• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.770-782
• /
• 2022

This study analyzes the depictions of scientists and teachers' thoughts on the 2015 revised elementary school science authorized 3rd-4th grade textbooks from the perspective of gender equality, and suggest improvements for the 2015 elementary school science authorized 5th-6th grade textbooks as well as a 2022 revised elementary school science curriculum. The data consist of representations of scientists found in seven elementary science textbooks provided to 3rd- and 4th-grade students in 2022 as well as in-depth interviews conducted with three elementary school teachers and responses from 32 teachers in Gyeonggi-do. Of the 23 scientists depicted in the textbooks, three (13.0%) are female and 10 (43.5%) worked in the inquiry domain, which was the largest group. When the teachers were asked about their perceptions of the gender ratio of scientists in the textbooks, their answers revealed that they had lower perceptions of female scientists compared to male scientists; moreover, they had no or very little teaching experience concerning female scientists. Furthermore, the teachers' thoughts on improving the gender ratio of scientists depicted in the textbooks differed considerably by the teachers' gender. Based on these findings, it was concluded that during the process of producing textbooks, writers and members of society need to agree on the gender ratio of scientists to be represented, and a social consensus is needed to identify and introduce the achievements of previously unknown female scientists towards gender equality.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.307-324
• /
• 2022

This study examined the content diversity of seven authorized science textbooks by comparing the characteristics of the science concept description and the contents of inquiry activities in the "weight of objects" unit. For each textbook, the flow of concept description content and the uniqueness of the concept description process were analyzed, and the number of nodes and links and words with high connections were determined using language network analysis. In addition, for the inquiry activities described in each textbook, the inquiry subject, inquiry type, science process skill, and uniqueness were investigated. Results showed that the authorized textbooks displayed no more diversity than expected in their scientific concept description method or their inquiry activity composition. The learning elements, inclusion of subconcepts, and central words were similar for each textbook. The comparison of inquiry activities showed similarities in their contents, inquiry types, and scientific process skills. Specifically, these textbooks did not introduce any research topics or experimental methods that were absent in previous textbooks. However, despite the fact that the authorized textbook system was developed based on the same curriculum, some efforts were made to make use of its strengths. Since the sequence of subconcepts to explain the core contents differed across textbooks, this explanation process was divided into several types, and although the contents of inquiry activities were the same, the materials for inquiry activities were shown differently for each textbook to improve and overcome the difficulties in the existing experiments. These findings necessitate the continuation of efforts to utilize the strengths of certified textbooks.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.525-542
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the internal and external frameworks of elementary science textbooks, which first appeared as the authorization system of elementary science textbooks changed from the national government system. In order to confirm the purpose of the authorization system to support the development of diverse and creative textbooks, this study compared 7 authorized textbooks with the national textbook developed as the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 2015 revised science curriculum. In this study, the textbook's framework was largely divided into an external framework and an internal framework for the 'Use of Magnets' unit of elementary science textbooks, and quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted in parallel according to each subcategory. According to the research results, in the external framework of textbook units, all textbooks had the same structure: unit introduction, scientific inquiry, creative convergence, unit arrangement, and scientific reading materials. The framework in the 'Use of Magnets' unit of the 7 types of authorized textbooks was found to have some differences according to the textbook development team's interpretation of the curriculum achievement standards and many commonalities that maintained the framework in the national textbooks. In addition, the characteristics of each textbook were clearly revealed in some areas not specified in curriculum such as unit introduction activities and science reading materials, a meaningful change was also found in that the level of inquiry activity was classified and operated in response to the uniform inquiry activity operation of the existing government textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.194-209
• /
• 2023

This study aims to present implications for the appropriate establishment and development of a science-authorized textbook system through an understanding of the process of selecting science-authorized textbooks and analyzing the perception of teachers. Toward this end, this study conducted interviews with five elementary school teachers who participated in the science textbook selection process, surveys on 32 teachers, and analysis on the authors of the textbooks. The result demonstrated, first, that the "opinion gathering" stage was the most important one, and a council was formed in consideration of career and major. Moreover, the evaluation standard was reorganized and used according to the situation of the school. Second, in the process of opinion gathering, the teachers used a method for reviewing the entire textbook for each teacher. Inquiry activities and textbook composition (readability) were crucially considered as internal factors, and teaching and learning materials, such as videos, were deemed extremely important as external factors. The variable of the author, which is an indicator of the reliability and expertise of textbooks, was also recognized as vital. Third, the deliberation by the School Committee and the report by the principal were recognized as the administrative final step after selection. Finally, selecting the most suitable textbooks for each grade group was recognized as more important than arbitrarily unifying textbooks for the third and fourth grades and for the fifth and sixth grades.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.325-337
• /
• 2022

This study aims to determine the implications of the efficient and effective implementation of science core competency (ScC) education by examining the state of science core competencies derived from the 2015 revised elementary school science curriculum and analyzing teachers' and students' perceptions. To this end, this paper investigated the reality of reflecting the science core competencies of science textbooks in a group of third and fourth graders from seven elementary schools who passed the test. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with four elementary school teachers who participated in qualification textbook selection, and 156 elementary school students were surveyed to determine their perceptions of science core competencies. Findings showed that, first, 1,586 science core competencies were reflected throughout the textbooks, with an average of 227 per textbook and biology being the most salient area. Second, teachers did not understand the difference between previous inquiry activities in textbooks and ScC education. Third, no statistically significant differences were observed in the perceptions of male and female students on science core competencies, the highest average of perceptions being those of scientific thinking ability. From these results, this study concluded that for ScC education to be realized as a curriculum, textbooks must be organized according to the purpose of core competency education, implementing practical changes, and efforts must be directed toward changing the perceptions of individuals who deliver education.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.29-38
• /
• 2021

