• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.103-124
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• 2010

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among private tutoring hours, academic motivation, use of learning strategies, and academic achievement test scores using structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 3,607 7th graders from Korean middle schools who were included in the Korean Education Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that there was no evidence that the private tutoring hours predicted students' motivation and learning strategy use. It was found that the private tutoring hours predicted achievements in English and Math, but it was negligible in magnitude. As for achievement test scores, academic motivation and the use of learning strategies played more critical role rather than the private tutoring hours.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.417-428
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• 2022

This study analyzed the frequency and level of scientific practices presented in secondary science textbooks. A total of 1,378 student activities presented in 14 middle school science textbooks and 5 high school integrated science textbooks were analyzed, using the definition and level of scientific practice suggested in the NGSS. Findings show that most student activities focus on three practices. Compared to the textbooks for the previous science curriculum, the practice of 'obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information' was more emphasized, reflecting societal changes due to ICT development. However, the practice of 'asking a question', which can be an important element of student-led science learning, was still rarely found in textbooks, and 'developing and using models', 'using math and computational thinking' and 'arguing based on evidence' were not addressed much. The practices were mostly elementary school level except for the practice of 'constructing explanations'. Such repeated exposures to a few and low level of practices mean that many future citizens would be led to a naïve understanding of science. The findings imply that it is necessary to emphasize various practices tailored to the level of students. In the upcoming revision of the science curriculum, it is necessary to provide the definition of practices that are not currently specified and the expected level of each practice so that the curriculum can provide sufficient guidance for textbook writing. These efforts should be supported by benchmarking of overseas science curriculum and research that explore students' ability and teachers' understanding of scientific practices.