• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.140-156
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• 2010

This study aimed to investigate how science teachers perceived major features of the 2007 revised science curriculum and implementing them in classes. The 2007 revised science curriculum included critical features such as creativity, open inquiry, science writing, discussion and STS. In terms of necessity, clarity and complexity of those features for curriculum implementation, teacher perceptions were examined. Particularly with regard to open inquiry assigned 6 class periods per semester as one of the critical features of 2007 revised science curriculum, we asked teachers how they would prepare and implement the technique in their teaching. In results of this study, science teachers agreed on the necessity and importance of those major features of the 2007 revised science curriculum, including creativity, open inquiry, science writing, discussion, and STS. However, they were not clear on how those would work in their classrooms and expected various impediments. Open inquiry was specifically perceived as most negative in its implementation with the mention of various complex reasons. Based on findings in this study, we proposed the 'Dual Action Research Model' for curriculum implementation. It tries to explain how curriculum is implemented in classrooms and diminish the gaps between curriculum developers and teacher users by means of leading teachers to understand the curriculum meaningfully and implement their teaching based on this understanding.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.549-557
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• 2014

In this study, the readability of the texts in the third and the sixth grade science textbooks developed under the 2007 revised science curriculum were analyzed in terms of word and sentence units. In the word unit analyses, the levels of the words in the texts were classified into four categories, 1st to 4th levels. In the sentence unit analyses, the sentences in the texts were classified either a simple sentence or compound/complex sentences, and the average length of the sentences was also calculated. The results indicated that more than 90 percents of the words in the 2007 revised science textbooks were classified as the 1st to the 3rd levels. However, both the kinds and the frequencies of the words in the 2007 revised science textbooks were increased in comparison of those in the 7th science textbooks. In particular, it was found that the increasement in the 3rd grade science textbook was noticeable. The ratio of the compound/complex sentences in the 2007 revised science textbooks were increased in comparison of those in the 7th science textbooks. The average length of the sentences in the 2007 revised science textbooks was also increased.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.186-197
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• 2012

The proliferation of bioinformatics in modern biology marks a modern revolution in science that promises to influence science education at all levels. This study analyzed the contents of standards in the 7th and 2007 and 2009 revised high school biology curricula and compared the contents, amount and the presentation styles of bioinformatics with those of biotechnology in biology textbooks. In result, first of all, there are some vague expressions about biotechnology and bioinformatics in the 7th and 2007 revised curriculum. There is a clear expression about biotechnology in 'life science I' and 'advanced biology' of 2009 revised curriculum. Second, more biotechnology is introduced than bioinformatics in 'science', 'biology I', 'biology II', 'life science I' textbooks. Third, in 'biology for high class' textbook, amount of biotechnology contents in the 2007 revised curriculum didn't increase. An more effort to introduce bioinformatics to science high school student is needed according to revising curricula.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.239-254
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• 2015

The aims of this research were to analyze and compare verbs in the contents of the 7th, 2007, and 2009 revised national curriculum for elementary and middle school science. After the investigation of 1383 verbs in description of achievement standards and inquiry, we found that 'to know'(15.0 %) in elementary school and 'to understand'(24.2 %) in middle school were the most frequently used ones, totally in these three curriculums. In the 7th national curriculum, frequently used verbs in elementary school were ones related with inquiry such as observation, investigation and so on though 'to understand' had the most common verbs. Secondly, 'to explain' ranked top among verbs in the 2007 revised national curriculum. It showed some possibility of influences of the discussion-oriented situation at that time. Finally, however, in 2009 revised national curriculum, 'to know' and 'to understand' occupied the first and second portion of the verb distribution. In addition, 'to understand' and 'to observe' were used evenly through three curriculums but the portions of 'to know' increased through curriculum revisions. Some implications and discussions were also added with suggestions for further researches.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.479-490
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the reading materials in the elementary school science textbooks in order to obtain implications for the effective use of them. The reading materials in the elementary school science textbooks developed under the 7th and the 2007 revised National Science Curricula were analyzed. The criteria for classifying the reading materials were the type of theme, purpose, students' activity, the type of presentation, the type of images, the role of images, and readability. The results indicated that the reading materials in the 2007 revised science textbooks are more systematic than those in the 7th science textbooks in terms of their length and their distribution among energy, matter, life, and earth areas. It was also found that various types of reading materials are presented in the 2007 revised science textbooks covering new themes such as frontier science, job opportunity and career, and environment. In addition, the reading materials in the 2007 revised science textbooks introduce more visual images and the readability of them are also better than their counterpart. However, several limitations were still found to exist in the reading materials of the 2007 revised textbooks; most of them are non-inquiry and explanatory; most of the visual images are illustration and/or pictures. Educational implications are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.454-468
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• 2016

