• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.249-262
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• 2022

This study was conducted on the alternative concept of elementary school pre-service teachers to seasonal changes. From May 2021 to June 2022, it was conducted with 60 pre-primary teachers at P National University of Education. The conclusion of this study is as follows. First, pre-primary teachers explained the cause of seasonal changes, and out of 60 pre-primary teachers, only 22 (36%) had scientific concepts, and the remaining 38 (64%) students had alternative concepts. Second, in explaining how the inclination of the Earth's axis of rotation is related to seasonal changes, only 16 (27%) of the 60 pre-primary teachers had a scientific concept, and the remaining 44 (73%) had alternative concepts. Third, pre-primary teachers explained the relationship between the change in the solar altitude and the seasonal change. Among 60 pre-primary teachers, 12 (20%) had a scientific concept, and the remaining 48 (80%) had alternative concepts. Fourth, looking at the comprehensive types of alternative concepts for seasonal changes, the aS-bS-cS type, which is classified as a type that explains the causes of seasonal changes using scientific concepts as a whole, was 8(13%) out of 60 pre-primary teachers. and the remaining 52 (87%) had at least one alternative concept to explain seasonal changes.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 2022

This study investigated the aspects of how three preservice elementary school teachers conducted the data-text transforming discourses in their science simulation teaching and how their epistemological conversations worked for learners' construction of scientific knowledge. Three preservice teachers, who had presented simulation teaching on the seasonal change of constellations, participated in the study. The results revealed that one preservice teacher, who had implemented the transforming discourses of data-to-evidence and model-to-explanation, appeared to facilitate learners' knowledge construction. The other two preservice teachers had difficulty helping learners construct science knowledge due to their lack of transforming discourses. What we should consider for improving preservice elementary school teachers' teaching competencies was discussed based on a detailed comparison of three cases of preservice teachers' data-text transforming.

• 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 Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.185-200
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• 2024

This study explored the changes in the elementary science teaching expertise of teachers who participated in an in-school professional learning community for elementary science instructional research. Six elementary school teachers from grades 4, 5, and 6 at an 18-class S elementary school in a medium-sized city in Chungcheongbuk-do conducted collaborative instructional research on elementary science lessons as part of an in-school professional learning community, which was held 26 times over 7 months in 2020. During the professional learning community, video and audio recordings of the activities, research lessons, course materials, and professional learning community reflection activities were collected for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative research methods; data processing, reading, note-taking, description, classification, interpretation, reporting, and visualization; and the instructional professionalism elements were extracted based on the instructional professionalism framework. In the early professional learning community activity stages, the participating teachers first discussed their teaching perspectives, their experiences, and their goals for teaching science, which resulted in a selection of research questions. The teachers then collaboratively designed and implemented research lessons for each grade level, after which lesson reflections were conducted. The teachers' abilities to engage in qualitative reflection on the research questions improved after each reflection iteration. It was found that this professional learning community collaborative lesson study experience positively contributed to teaching expertise development. Based on the study findings, the implications for using professional learning communities to improve elementary teachers' science teaching expertise are given.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.80-93
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• 2018

This study tried to investigate whether it is appropriate to define the emotions of elementary school teachers, who avoid teaching science, as science teaching anxiety through exploring elementary school teachers' emotional expressions and related factors. 10 elementary school teachers who were reluctant to teach science participated in the research, and they presented their thoughts and feelings about teaching science through semi-structured interviews. As a result of analyzing the emotional expressions in the interview, 28 expressions of emotions appeared. Emotional expressions were divided into three types according to the degree of inclusion of factors related to anticipation in related situations. These results show that there are some emotional expressions that cannot be interpreted as the science teaching anxiety. Therefore, we propose to consider science teaching avoidance emotion not as science teaching anxiety but as a mixture of various emotions.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.553-568
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• 2022

