• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.571-585
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• 2002

This is one of the basic research for inspecting the possibility of the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking. The 5th grade students (n=306) in the elementary school were participated in this study. Performing the 6 variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' program for one semester, the SRT II test and the Variable-Controlling test were operated to examine the effects on the development of the variable-controlling ability by treatments, gender, and cognitive levels. Performing of the variable-controlling activities was highly successive on the development of students' variable-controlling ability. Although learning effect on the ability of identifying causal variable was moderate, the abilities of controlling experimental condition, measurement of variable, and identifying result variable were significantly developed. There was statistically significant difference by gender. Girls showed better performance all the time in both groups. Boys in the experimental group were getting better gradually, so the difference by gender was somewhat decreased. Examining the variable-controlling ability by cognitive levels, students in the experimental group show significant increase in all levels, especially the students in early, mid, and mature concrete level show substantial learning effects. The results of this study implied that the variable-controlling activities in the 'Thinking Science' could be effective for learning of variable-controlling and eventually for the development of logical thinking capability to make possible formal thinking.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.587-599
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze variable-controlling strategy (below vcs) and the ability to infer the effect of variables in Middle school students who experienced 'Thinking Science' activities in a CASE program. For this study, 71 9th grade students experienced in CASE program for 2 years were selected as the experimental group and 72 students were selected as the control group. All students were tested with Science Reasoning TaskVII. The five types of variable-controlling strategy were extracted from students' response. According to the result of this study, the students experienced in CASE program was more successful in the variable-controlling strategy of length, quality, and shape than the control group. The types of reasoning ability of the variable effect intuitively were categorized as possibility of reasoning, impossibility of reasoning, and impossibility of reversible thinking. It has shown that the reasoning ability of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in the length and thickness variable effect. The results of this study implied that the variable controlling activities in CASE program could be effective for learning variable controlling, and eventually, for the development of reasoning ability of the variable controlling effect. In the ability to infer the effects of variables to get difficult Intuitively, both groups were similar to the rate of cognitive level reached to the formal operation in generalization, and the student of experimental group was 1.5 times faster than the control group.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.251-262
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• 2012

In this study, we develop 15 learning programs to enhance the variable identification and control abilities for the middle school students and analyze the effect of the programs applied to the class. To increase the learning effect of the variable identification and control abilities, we design the programs so that the students can monitor their thinking processes and also they can evaluate the results from their cognitive activities objectively. We analyze the effect of the programs applied to the class and the results show that the test group, which uses the program, marks higher scores in the variable identification abilities compared to the control group. Also, the test group has the increased level of logic to control the variables. Especially, the effect is higher with the students who do not have any logic to control the variables. From the results, we know that it is possible to improve the variable identification and control abilities of the students through the meta-cognitive learning programs developed by us. Furthermore, the results show that the score of variable control abilities positively correlate with that of meta-cognitive level. It means that the meta-cognitive strategy meaningfully increases the variable control abilities of middle school students.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.604-613
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a metastrategic activity on the development of student variable controlling abilities. Three groups of seventh graders at a middle-school in the City of Daegu participated in this study: a metastrategy activity group (ME), a problem-solving activity group (PR), and a control group (CO). The ME group was given metastrategy activity worksheets, which required students to monitor, control, and evaluate variable control strategies in a specified situation. The PR group was given problem-solving activity worksheets, which were needed to solve problems in various situations. The results were seen as follows. First, the metastrategy activity group showed better achievement (p<.05) and a longer standing effect (p<.01) than the other groups in the development of variable control ability. The problem-solving activity group was more effective than the control group (p<.05) in the development of variable controlled ability, but there was no lasting effect of the acquired ability. Second, the metastrategic activity group was more effective than the problem-solving activity group in finding fixed variables (p<.01), but not as effective in uncovering independent variables. What is not transferred to the development of the ability to find dependent variables.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.32-47
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the ability to control variables and the ways by which variables are controlled. First, the assessment criteria for evaluating the students' ability to control variables were developed for 8th grade students. Second, the ways variables are controlled were classified from student activity reports. These students' answers were categorized into six types (type A~ type F). Type A is defined as the group that excelled in recognizing the importance of controlling variables, eliminating unnecessary variables and identifying manipulated, dependent and controlled variables. Third, the scores of ability to control variables (CV score) and the classroom test of scientific reasoning (Lawson SRT) scores were measured. The results indicated that the CV score was highly correlated with Lawson SRT scores (r=.67, p<.01). Therefore, the assessment criteria developed in this study was used to evaluate the ability to control variables (CV score) and to measure the students' scientific reasoning.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.519-528
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• 2011

