• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.717-728
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• 2019

The cultivation of creative convergence talent has become more important than ever, the Korean curriculum has also undergone many changes, aiming for convergence and integrated education. In addition to these changes in science and curriculum, we examined the changes in perception and Professionalism(PCK) of integrated science education of science teachers over the past decade. For this study, 359 elementary and secondary science teachers in 2008, when the 2007 revised curriculum was applied, and 360 elementary and secondary science teachers in 2018, when the 2015 revised curriculum was applied, were examined for 10 years of changes in perceptions and PCK of integrated science education. The conclusions from the analysis were as follows. First, in 2018, elementary and secondary science teachers were found to have a statistically significant increase in awareness of integrated science education. Nevertheless, cognition was found to be 'normal'. Second, teachers' perception of the necessity of improving the professionalism of teachers, providing teaching and learning materials, reducing the contents of learning, reducing the number of students and securing flexible timetables, and raising the perception of integrated science education for students and parents as a condition for the success of integrated science education, was analyzed to be significantly higher in 2018. Third, the results of PCK survey through self-diagnosis, teachers' PCK on integrated science education, such as competence to secure curriculum contents knowledge, comprehension of curriculum and class composition related to integrated science education, teaching strategy for integrated, creation of teaching and learning environment for integrated teaching, efforts to improve administrative constraints and the professionalism of integrated science education, was significantly higher than it was ten years ago. Therefore, the recent emphasis on convergence education has increased the experience of applying convergence classes in the field of education, and it was seen as a result of the continuous efforts of science teachers to meet the changes in the education paradigm.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.191-207
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• 2023

In this study, we comprehensively investigated the cases of science teachers who implemented NOS assessments in Science Inquiry Experiment. Two science teachers working at high schools located in Seoul who taught and assessed NOS in Science Inquiry Experiment according to the 2015 revised curriculum participated in the study. We collected lesson and assessment materials and observed NOS lessons and assessments. We also conducted interviews. Based on the collected data, we analyzed the processes of the teachers' NOS assessments. The analyses of the results revealed that the teachers constructed the assessments by themselves due to a lack of NOS assessment experience and related materials. They had difficulties in selecting an appropriate assessment method and constructing assessment questions and criteria. Both teachers found it difficult to assess an understanding of NOS because it concerns the subjective views of individual students. Therefore, they had difficulties in setting detailed assessment criteria, which also led to difficulties in the overall assessment process. There was a difference in the reflective level of the assessments between the two teachers. In the reflective activities of low levels, the assessments were not properly enacted because it was difficult to infer students' understanding. Orientation toward teaching NOS influenced the perceptions of NOS assessment and overall lessons, resulting in a difference in NOS assessments. Finally, the absolute evaluation of Science Inquiry Experiment also affected teachers' NOS assessments. Based on the above results, implications for effective NOS assessments in schools are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.751-772
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• 2015

Valid and effective science education would require research-based decisions on multiple aspects of science education including policy decisions, science curriculum development, designing teaching resources and methods. However, this has not been the case. In order to provide a research base for science education practices and policy-making, this study reviewed research articles published in major science education research journals in South Korea in the last ten years. The analysis was focused on 8 areas including student conceptions, student thinking, inquiry, affective domain, student ideas about science, science curriculum, students' learning and classroom activity, and student learning in informal settings. General research trends found include: First, science education research conducted for the past decade focused on a certain limited topics/areas. Second, research participants were also limited to certain grade levels or types of students. Third, rather than examining developmental processes descriptive research was prevalent. Fourth, there was a lack of research on developing new areas of study or research on generation of new perspectives, theories or tools. Fifth, many studies were related to school science learning while relatively less studies were about other areas that would impact students' future. Based on the results, we suggest several implications for science curriculum development, policy development, science teaching and learning resources, and others.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.473-483
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of students' academic achievement of middle school science curriculum achievement standards in the 2009 revised national curriculum and to generate implications for curriculum improvement. Based on the results of the 2015-2018 National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA), we analyzed middle school students' mastery of 84 curriculum achievement standards. In the analysis, we used representative item information by achievement level and correct answer rate and checked the validity of the determination of mastery. According to the results of the analysis, 15 of the 84 achievement standards could not determine the degree of achievement. In science, many achievement standards could be mastered only by above-average group students. By achievement level, there were six achievement standards that advanced achievement-level students did not achieve, 38 achievement standards judged to represent mastery by advanced achievement-level students, 23 achievement standards judged to represent mastery by proficient achievement-level students, and two achievement standards judged to represent mastery by basic achievement-level students. By content area, the number of achievement standards corresponding to advanced and proficient levels was similar in the areas of motion and energy and earth and space domains. In the material and life domains, there were more achievement standards corresponding to advanced levels. Accordingly, it is necessary to reinforce customized teaching and learning activities in relation to achievement standards that were under-achieved.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.767-775
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• 2019

