on new challenges. Teachers had difficulties in conducting seminars due to the unstable social situation and lack of awareness of Timor-Leste teachers, and experienced communication limitations due to language barriers. Nevertheless, teachers cooperate with local priest to improve these limitations. In addition, teachers supplemented the limitations caused by the non-establishment of the curriculum through the evaluation meeting. In order to improve teaching expertise and promote active participation of Timor-Leste teachers, the seminar method was modified. The experience of volunteering in Timor-Leste made teachers think about the importance of cooperation and the necessity of education. Based on the above results, we discussed ways to activate voluntary service.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.111-137
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to identify the expected difficulties and necessary support when applying the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum to elementary schools, and to support the establishment of the field. To this end, we explored the major changes in the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum, and based on this, we conducted a survey of elementary school teachers to identify the expected difficulties and necessary support when applying it in the field. In particular, when analyzing the results, we also examined whether there were any differences in the expected difficulties and necessary support depending on the size of the school where it is located and the teaching experience of the teacher. The research results are as follows. First, the proportion of teachers who expect difficulties in applying the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum was mostly below 50%, but the proportion of teachers who demand support was much higher, at around 80%. Second, the difficulty of elementary school teachers in applying the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum was found to be the greatest in evaluation. Third, in relation to the use of edutech, teachers in elementary schools are also expected to have difficulties in teaching and learning methods to foster students' digital literacy, assessment using teaching materials or engineering tools, and assessment in online environments. Fourth, the difficulty of elementary school teachers in applying the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum was also significant in relation to mathematics subject competencies. Fifth, it was found that there is also difficulty in understanding the major changes of the achievement standards, including the addition, deletion, and adjustment of the achievement standards, and the impact on the learning of other achievement standards. Finally, the responses of elementary school teachers to the expected difficulties and necessary support in applying the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum did not differ depending on the size of the school where it is located, but statistically significant differences were found in a number of items depending on the teaching experience of the teacher. Based on these research results, we hope that various support will be provided for the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum, which will be applied annually from 2024.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.460-479
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• 2021

The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in education systems worldwide, including in Korea. Due to COVID-19's social distancing policies, the education system was suddenly switched to distance learning, resulting in many problems in primary schools without preparation. The purpose of this study was to investigate a teacher's awareness of science education techniques, responses to issues in science classes, including inquiry activities, advantages and disadvantages, and roles after experiencing distance learning. Survey and focus interviews were conducted for primary school teachers who had previously participated in distance learning, such as online content classes and real-time interactive classes. The study findings showed three conclusions: 1) Primary school teachers conducted one-way and interactive lectures in online classes. It is vital to improve a teacher's digital literacy to improve other teaching methods such as investigation and discussion in online classes. 2) Primary school teachers acknowledged the challenges of field feedback, inquiry item preparations, and safety in inquiry activities of science classes, by providing individual experimental packages and videos and using online discussion and feedback among teacher - student and student - student interactions. 3) Primary school teachers recognized that various types of classes using IT devices and individualized learning were possible as advantages of distance learning. As for disadvantages, it was acknowledged that inquiry activities, cooperative learning, immediate feedback, and interaction among students were challenging. Furthermore, learning gaps were wider in distance learning.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.387-407
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• 2014

This study investigeted secondary math teachers' difficulties of technology in geometry class with grounded theory by Strauss and Corbin. 178 secondary math teachers attending the professional development program on technology-based geometry teaching at eight locations in January 2014, participated in this study with informed consents. Data was collected with an open-ended questionnaire survey. In line with grounded theory, open, axial and selective coding were applied to data analysis. According to the results of this study, teachers were found to experience resistance in using technology due to new learning and changes, with knowledge and awareness of technology effectively interacting to lessen such resistance. In using technology, teachers were found to go through the 'access-resistance-unaccepted use-acceptance' stages. Teachers having difficulties in using technology included the following four types: 'inaccessible, denial of acceptance, discontinuation of use, and acceptance 'These findings suggest novel perspectives towards teachers having difficulties in using technology, providing implications for teachers' professional development.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.61-76
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the errors and difficulties which pre-service secondary teachers shows during the task modification in consideration of the cognitive demand and to provide significant implications to the pre-service teacher education program related to the modification of the mathematical tasks. In the pursuit of this purpose, tasks were selected from perpendicular bisector units and 24 pre-service teachers were asked to modify the tasks to higher and lower level tasks. After the modification activities, opportunities for reflection and modification were provided. The findings from analysis are as follows. Pre-service teachers had a difficulty to distinguish between PNC tasks and PWC tasks. Also, We identified the interference phenomena that pre-service teachers depended on the apparent elements of the task. Pre-service teachers showed a tendency to overlook the learning objectives and learning hierarchy during the task modification, and to focus on some types of task modification. However, pre-service teachers were able to have meaningful learning opportunities and extend the category of tools to technology including Geogebra through self-reflection and correction activities on task modification. The above results were summed up and we presented the implications to the task modification program in the pre-service secondary teacher education.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.239-256
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• 2022

