• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.480-493
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• 2005

The development of modem technology made people more aware of the importance of science education, which was followed by research on textbooks based on the new curriculum. This study compared physics textbooks that were published after the new curriculum started in 2000 and 2002 in Korea and Japan, respectively, and aimed to become a reference for further improvement of science curriculum and textbook reform. The results were as follows : 1. The number of teaching topics in Korean science textbook is greater than those in Japan. 2. In detail, the field of physics appeared to be relatively more important in Korea's textbooks, while it was the field of biology that was given more weight in textbooks in Japan. 3. The textbooks in Korea and Japan covered in more detail the concepts of 'power and energy' and 'electricity and magnetism', respectively. 4. The textbooks in Korea introduced the contents of magnetism initially, whereas their counterparts in Japan, the contents of light. As a whole, the contents of the science textbooks in Korea and Japan were very similar. However, more detailed concepts were included in Korea's textbooks, and therefore, Korea's textbooks seemed to have richer contents than Japan.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.759-770
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to examine the Earth science content relevance of the 7th national science curriculum. For this purpose, we (1) analyzed science curriculum or content standards of Korea, California, England and Japan, (2) compared science textbooks of Korea and Japan, (3) conducted a nationwide survey to gather opinions from students, teachers, professors and textbook authors about the relevance of the science curriculum and textbooks. According to the results, the Earth science contents of the 7th national science curriculum were not appropriate in terms of the objectives of science curriculum and the needs of students and society. The main reasons include the equal division among physics, chemistry, biology and earth science, iack of connection due to fractionation of units, overly strict application of spiral curriculum, and redundant amount of activities and concepts to cover in the textbook. Major suggestions fir securing the relevance of Earth science contents are as follows: First, the science contents and the size of units at each grade level should be determined according to the students' characteristics, not by equal portion rule. Second, the excessive overlapping and repetition of contents due to the spiral curriculum should be avoided. In addition, the number of activities should be reduced and the quality of required science activities should be improved. Third, to raise students' interest in Earth science, real-life applications and real-world Earth science contents should be emphasized including natural disasters, safety, universe and space exploration, and natural resources. Lastly, considering one of the relevance criteria is feasibility, supports for schools and science teachers are needed to realize the goal of the intended science curriculum.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.325-337
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• 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 The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.393-405
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of Semantic Network Program (SNP) instruction on learning achievement and motivation in high school biology classes. For this study, a SNP was designed by applying the recommendations in regard to student attention and satisfaction factors in Keller's ARCS theory. SNP instruction was conducted with an experimental group and a control group, each consisting of 62 high school biology class student. A pretest-posttest control group design was employed. The pre-test was used to analyze the learning achievement test, learning motivation test, and semantic forming test. For 4 weeks the experiment group was instructed using the developed SNP which centered on Keller's attention and satisfaction factors, and the control group was instructed via teacher-centered lectures based on the textbook. It was found that SNP instruction efficiently increased students' biology learning achievement (p<.001). It was also discovered that SNP instruction was effective in increasing Keller's motivation strategies on attention and satisfaction factors (p<.001). In addition, SNP instruction positively affected students' semantic formation (p<.001) and learning content retention (p>.05) in the heredity unit by aiding students in the area of active multimedia learning. An in depth interview with students in the class using SNP instruction showed that material learned via this method in biology had longer retention of problem-solving methods. Consequently, SNP instruction according to motivation strategies may high school biology teachers with meaningful teaching-learning methods strategies for the unit on heredity.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.252-263
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• 2015

This study analyzed the effects of science outdoor activity applying a Brain-Based Evolutionary (ABC-DEF) approach on elementary school students' interest and academic achievement. Samples of the study were composed of 3 classes of 67 sixth graders in Seoul, Korea. Unit of 'Ecosystem and Environment' was selected as a object of the research. Textbook- and teachers' guidebook-based instruction was implemented in comparison group, brain-based evolutionary approach within classroom in experimental group A, and science outdoor learning by a brain-based evolutionary approach in experimental group B. In order to analyze the quantitative differences of students' interests and achievements, three tests of 'General Science Attitudes', 'Applied Unit-Related Interests', and 'Applied Unit-Related Achievement' were administered to the students. To find out the characteristics which would not be apparently revealed by quantitative tests, qualitative data such as portfolios, daily records of classroom work, and interview were also analyzed. The major results of the study are as follows. First, for post-test of interest, a statistically significant difference between comparison group and experimental group B was found. Especially, the 'interests about biology learning' factor, when analyzed by each item, was significant in two questions. Results of interviews the students showed that whether the presence or absence of outdoor learning experience influenced most on their interests about the topic. Second, for post-test of achievement, the difference among 3 groups according to high, middle, and low levels of post-interest was not statistically significant, but the groups of higher scores in post-interest tends to have higher scores in post-achievement. It can be inferred that outdoor learning by a brain-based evolutionary approach increases students' situational interests about leaning topic. On the basis of the results, the implications for the research in science education and the teaching and learning in school are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.305-313
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• 1999

