• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.207-212
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• 2014

The national reform document, Science for All Americans (AAAS, 1990), and the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2012) emphasize the importance of the nature of science in guiding science educators in accurately portraying science to students. Therefore, it is important that textbook materials convey an accurate conception of the nature of science. This study employs content analysis to examine the content of textbooks in US and Korea elementary science textbooks with regard to the four aspects of the nature of science: (a) nature of scientific knowledge; (b) nature of scientific inquiry; (c) nature of scientific thinking; and (d) nature of interactions among science, technology, and society (Chiappetta, Fillman, & Sethna, 2004). Intercoder reliability was determined by calculating Cohen's kappa (Cohen, 1960). Findings show that while US elementary science textbooks are not balanced in presenting the four aspects of the nature of science regardless of the publishing companies, the presentation of the nature of science in Korean elementary science textbooks have better balanced treatment of the four themes across the grade levels. On the other hand, both US and Korean elementary science textbooks are attempting to convey an idea of what science is by emphasizing scientific knowledge and investigation.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.486-501
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• 2015

In the elementary school science curriculum, wind is one of the most important concept. In particular, land and sea breeze has been a key example to deliver how wind is driven, and thus its model experiments have been used to help students understand causes of wind. Here we compare causes and explanations for wind and land and sea breeze between textbooks in colleges and elementary schools to examine any potential improvement for the contents. In addition, we conducted survey to examine how pre-service teachers understand land and sea breeze, and convection box experiment used in elementary school textbooks is useful to understand land and sea breeze. Based on the comparison, we find that college level textbook explains the cause of wind as atmospheric pressure difference while elementary school textbooks explain them differently according to curriculums. In the textbooks, there are a difference in the way described for land and sea breeze. Analysis of questionnaire indicate that pre-service teachers understood land and sea breeze correctly, and they selected the convection box experiment in 2009 curriculum textbooks as the most suitable one. Explanations and experiments for land and sea breeze in the textbooks have been revised as the modification of elementary school curriculums. We expect this study helps to deliver more solid contents for wind and land and sea breeze in the upcoming new curriculum.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

This study analyzed the illustrations presented in the elementary science paper textbooks and digital textbooks under the 2015 revised curriculum in terms of gender role stereotypes. The frequency of pupils and adults on illustrations was counted by gender, and the types of activities and behavior of characters were analyzed. For pupils, paper textbooks showed a higher frequency of girls than boys, and digital textbooks showed similar gender rates. In the aspect of the activity, paper textbooks showed similar gender rates in non-learning activities, but more girls in learning activities. In digital textbooks, the learning activity was balanced by gender, but the non-learning activities presented boys more frequently. For both paper and digital textbooks, most pupils were described to be active regardless of gender. For adults, paper textbooks were balanced in the frequency by gender, but digital textbooks had a higher proportion of men. Paper textbooks showed similar gender rates in out-of-home activities, but more men in housework activities. In digital textbooks, housework activities were balanced by gender, but out-of-home activities presented men more frequently. For both paper and digital textbooks, men appeared in a broader range of occupations than women. Female scientists appeared more than male scientists in paper textbooks, and opposite tendency appeared in digital textbooks. As a result of analyzing the characteristics of adults, both paper and digital textbooks showed gender stereotypes in specific behavioral characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.147-160
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare the elementary science curriculum and textbooks of Korea, the United States, Japan, and Singapore to know how the contents on particulate concept of matter is introduced and expressed. In Korea, particulate concept of matter was adopted as a term for 'molecules' in the 3rd through 6th curriculum, and the term for 'particles' was adopted in the 2009 revised curriculum. In the United States, NGSS adopted the term 'particle' in fifth grade. Japan presented the concept of 'particle' as a core concept of matter in the commentary, and the expressions 'particles' were being introduced in the textbooks. But it did not cover particulate nature of matter at the elementary school level in Singapore. An analysis of elementary textbooks in Korea, the United States and Japan except Singapore showed particulate expressions in 'dissolution', 'state change of water', 'gas pressure and volume', 'combustion and extinguishment' units. Korean textbook was only being introduced in 'dissolution' and 'gas pressure and volume', but in the textbooks of Japan and the United States, water was expressed as particles in 'state change of water' unit. Discussion and implication on the introduction of particulate concept to elementary science curriculum and textbooks were suggested based on the results.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.551-557
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the questions in the 'Matter' units of elementary science textbooks under the 7th curriculum. For the analysis, a total of 338 questions were extracted from 15 units. Six criteria (recalling, recognizing, predictive, applied, divergent, and evaluative question) were reconstructed for textbook question analysis based on Blosser(1973)'s question category system for science. The results were as follows. First, there were more closed (recalling, recognizing, predictive, or applied) questions (72.2%) than open (divergent or evaluative) questions (27.8%) in elementary science textbooks. Second, cognitive-memory (recalling or recognizing) question type was the most frequently asked in all grade levels. Open (divergent or evaluative) questions increased according to grade level whereas convergent (predictive or applied) questions decreased. Third, question types were applied based on the characteristics of each unit rather than on children's developmental characteristics. Educational implications were discussed based on the results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2011