The social studies, mathematics, and science textbooks of the elementary curriculum will begin to be authorized from 2022. This study explores the effect of textbooks based on a gamification motivation strategy on learner interest. For this purpose, this study analyzes whether the systematic application of the gamification motivation strategy to elementary studies textbooks, which will be authorized from 2022, can develop this textbook into a "learner-centered curriculum book that induces interest." More specifically, this study applied Kumsung Publishing's experimental social studies textbooks in class and conducted a questionnaire among 121 third graders to verify the effectiveness of the textbooks. The results show that studies textbooks based on a gamification motivation strategy greatly influence increased learner interest in the classroom. The textbooks also represent a positive influence in learner understanding, interest, and curiosity regarding the class content and assistance. Demonstrating that gamification motivation strategy is worthwhile to actively apply in future textbook development for the enhancement of learners' interests, this study is significant in that it has presented a meaningful textbook development model.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.93-108
• /
• 2023

This study aims to analyze the types and roles of visualization materials presented in the third- and fourth-grade national and authorized science textbooks based on the 2015 revised curriculum. Using the type and role framework, 17 chapters were analyzed. The analysis revealed, first, that the national and authorized textbooks had different total amounts of visualization data and total amounts of simple illustrations. However, no difference in the amounts of simple illustrations and infographics used in the units was evident. The units that used the most infographics were Life, Earth and Universe, in that order, in both the national and the authorized textbooks. Second, simple illustrations were observed to have role differences according to the type of visualization data, but infographics had no such differences. Specifically, the motivational role in a simple illustration increased in all the authorized textbooks. Third, looking at the frequencies of the infographic subtypes, the Process, Structure, Comparative Analysis, and Timeline types accounted for 86% of the total, but the proportions of those subtypes varied in the national and authorized textbooks. Based on the results of this study, I suggest that to achieve differentiation in the types or roles of visualization materials, changes in the types, processes, and skills of inquiry must first occur, as must changes in the structure of chapters or lessons. Continuous research and discussion on the standards and methods for authorized textbooks are also needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.269-283
• /
• 2024

This study compared the characteristics of an experiment f or determining whether gas occupies space presented in elementary school science textbooks to examine the validity of the experiment, identify and improve problems in its presentation, and verify its effectiveness. This study interviewed third-year elementary school teachers who had experience teaching this experiment to students. Based on teachers' opinions and observations, this study identified issues with the current experiment, developed an improved experiment, and determined its effectiveness. Through this analysis, three key findings emerged. First, the study found that the original experiment on gases was presented in the same or highly similar manner in 5 of 7 textbooks (71.4%). Thus, while various textbooks have been developed with the aim of promoting diversity and creativity in scientific literature, most experiments presented in these books are identical. Second, the existing experiment was not suitable for its target audience (third-year elementary school students) and was difficult to observe directly. The interviewed teachers also deemed the validity of the experiment to be considerably low. Finally, the original experiment was improved; this improved version was determined to be highly valid, showing a statistically significant difference compared with the original experiment. The improved experiment was effective for students as it involved activities suitable for their intellectual level and was directly observable through the senses. Thus, the study analyzed and improved an existing science experiment f or elementary students, providing insights into the 2022 revised science authorized textbooks and implications for future textbook development.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.295-306
• /
• 2022

This study aims to analyze the aspect of inquiry activity for seven national science textbooks, which were recently authorized and developed for elementary schools. The study reviewed seven of the abovementioned textbooks, which were introduced to the authorized textbook system for 2022 in elementary schools. In-depth analysis was conducted on inquiry activities, which were frequently emphasized since the third curriculum. A chapter entitled "Stratum and Fossils" was selected to analyze the detailed types of inquiry activity using the framework. First, analysis was conducted on six types of inquiry activity. The result indicated that two out of seven inquiry activities different among the national and authorized textbooks. In other words, the two slightly differed from the inquiry activities presented in national textbooks. It was not reasonable that the introduction of the authorized textbook exerted an effect on the increase of autonomy and variety of teaching and learning activities compared with those of national textbooks. Second, science process skills, material, and inquiry process were established as standards for the detailed types of inquiry activity. The study demonstrated a slight difference among textbooks in terms of material and inquiry process, whereas the inquiry activities of the seven authorized textbooks were the same or similar. This finding indicated that students could experience seven types of inquiry activities. Moreover, the study examined inquiry activities related to essential learning contents in detail and found that there were more diverse than types of inquiry activities.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.487-499
• /
• 2022

This study aims to understand the trends and characteristics of elementary science textbook research. For this purpose, among the papers published in science-related journals from 2001 to 2021, 156 studies related to elementary science textbooks were analyzed to examine the research trends on textbook analysis. The analysis criteria consisted of two major categories, 'outward feature' and 'topic.' The subcategories of 'outward feature' consist of 'year of publication,' 'target curriculum,' 'target grade,' 'science content area,' 'subject of study,' and 'publishing institution.' The sub-categories of 'topic' consist of 'comparison,' 'content,' 'illustration,' 'inquiry activity,' 'perception of textbooks,' and 'others.' As a result of the analysis on 'outer feature,' textbook-related research was conducted almost every year, and the research on the 2009 revised science curriculum, on the 3-6 grades, and on the whole field of science had the most. The science textbook researches were published not only in science education-related journals but also in other areas' journals. As a result of the analysis of the 'topic,' the number of papers was higher in the order of comparative research, content analysis, illustration, inquiry activities, and perception of textbooks. Implications for accredited textbook system of elementary science were discussed based on the analyses on the elementary science textbook research trends.