As a comprehensive study on the development of curriculum for environmental education based on the standpoint of ecology, the environmental issues within the science textbooks used in the elementary, middle and high school were analyzed with the special emphasis to four aspects; 1) the causes and 2) the examples of environmental pollution, 3) the principles of ecology, and 4) the endeavor to overcome environmental crises. The results confirm that the science textbooks were written on the basis of Environmentalism rather than Ecology, and the environmental issues were listed fragmentarily within the subjects related to science, and not systematically assembled between inter-subjects or-sciences. Therefore, the systematic and inter-scientific approaches based on the ecology will be needed for further and better environmental education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.275-286
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the features of inquiry activities using technology in the 2015 revised elementary science digital textbooks. For this, we analyzed the features of inquiry context and inquiry method presented in inquiry activities using three kinds of technology: Virtual experiment, virtual reality and augmented reality. As a result, firstly, the most common types of 77 inquiry activities were realistic type which shows the phenomenon actually and vividly as possible and realistic-abstract type which shows the phenomena with the abstract concepts. Second, the ways of using three technologies were different depending on the processes of inquiry and the sub-domains of science. For example, virtual experiment technologies were mostly used in the contents of physics and chemistry with the inquiry context of realistic-abstract type for investigating the relationship between variables of experiments and describing the phenomena mechanically. On the other hand, virtual reality and augmented reality techniques tended to be used more frequently in biology and earth science contents with the inquiry context of realistic type for observing and describing the phenomena. Finally, we discussed educational implications in terms of developing and applying technology-based inquiry activities.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.44-55
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• 2009

The research is aimed at investigating the development and application of high school biology classes utilizing discourse-typed inquiry learning program fitted with POE, and the corresponding effect on student's academic achievement and attitude toward science. 4 classes of 11th graders in a general high school located in Busan were selected as subjects. Biology I, 'Circulation' unit was lectured for 4 weeks (6 classes), and the experimental group underwent classes utilizing discourse-typed inquiry learning program fitted with POE. The control group was taught identical major learning contents, but based on the learning objectives and research activities provided by Biology I textbook. As a result of application, first, the discourse-typed inquiry learning program fitted with POE exhibited positive consequences of linking previously acquired knowledge and the new learning attained through experiments, as well as not only improving the students' problem solving capacity through diverging questions from the teachers to drive the students' higher-level contemplation, but also enhancing student academic achievement by assisting their logical thinking. Second, POE-fitted discourse-typed inquiry learning program rendered presupposing session of the experiment that resulted in drawing learners' attention in advance, and incited active participation in the learning process through solving the contradiction between what was actually observed and what was expected, which eventually proved to lay out positive impact on students' attitude toward science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.239-247
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• 1999

This study is to make suggestion for developing textbook systematically by analyzing biological contents and organization in science textbooks which are important instructional media to accomplish objectives of the 6th middle school science curriculum. The inclusiveness degree of the 6th science educational objectives reflected in the textbooks was analyzed by Klopfer's and the Korean Educational Department's objectives taxonomy. And the biological contents and the organization of the science textbook were analyzed by learner, subject matter, and society dimensions which are selecting criteria for curriculum objectives suggested in Tyler's curriculum model. The analyzed results are as follows: 1. The inclusiveness degree of the educational objectives was very low. 2. Regarding the dimension of learner, the concepts of formal operational cognitive level were much increased as grade becomes higher. And the degree of learner's interests reflected on the learning topics and domains was very low. 3. Regarding the dimension of subject matter, the concept-centered learning was increased, in relation to inquiry learning as grade becomes higher. The analyzed results of inquiry subskills showed that observation, classification, and recording skills in 1st grade, observation and operation skills in 2nd grade, and interpreting data skills in 3rd grade were centered. As the problems and processes were presented, so most of inquiry activities had low openness scale. The learning contexts were organized into discipline-centered in relation to real life. 4. Regarding society dimension, the learning topics of environments and health were much presented. but those of biotechnology and career were presented scarcely. And most learning topics related society dimension were organized in textbooks of the 2nd and 3rd grade. These suggested that to accomplish curriculum objectives effectively. the inclusiveness degree of educational objectives is to increase and, the contents and organization of textbook were constructed harmoniously in aspects of learner, subject matter and society dimensions.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.75-88
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• 2001

From 1905 to 1910 when the deepening national and educational crisis existed, the Korean intellectuals established many educational associations and published many academic journals. In this study, the researcher investigated 9 academic journals which had 132 books published by these educational associations in Korea during the Modern Educational Period (1876${\sim}$1910). The results of this study were summarized as follows : (1) The contents of journals mainly consisted of the Korean history and geography for the purpose of increasing Korean people's identification. And also the journal articles dealt with the western political and economic systems. In addition to these contents, the journals included many scientific studies which were aimed at educating the ordinary Korean people. (2) The scientific articles from these journals were mainly composed of earth science and biology including physiology, while the number of articles for physics and chemistry was less. (3) These scientific articles were published by the same writer in a series .However, the academic level of these was like a school textbook. Based on the results of the data analysis, it is believed that these journal articles possibly were used as a school textbook for science education.