This study intended to examine the differences through comparative analysis of the illustrations and contents in the 3rd-6th grade elementary science textbooks of Korea and Finland. The analysis of the types and illustrations in the Korean and Finnish textbooks revealed that the textbooks of both counties provide many photographs and illustrations, so as to deliver data mainly in the form of realistic illustration. In Korean textbooks, photographs were mainly used to guide the students into experiments and to train the students in analyzing and interpreting data. In contrast, the Finnish textbooks place more emphasis on pictures and photographs to enhance their interests and curiosity and understand. The Korean textbooks should place more emphasis on the pictures in order to encourage elementary school students to interest and understand. As a result the addition of more diverse forms of illustrations and the re-organization of illustrations according to the topic should be considered in future Korean textbooks.

• 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 The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 2000

The textbook is a predominant feature of most classrooms. Because the textbook is an important aspect of educational experience, it is essential that the content of the texts be carefully scrutinized. The purpose of this study was to examine the visual portrayal of gender groups in elementary $"Chay{\tilde{o}}n"$ textbooks developed by the 6th National Science Curriculum. An instrument was developed to analyze the nature and type of activity engaged in by these groups as well as how often members of these groups were portrayed. Data were collected from 8 elementary $"Chay{\tilde{o}}n"$ textbooks. The results show the following two different features. While the elementary $"Chay{\tilde{o}}n"$ textbooks do not show gender-biases in representing science learning activities such as observing, experimenting, measuring, they show distinct gender-stereotyped roles and activities. It is expected that the results of this study are considered in developing the new elementary "Science" textbooks which show gender-fairness.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2005

This study was intended to survey and analyze the illustrations of the elementary science textbooks in the』 7th revised education curriculum in Korea, and to compare the results with the illustration organization of the elementary science textbooks of Japan. The analysis criterion was composed of two categories, the kind of illustration and the role of illustration. The kind of illustration was divided into five subcategories such as photograph, picture, illustration, cartoon and diagram. The role of illustration was divided into four subcategories such as motive induction, guidance for learning, the supply of material, the presentation of results. According to the analyzing criterion, the frequencies of relevant subcategories of illustrations in science textbooks were checked and arranged and the resultant data were analyzed by grades. The findings of this study were as follows: 1. Korean science textbooks have about 3.29 illustrations per page whereas Japanese ones have 4.1l. Compared with Korean science textbooks, Japanese ones have more illustrations. 2. From the analysis of the kinds of the illustrations by grade basis, it was found that the order of percentage of illustrations is photograph, cartoon and picture in both countrys' science textbooks. Korean ones are highly dependent on photograph. As a contrast Japanese ones have more ratio of cartoon and picture than Korean science textbooks. 3. The analysis of the roles of the illustrations by grade basis showed that the role of guidance for learning is major in both countrys' science textbooks. The role of guidance for learning is prominent in Japanese ones, but in Korean ones, the role of guidance for learning is a little higher than that of the supply of material.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.420-435
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• 2009

The aims of this study are to analyze and compare the elementary textbook contents of science in Korea, USA and England and to make suggestions for the improvement of integrative contents in Korean science textbooks. For this study, lessons on living things in the three grade science textbooks of three different countries were selected and analyzed according to the five criteria: component elements of the lesson, integration of knowledges and investigations, integration of subject and life, connection with other subjects and focus of integration. From this comparative study, five suggestions are inferred for the improvement of the Korean elementary science textbooks. First, it is recommended that Korean textbooks should present unit objectives and evaluative components in the introductive part and last part of each lesson. Second, Korean textbooks should include scientific knowledges as a way of presenting educational contents. Third, Korean textbooks are recommended to include integrated contents fitting for students' life context. Fourth, Korean textbooks are recommended to integrate contents in connection with mathematics, arts, literature and so on. Fifth, issues which can facilitate students to understand contents in the textbooks and to relate to their life should be more employed.