This study investigated the level of academic passion for elementary school teachers' science pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and examined the factors that influence the passion. To this end, 161 elementary school teachers in Seoul were selected, and academic passion tests were then administered to evaluate their academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge. Individual in-depth interviews were also conducted with some of the participating teachers. The results revealed that 'importance' and 'harmonious passion' for learning science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge were found at a high level. However, 'time/energy investment' and 'obsessive passion' for learning the knowledge were slightly higher or lower than normal. The 'like' for learning science subject matter knowledge was relatively high, but the 'like' for learning science pedagogical knowledge was slightly higher than normal. The differences in academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge were greater according to advanced major at undergraduate than teaching career. The teachers evenly selected some factors that influenced their academic passion for science subject matter knowledge and science pedagogical knowledge. These identified characteristics included 'individual interest', 'high school track', 'experience in advanced major at undergraduate', 'experience in science-related graduate school', 'experience teaching science in elementary school', 'experience teaching science at the gifted education institute', 'experience in charge of science subject teacher', 'experience in science-related teacher training', 'experience in developing science-related teaching and learning materials', 'experience in charge of science or science-gifted related work', and 'experience in a science-related teacher community'. However, a slight difference was noted in the selection ratio depending on advanced major at undergraduate. Based on these results, the practical implications for improving their academic passion for science PCK are suggested.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.84-98
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• 2012

이 연구는 전하 이동을 강조한 튜토리얼을 통하여 초등 교사의 전기 개념 변화를 분석하고, 초등 교사 교육을 위한 시사점을 얻는데 있다. 튜토리얼은 사전검사, 워크시트, 사후검사로 구성되었고, 내용은 두 개의 대범주인 정전기 영역과 전류 영역으로 이루어졌다. 현직 초등 교사 68명에게 튜토리얼을 적용하고 선택형 질문지, 사전 검사, 사후 검사, 워크 시트, 튜토리얼 과정 녹화 전사본 및 면담을 통하여 초등 교사의 전기 개념 변화를 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 교사들은 도체와 부도체의 전기적 특성에 대해 이해하게 되었는데, 마찰과 유도, 접촉에서 전하들의 움직임을 고려하고 설명할 수 있게 되었다. 그러므로 대전과 전류를 혼동하는 어려움이 해소되었다. 열린 회로에서는 전압을 전하가 받는 힘을 고려하여 이해할 수 있게 되었고, 축전기를 통해 일시적 전하의 이동을 설명할 수 있었다. 이것은 전압이 전류의 결과라는 오개념을 과학적 개념으로 바꾸는데 중요한 역할을 하였다. 닫힌 회로에서는 전구 양단에 쌓이는 전하들의 분포를 강조함으로써 회로에서 전류가 소모되지 않고 일정함을 이해하게 되었고, 직렬과 병렬에서도 각 회로에서 전구 양단의 전하들의 분포를 고려함으로써 회로에 따라 전지의 역할이 달라짐을 이해할 수 있게 되었다.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.770-782
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• 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 The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to inquire the properties and relationship of attitudes toward science and process skills of preservice elementary teachers. Two instruments were used to collect the data, SAS(Science Attitude Scales) for checking up attitude toward science and TIPS II(Test of Integrated Process Skill II) for inspecting science process skills. Three main results were revealed. First, preservice elementary teachers' the attitude toward science and science process skills could not show the significant differences by gender. This result is differ from the results of preceding researches which had set up the students of elementary, middle and high school as objects. Second, the properties of preservice elementary teachers' the attitude toward science and science process skills according to the course in high school were also differ from those of preceding researches having students as objects. The preservice elementary teachers who got the literary courses in high school were more confident in science learning and perform that those who have the academic background of science courses in high school. In addition, although they showed better abilities in two sub-scales of science process skills, the preservice teachers with science course didn't show the better science process skills than those who had taken the literary course in total score of science process skill test. Third, there was a significant relationship between attitude toward science and science process skills of preservice elementary teachers but just one sub-scale was related with science process skills. According to these results, it can be said that the preceding results with students as objects can not be applied to and preservice elementary teachers should be guided by the methods which are considering their special properties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.109-118
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of experience as a science experiment assistant teacher on the science instruction anxiety and the science teaching efficacy beliefs of elementary pre-service teachers in a small scale school. For this study, 21 elementary pre-service teachers were selected and then they worked as science experiment assistant teachers in small scale schools for about 10 months. They were tested the science instruction anxiety and the science teaching efficacy beliefs in before and after. After analyzing the tests results, some pre-service teachers were interviewed. The results of this study are as follows. The experiences as science experiment assistant teachers positively influenced on reducing the science instruction anxiety to elementary pre-service teachers. The experiences also had positive effects on reducing both state anxiety and trait anxiety, which are the sub-factors of science instruction anxiety. In addition, the science teaching efficacy beliefs and its sub-factor, the self-efficacy in science teaching, had positive impacts, but the experiences did not have a positive impact on the outcome expectancy. The effects of the experience as a science experiment assistant teacher were different according to the personal experiences and cognitions of pre-service teachers.