• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.255-270
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate the elementary pre-service teachers' views about "the purpose of science experiments". For the study, the views about the purposes of scientists' experiments and school science experiments were surveyed from 227 pre-service teachers. And the responses were analyzed based on their gender, intensive majors and school science test scores. The main results of the study are as follows. First, in relation to the purpose of scientists' experiments, the pre-service teachers considered internal values of doing experiments were more worthy than the external values of it. In particular, the pre-service teachers responded that the most important purpose of the science experiments is 'to get the evidences for the theories and arguments'. On the other hand, the views from the women and social studies major pre-service teachers were more diverse than those of the man and science major pre-service teachers. Second, in relation to the purpose of school science experiments, the pre-service teachers excessively considered that the internal values of school science experiments were more worthy than the external values. In particular, only few pre-service teachers were aware of social and personal aspects of the experiments, though they considered well that the experiments are useful tools for the school science study. Third, there were quite different aspects of pre-service teachers' views between the purposes of scientists' experiments and school science experiments. For example, the views about the scientist's experiments were relatively broad concerning the nature of scientific experiments, but the school science experiments were just regarded as an educational tool for the science study. Based on the results from the study, some science educational implication were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.105-120
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• 2009

Critical Experiments (CE) in science classrooms mean, tentatively, critical situations as comparable to anomalous cases in scientific revolutions where the results of science experiments in schools are unclear, differ from the theory, or students misunderstand the purpose of the experiments. The purpose of this research is to identify what CE occurred during science classes and to investigate how elementary teachers handled them. To analyze how teachers recognized and handled CE, we selected nine typical CE from the $7^{th}$ Korean science curriculum. 125 teachers were selected from 8 districts' elementary schools in a local city. A questionnaire with photos of the nine CE above-mentioned was distributed to these teachers. The focus in this research was the way that each teacher handled the CE. We discovered that there were three basic ways in which teachers handled CE. When CE occurred, 51% of elementary teachers explained the correct result of the experiment (what should have happened) to the students while 40.7% of the teachers repeated to get the correct results. The focuses of handling CE varied. 57 % of the teachers focused on the 'materials' while 30% of the teachers focused on the 'theory'. The other focus was 'thinking'. Only 7.6% of the teachers answered that they gave students a chance to think about the reasons why the CE happened. By analyzing our survey results, we could determine what each teacher did as a follow up to the CE and their focus and reasoning for handling the CE this way. When the CE happened in the science class, few handled the CE with the point of view about purpose of doing experiment. As a result, students could not gain educational experience from the CE. If we use CE as a new method to teach science, it will be a good subject incorporating the nature of science in science education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.134-143
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• 2008

We investigated the understanding of elementary school teachers on the current science issues. As a first step of the research, we choose 10 science issues which are influencing current society. Then we asked 119 elementary school teachers in Seoul, Inchon and Daejeon how important they think and how much they know the issues. As a result, we found that almost elementary school teachers know much on alternative energy, atomic bomb, nuclear power generation and global warming while they less know about high technology as Korean supersonic trainer($T-5^{TM}$) and Synchrotron radiation accelerator. Also we know that teachers take an interest on the articles about current science issues only for a while and forget to study on the issues for themselves. It is more important than whatever for the teachers to have exact understanding on current science issues in order to make civil society by acquiring the science literacy. Therefore elementary teachers and preliminary teachers should have a chance to study on current science issues. We suggest that teacher communities should be supported to improve the competency by cooperation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2000

We studied aspects of secondary school science teachers in the Chonbuk province concerning their science-related attitudes using the several measuring tools. We applied the multiple comparison to twelve factors at the science teachers 'backgrounds and analyzed the discrepancy in group levels. Science teachers feel half-hearted for the attitudes related to science teachers show a high correlation between the attitudes toward science and the scientific attitudes. We examined the tendency to the science-related attitudes of science teachers having various backgrounds within 5 percent differences of P-value. The contented teachers for their occupations marked higher than the other teachers in the tendency to the science-related attitudes, and the attitude-score of the science teachers graduated from regular colleges also marked higher than the teachers from the training institutes or the different majors. We have investigated the teachers just in Chonbuk province, but we should recognize that the scores in both the perception and the teachers are not improved comparing with the before-studies of Lee(1985), Park(1993), etc. As a result, the development of measuring tools which teachers can examine themselves as their features is needed and the educational systems to specialize the science education should be improved through the various programs for teachers' training courses.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.736-750
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• 2014