The main purpose of this study was to develop a teaching program, especially designed to improve the skills of control variables. The secondary purpose was to investigate the effect of the program on enhancing students' scientific reasoning and understanding. The program was designed based on the 3-step learning model: i.e. students recognize the necessity of controlling the variables (step 1), perform their own experiments (step 2), and reflect on their variables control process (step 3). The program included 9 topics of increasing difficulty. In results, Lawson's SRT scores increased in both experimental and control groups after application of the program, but the difference was not statistically significant. After the application, there was an increase in type A and type B which implied that students' skills of control variables was improved. In addition, responses of students in the experimental group to the open-ended items showed that it was challenging for them to think scientifically and critically when controling variables, but they ended up feeling proud of their achievement after the program.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of experimental design and evidence choice of the elementary school students in problem solving process related to controlling variable. For this study, 96 6th grade students were selected and tested with Science Reasoning Task. This study revealed that the types of experimental design were categorized as variance of control variable, controlling of causal variable, perfect controlling variable, imperfect controlling variable, variance of all variable. Prior belief had a strong influence on student's experimental design. The types of evidence choice were categorized as perfect controlling variable, controlling causal variable, variance of causal variable. The degree of controlling variable in evidence choice process was much lower than that in experimental design. Most students tended to choose evidence according to prior belief without controlling variable. The results of this study implied that student's prior belief and characteristic of science process skills should be considered to develop program for promoting controlling variable ability.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.28
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• pp.251-282
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• 2005

The current study attempted to explain how family members' communication competence and personality such as locus of control, impulsivity, and optimism influenced their family relationship satisfaction. In addition, we examined which variables among these would predict highly the family relationship satisfaction by conducting the regression analyses. We also included demographic variables such as gender of offsprings, age and education level, and conversation time among family members as the control variables that may have influenced the family relationship satisfaction. Results showed that the higher the communication competence, internalness, and optimism were, the higher the family relationship satisfaction was whereas the higher the impulsivity was the lower the relationship was. for offspring, her/his own communication competence and impulsivity, the conversation time with her/his father, and the impulsivity of the parents in order were the best predictors of the their family relationship satisfaction. For father, his own communication competence, wife's impulsivity and optimism, and the conversation time with his offsprings in order predicted his family relationship satisfaction. For mother, her own communication competence and education level were the strongest predictors of her family relationship satisfaction. The results clearly demonstrated that the family members' communication competence and conversation time among themselves as well as their personality are playing an important role in explaining the their family relationship satisfaction. lastly, the limitations of the current study, and suggestions and implications for future studies were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.725-739
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of graphing abilities to logical thinking and science process skills of middle school students. The subjects for this study were selected 481 students from four middle schools for TOGS(the Test of Graphing in Science), GALT(Group Assessment of Logical Thinking) and TIPS II (Test of Integrated Process Skills). This study shows that the correlation coefficient between abilities of students to construct/interpret graphs and the logical thinking was 0.45, and the correlation coefficient between abilities to construct/interpret graphs and science process skills are 0.32. As a result, abilities of students to construct and interpret graphs arc more correlate the logical thinking than science process skills.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.552-562
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• 2016

Although a number of studies have been conducted in Korea since 2000 on the impact of early English education, their interpretation is still not conclusive, due to their lack of control groups and failure to control for third factors and use valid measurements. The present study was designed to examine the effect of an English education program on young children's English proficiency after 8 months using the most well-known official English proficiency measure, the WIDA for kindergarteners. In addition, the children's Korean language proficiency, cognitive abilities, personality, parents' SES, and parents' attitudinal variables before the education were measured and controlled. The results indicated that the intervention group performed better than the control group in both listening and speaking skills, even when all relevant factors were considered. This effect, however, was only found in the item-level analyses.