In this study, the gender-role stereotyping of the texts and the illustrations in the elementary science textbooks developed under the 2009 Revised National Curriculum was analyzed, and the results were compared with those of the 2007 Revised National Curriculum. In the texts, there were significant differences between boys and girls in the frequencies of texts, two types of learning activities such as scientific inquiry and emotional expression, and housekeeping activity. Women outnumbered men in housekeeping activity, but they were much less than men to perform outdoor and professional activities. In the illustrations, there were not significant differences by gender in pupils, and these results are desirable in terms of achieving balance between boys and girls. However, the textbooks were found to favor the illustrations of men especially in outdoor and professional activities. Women also performed more in housekeeping activity. Compared with the adult results of previous curriculum, these results were not improved at all.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.129-142
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• 2017

In this study, the characteristics of the reading materials in elementary school science textbooks developed under the 2009 revised National Science Curriculum were investigated. The criteria for classifying the reading materials were the types of topic, purpose, students' activity, and presentation. The visual images in the reading materials were also analyzed from the viewpoint of type, role, caption type, and proximity type. The results indicated that the number of the reading materials in the 2009 revised science textbooks decreased compared to that of the 2007 revised science textbooks. It was also found that the frequencies of the reading materials expanding concepts of the text and/or requiring corresponding students' inquiry increased. More visual images were used in the reading materials of the 2009 revised science textbooks. However, several limitations were still found to exist; most visual images were illustration and/or picture; many visual images were presented without a caption; there was a problem in the proximity of visual image to text.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.113-128
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• 2017

This study aims to investigate the research trend of elementary environmental education. Thus, author keywords were extracted from a total of 197 academic these related to elementary environmental education during two different periods when detailed goals were applied to the 2007 and 2009 revised curriculums respectively, and then this study analyzed the network of author keywords. The results of this study can be summarized as below. Firstly, as a result of analyzing the frequency of author keywords from academic theses related to elementary environmental education, this study discovered 369 author keywords from the period when detailed goals were applied to 2009 revised curriculum. Out of them, it was found that the keyword, 'climate change education', showed the highest frequency, followed by 'environmental literacy' and 'environmental perception', except such central keywords as 'environmental education' and 'elementary school student'. From the period when detailed goals were applied to the 2007 revised curriculum, a total of 394 author keywords were discovered, and the keyword, 'environmental literacy', showed the highest frequency, followed by 'environmental perception' and 'ESD (education for sustainable development)'. Secondly, as a result of analyzing the network of author keywords, this study found out that in the total number of network connections, average connection degree, density and clique, the period when detailed goals were applied to the 2007 revised curriculum was somewhat higher than the period when detailed goals were applied to the 2009 revised curriculum. As a result of analyzing the centrality of author keywords, this study found out that during both the periods, 'environmental perception' and 'environmental literacy' were high in degree centrality and betweenness centrality, except such central keywords as 'environmental education' and 'elementary school student'. As a result of analyzing the components of author keywords as sub-networks, this study discovered 9 components from the period when detailed goals were applied to the 2009 revised curriculum and 6 components from the period when detailed goals were applied to the 2007 revised curriculum. During both the periods, the largest component was composed of keywords high in degree centrality and betweenness centrality.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.398-404
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• 2013

In this study, the analogies in the chemistry domain of middle school science textbooks developed under the 2007 revised National Curriculum were analyzed. A total of 235 analogies were found in 27 middle school science textbooks analysed, which means that one analogy per 10 pages was used on average. The number of analogies found in each textbook considerably varied depending on both publishing company and chemistry domain. Functional analogies, verbal and pictorial analogies, analogies with abstract target and concrete analog, enriched analogies, everyday contexts analogies, student-centered analogies, and analogies with low systematicity were frequently used. On presenting the analogies in the textbooks, the term analogy and description about the limitations of the analogies were rarely mentioned. In comparison with the analogies in the science textbooks developed under the 7th National Curriculum, the frequency of analogies per page was increased. There were positive changes in the aspects of representation, extent of mapping and artificiality. No differences, however, were found in the patterns of the other aspects.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to assist understanding the integrated subjects and to obtain implications required on the actual operation of curriculum by analyzing content elements and basic inquiry activities in the revised "wise lift" curriculum 2007. The result of this study is as follows. First, the formation of elements in contents of "wise life" deals with the passage of time based on changing seasons, myself and family in the 1st grade and the concept of space based on home and a village in the 2nd grade. Six main subjects and twelve activity subjects are presented per each grade. Second, number of activity subjects and content elements are reduced as compared with 7th curriculum so that the responsibility of operating classes based on activities is reduced and the purpose of rationalizing contents is somewhat fulfilled. Third, eliminating a relevant domains decisively when presenting the activity subjects assures the identification and purpose as the integrated subject focused on inquiry activities. Fourth, the result of analyzing the course-relevance on content elements shows that the allotment per each domain and course is less considered but the relevance of social studies is higher regardless of non-course characteristics as the integrated subject. Fifth, according to the component ratio of basic inquiry activities, 'Observing' and 'Debating' were presented as the most essential activities, and 'Measuring' and 'Making' were relatively low. By considering characteristics of course requiring balanced and various experiences of inquiry activities, additional discussions are required on appropriateness of the component ratio. Sixth, 'Observing' was increased and 'Debating' and 'Making' were decreased on the main activities in this revised curriculum as compared with 7th curriculum.