The purposes of this study were to investigate concepts of Korean and American elementary school pre-service teachers on combustion, and to compare the concepts of Korean pre-service teachers with those of American pre-service teachers. For this study, concept test on combustion was administered to 23 Korean and 18 American elementary school pre-service teachers. The test composed of 6 items: 'Definition of combustion', 'The reason why a candle in a glass bottle is blown out when the bottle was closed', 'The change of gases in the bottle when a candle burns in it', 'The combustion products of a candle', 'The combustion products of steel wool', and 'The combustion products of a substance'. The results showed that the rates of elementary school pre-service teachers who had scientific concepts on combustion were very low in both Korean and American pre-service teachers' groups, although they were a little different from items. However the rates of pre-service teachers who had partial concepts and misconceptions on combustion were high in two groups. The levels of Korean elementary school pre-service teachers' concepts were a little higher than those of American elementary school pre-service teachers' concepts. The contents and activities on combustion which are in Korean and American science textbooks seem to affect building up their concepts on combustion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to compare what meanings of earth science pre-service teachers and primary pre-service teachers about science books and reading through science disciplinary reading and how their thoughts on science education are reflected in the science disciplinary reading process. For the study, 24 third-year students majoring in earth science education and 25 second-year students majoring in primary education were selected as subjects for the study at a teacher training college located in the central part of Korea. As a result of the study, first, earth science pre-service teachers used disciplinary reading a lot to acquire knowledge of science content, but primary pre-service teachers used it for the purpose of using it in class, scientific interest, and curiosity solution. Second, earth science pre-service teachers and primary pre-service teachers showed differences in their thinking in using science related books for science education. While earth science pre-service teachers rarely described the use of science books in their classes, primary pre-service teachers actively described science classes. Third, from the perspective of science disciplinary reading, primary pre-service teachers were more actively emphasizing the meaning of disciplinary reading compared to earth science pre-service teachers. In light of the research results that the reading activity in science has a lot of effect, it is thought that a wide range of research on science disciplinary reading should be conducted as a teaching strategy in school field classes.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of good science teachings regarded by preservice elementary school teachers. It also aimed to suggest a direction of peer teaching practice to help preservice teachers' professional development. Adjacency pairs were adopted to analyze the characteristics of good science teachings. The results showed that pre-service elementary teachers were accustomed to adjacency pairs. Almost of their discourse were organized by adjacency pairs. 'Question-Answer' and 'Request-Accept' were mainly used in science classes by pre-service elementary teachers. Based on the findings, the study suggested science teacher educators to provide chances to analyze exemplary science teachers' science class or chances to analyze their science teachings in terms of competence of science classroom discourse.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.366-378
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• 1994

The titled study has been conducted by collecting questionnaires from 146 secondary school science teachers. The results analysed are as follows. 1. More than half of the science teachers think that they have too much loads on teaching and other works. They hope to teach 15 hours a week or less and also to be waived from extra works not related with teaching. 2. Most of the science teachers think that they are not paid enough salary. And more than half of them feel their economic and social status are below average. 3. Science teachers think that they have good relations with their colleagues but many of them are not much satisfied with the attitudes of students and their parents. 4. Science teachers want better facilities for teaching and for their office. 5. Science teachers feel difficult in teaching laboratory class. They pointed out that it is time-consuming to prepare for experiments and clean up the laboratory and that evaluation of experimental work is not easy. 6. Science teachers appeal that they have difficulties in teaching inquiry skills due to the crowded class and also lack of teaching materials for this purpose.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2012

We investigated the perception and preferred type of question and analyzed type of questions asked by teachers in elementary science class to identify how teachers' perception of questioning is reflected in teaching practices. We collected the data from questionnaires, deep-interview and audiotaped four classes from grade 3 and six classes from grade 6. The data form deep-interview were analyzed interpretively and Blosser' framework of question was used to analyze questions which teachers used in classes. By interpretation of data from questionnaires, the teachers agreed that questioning affects science class in elementary school. There were a little differences in perceptions of questioning among three teachers. They preferred various types of question rather than a specific type. They didn't have a good understanding of questioning. The result showed that the teachers used frequently cognitive-memory question and convergent thinking question, which belonged to closed questions in their science classes. This didn't accord with their preferred types of question. The causes came from objectives of science instruction, degree of understanding about questioning, preference and confidence for science class. From this findings, we suggested that teachers should be given opportunities to take training courses in questioning in order to use effective questioning in science class.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.633-642
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• 2010

In this study, science teachers' perception and attitude toward nanotechnology are examined through questionnaires gathered from 134 secondary science teachers. As a result, the study shows that science teachers have high perceptiveness. However, they do not understand specific information on nanotechnology correctly. Science teachers have positive attitudes toward nanotechnology and they have perceived risks of nanotechnology as well as benefits of nanotechnology. Science teachers show positive attitudes toward the application of nanotechnology, whereas they show negative attitudes toward personal information chip and nano-taste enhancer. Science teachers are exposed to nanotechnology via various sources such as TV and internet, whereas teachers rarely get information on nanotechnology-related concepts in textbooks and teaching resources. Science teachers have perceived many textbooks do not introduce enough nanotechnology-related concepts. Many teachers try to explain the nanotechnology when textbooks include nanotechnology-related concepts, whereas quite a few of teachers do not introduce the nanotechnology-related concepts in class.