This study was conducted to analyze explicit and implicit teaching cases of scientific terms in accordance with the 2015 revised curriculum, pointing out the problems of current textbooks in terms of scientific terms education and proposing method to improve them. Scientific terms used in eight science textbooks of 2015 revised curriculum, third and sixth graders of elementary school, first graders of middle school and first graders of high school were extracted, and cases used explicitly and implicitly were collected and analyzed. Brief summary of the results of the study is as follows. First, scientific terms were used in elementary, middle, and high school science textbooks at a rate of about 15 to 30 percent of the total vocabulary contained in the textbooks, which is on average more than five times larger than those in foreign countries based on the number of scientific terms included on each page. Second, among the scientific terms used in science textbooks, the percentage of scientific terms in which semantic education is achieved through explicit means was 9.7 to 18.8 percent, which naturally means that the remaining 80 percent or more of the scientific terms are presented in the form of implicit education. Third, even though the ratio of explicit term education should be higher in the lower grades, the ratio of explicit term education in elementary schools was lower than 10% in the sixth grade.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.209-220
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• 2015

Science has an essentially integrated character as a discipline that explores the natural phenomena. And the integrated science education is required to achieve the goals of science education to forster scientific literacy of all students. In this respect, we defined the basic concepts and principles that can penetrate the natural phenomena as an integrated concepts in this study, and organized the contents of integrated science curriculum around them. Integrated concept centered curriculum was intended for the 10th grade students and the breadth and depth of learning concepts were represented by presenting the achievement level of the learning concepts. Contents organization of integrated science curriculum presented in this study was meant to provide a new perspectives to the revision of the national integrated science curriculum that is currently in progress.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.203-219
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper was analyzing the contents of life science area in elementary science textbooks according to Korean science curricula change to get suggestions for the advancement of science curriculum. The framework of content analysis was developed by revising TIMSS 2015 life science evaluation framework. The results of this research were as follows: 'The differences of living things and non-living things appearing in the first grade mostly were not included in the 1st, the 6th and the 2009 revised curricula. Contents emphasizing rural life were appeared from 'Teaching themes period' to the 2nd curriculum period, disappeared from the 3rd curriculum period until the 2009 revised curriculum. Contagious disease was emphasized in all elementary grades in the 1st curriculum period, which reflected a social phenomena emphasizing health and hygiene after the Korean War. Mostly fungus was included until the 7th curriculum period and bacteria and virus were added from the 2007 revised curriculum period. The way of improving health was emphasized continuously.' The differences of living things and non-living things should be included in elementary science curriculum for the correct 'life' concept formation of elementary students. 'Strategies for helping the living of descendants' and 'the heredity of animal and plant' which were appeared in the lower grades, should be included at the higher grades with greater depth. The incoming elementary science textbooks also need to include science contents about evolution in greater depth, along with human health.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.4
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• pp.689-710
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze contents of the elementary school textbooks on 'Forest Education' based on the 2015 revised curriculum. This study is designed to determine the status of forest educationrelated content in the curriculum. Thetypesofforesteducationintextbooksweredividedintoanalysis. In addition, the standards of achievement of the curriculum were analyzed into the areas of forest education curriculum to determine the similarities between the curriculum and the achievement of forest education. This study shows that, first, the field of knowledge in forest education was included in all subjects and grades except mathematics. It noted that the curriculum includes areas of knowledge that directly convey knowledge related to forest education. This showed that the forest education knowledge area is linked to various courses. Second, the types of forest education included in the curriculum appeared differently depending on age. In the lower grades, there was the most information on the tools and sensibilities of forest education, and in the higher grades, the more knowledge and value-related areas were addressed. As the school year increases, so do forest education levels. Third, when analyzing the achievement criteria in the curriculum, the curriculum achievement criteria included key points in forest education. Thus, this study confirmed the link between the curriculum and forest education.

• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.12
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• pp.1347-1355
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• 2018

This study aimed at investigating the physics curriculum implemented in science core schools. Thus, the researchers analyzed the science curriculum articulated in the annual reports of science core schools and interviewed some teachers in the schools to identify the features of the physics curriculum. The research findings were as follows: First, with respect to the teaching units by subjects, general science had the largest proportion, as much as 6.7 hours in average, and physics I and II were 4.2 and 4.4 hours, respectively, which were similar to other subjects such as chemistry, life science, and earth science. Second, most of schools opened the courses of physics I and II with two hours for two semesters. Fourteen schools taught physics I as an intensive unit whereas nine schools taught physics II intensively. In the case of specialized subjects, the most frequent one was independent research, and advanced physics was taught in 7 schools whereas physics experiments were done in 34 schools. Based on the findings, this study gives some implications about how to organize the physics curriculum in science core schools according to the 2015 revised science curriculum.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2022

This study investigated and analyzed the social and emotional learning components of middle school science, and high school integrated science and science inquiry experiments, which are common subjects that all students must complete. The subjects of analysis were 139 achievement standards of science and curriculum and 496 activities included in textbooks. The research results are as follows. In the case of curriculum achievement standards, 'cultural understanding' was hardly included among the seven science and social-emotional learning elements, 'numeracy' and 'creative thinking' appeared high in middle school, 'critical thinking', 'social technology' and 'ethical understanding' were included with high frequency in high school. And in the case of textbook activity, the tendency of social-emotional learning elements in middle school and high school was similar. 'critical thinking', 'creative thinking', and 'social skills' were mainly provided, while 'ethical understanding' and 'cultural understanding' were reflected in a limited way. In order to cultivate the elements of overall social-emotional learning, it is necessary to specify the achievement standards of the curriculum or to supplement the textbook activities and teaching-learning process.