This study was to investigate the perception, performance, and difficulties of process-based assessment for high school mathematics teachers. As a qualitative case study, two in-depth group interviews were conducted with 6 high school mathematics teachers working in Incheon area. The two groups were one with more experience in process-based assessment and the other with less experience. As results, there were differences between the participant teachers' perception of process-based assessment and their actual performance depending on the experience. All six math teachers thought that the process-based assessment was intended to confirm the learner's characteristics, to evaluate the process, and to provide feedback on a regular basis immediately and individually. However, in the practical performance shared by teachers, the purpose of assessment was to create a school record. A group with a lot of experience prepared assessment criteria according to the national curriculum achievement standards, established affective assessment plans, and tried to provide individual feedback on a regular basis. On the other hand, the inexperienced group recorded the affective characteristics discovered by chance and provided temporary and large-scale feedback regardless of the achievement criteria. Finally, we suggested some implications based on the study results.

• Korean Educational Research Journal
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.25-57
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of beginning teachers in elementary school as they experience the lifecycle of teachers, to analyze and comprehend the difficulties of these teachers based on their characteristics, and to propose a resolution strategy. The study is intended to assist beginning teachers in adapting well to their work and profession as teachers in order to contribute to the growth in quality of education; it is also intended to prepare beginning teachers to utilize their time in elementary school as a period of self-improvement to become proficient teachers. The difficulties in human relations that beginning teachers experience in school can be divided into three major categories: relations with administrators and fellow teachers, relations with parents of students, and relations with students. The standardized and uniform culture of a school and the administrators and fellow workers imposing such a culture are the reason for the difficulties that beginning teachers face, and the question of what kind of fellow teachers the beginning teachers will encounter in their first school exerts a serious influence on the growth of these teachers, who have just begun their career in education. Furthermore, the lack of skills to discipline students eventually leads beginning teachers to face difficulties in controlling students in the classroom, and the process of encountering and resolving various classroom problems contributes to the growth of teachers' proficiency. Moreover, the attitude of students' parents who behave toward them as novice teachers serves as the reason for beginning teachers to lose their confidence or face difficulties in their careers, and exerts an influence on student counseling and guidance. The resolution strategy that beginning teachers apply as they encounter such problems with the entities in the educational field is as follows: imitation, listening, and accepting the thoughts and to renounce. To resolve the difficulties that beginning teachers experience, it is necessary to allocate space and time to discuss their difficulties and possible plans for resolution during the beginning teachers' training period and initiate a mentoring system in schools. Lastly, it is necessary that the offices of education continuously conduct qualitative research on beginning teachers and publish casebooks on such studies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.519-526
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Korean high-school physics teachers' difficulties in teaching textbook physics inquiries. For this purpose, 63 high school physics teachers completed a questionnaire. We asked teachers to evaluate the degree of difficulty in teaching textbook physics inquiries. Additionally, we asked physics teachers to select the two most difficult inquiries to teach and to express their reasons for these selections. The main results are as follows: First, the degree of difficulty for all the inquiry is 2.79, indicating a little easy level of difficulty. The two most difficult inquiries are 'Meissner effect experiment' and 'Investigation of diode characteristics using $Cu_2O$ plate and ZnO powder.' Second, the difficulty reasons to teach physics inquiry was presented in the order of 'environment domain,' 'textbook domain,' 'student domain,' and 'teacher domain.' In particular, the biggest reasons for difficulty for teachers are 'preparation of experimental apparatus' and 'safety.' There are many opinions related to 'problem of the experiment itself' in 'textbook domain' and 'lack of ability to manipulate' in 'student domain.' Based on the results of this study, we added a discussion to activate the high school physics textbook inquiries.