• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.90-104
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• 2021

This study conducted an online survey to understand what elementary school teachers think about the learning contents of elementary science education subjects needed to train elementary science teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The results are as follows: First, there were many elementary school teachers who thought that the current learning content of elementary science education was not suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and that it needed to modify the learning content. Many of the teachers said that the learning content of the subject did not include the characteristics of the 4th Industrial Revolution, but also did not reflect the changes of the times and remained in the past. Second, the content that elementary school teachers thought was important in training elementary school teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution was mainly related to the interests and curiosity of students, and scientific experiments or inquiry. On the contrary, the items that they thought should be deleted or reduced included science learning theory, science teaching/learning model, nature of science, and guidance for gifted children. Third, the contents that elementary school teachers thought needed to be added as learning content of elementary science education subjects were SSI education, science education-related social change and future prediction, advanced science technology, STEAM guidance, and integrated education within the science field. Fourth, in order to train elementary school teachers suitable for the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the contents that they thought should be introduced first as learning content of elementary science education subjects were SSI education, integrated education within the science field, STEAM guidance, and core competencies. Other contents that need to be introduced were software education, safety education, and project learning methods.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to explore high school science teachers' perceptions and practices regarding the implementation of achievement standards-based assessment (ASA) in their science teaching. To achieve this, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 20 science teachers who had implemented ASA. The participating teachers were asked to share their opinions on ASA implementation, the effects of ASA on changes in their teaching, and students' reactions to ASA. The results were as follows. Most of the teachers recognized that the initial intention behind ASA implementation began to be realized in schools only after course rankings were no longer required to be indicated. Some teachers felt that ASA allowed them to focus on students' progress, rather than evaluating them by achievement scores. It also helped some teachers identify students who were experiencing learning difficulties and offer appropriate support. In addition, some teachers acknowledged being able to reorganize their science lessons according to the essential goals of science subjects in the curriculum and provide more detailed feedback on students' achievements. However, some teachers expressed difficulties in setting an appropriate level of achievement for their lessons or in evaluating students' progress using qualitative methods. Lastly, the teachers expressed concerns about the remarkably lower motivation of some students for learning science after the indication of course ranking was no longer required.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.564-579
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the change in the classes of the beginning science teachers through a cooperative mentoring program that induces the practice of reflective thinking. Participants in this study included three mentor-teachers, two teachers in doctorate or masters courses, one university professor, and three mentee-teachers who had less than four years of teaching experience. We collected data such as video recordings of mentee-teachers' classes and transcription, lesson plans, recording of one-on-one mentoring and transcription, mentor's and mentee's journals, and RTOP class observation reports. RTOP was used for the class analysis, and the cognition and changes in mentee-teachers' classes were determined from their journal entries and one-on-one mentoring interview materials. According to mentee-teachers' recognition of changes in their classes during the mentoring program, they themselves recognized their teacher-centered teaching styles, misconception, and lack of content knowledge. Furthermore, there were changes in the mentee-teachers' classes through their reflective practice and improvement. Based on the result of this study, however, the teachers' reflection was not all accompanied with reflective practice even if the beginner science teachers made some partial changes in reflective practice by reflection. This means that it is hard to instill a reflective practice in mentee-teachers through mentoring in a short period. Therefore, we consider that more systematic and long-term mentoring is necessary for beginner science teachers.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to analyze students', preservice teachers and inservice teachers' images of scientists. For the purpose of this study, we selected 711 people. The results generally was showed the students, preservice teachers and inservice teachers have the stereotyped image of scientists. When we group the subject of investigation as elementary-school students, middle-school students, high-school students, preservice teachers, inservice elementary-school teachers, and looked into whether there were meaningful differences among them by the method of ANOVA, we could see the meaningful differences (p<0.05). And also elementary-school students showed the meaningful difference from other groups when examined on the $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.331-337
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• 2006

This study examined the elementary school teachers' present utilization of science museums in teaching-learning and their perceptions of the educational programs in science museums. The results indicate that teachers have not utilized science museums as intimately as possible with formal instruction, therefore, the students' experiences of science museums are usually limited. The main reasons for lower than optimum usage of science museums in their teaching and learning is not because of its insignificant educational effects, but because of the lack of external and administrative support mechanisms. The elementary school teachers prefer to commit to programs in science museums such as science camps or experiment activities, and those exhibitions which have some kind of clear and discernable relation to the school curriculum. The results also indicate that most teachers want to participate in the various activities of science museums, such as developing and managing the programs or pre- and post activities for museum field trips, participating in the teachers' community in science museums, and so on.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2013

This study investigated how the unique educational contexts in the Republic of Korea (RK) impacted two science teachers' teaching practices in a public middle school and what the science teaching experience means to them. In particular, we explored how the middle school science teachers decide pedagogical approaches to use in their teaching based on classroom climate, students' attitude toward learning science, school curriculum and classroom culture. Using a phenomenological research approach, we analyzed classroom observation data and interview data to interpret the teachers' science teaching experience. Results of the study showed that the teachers' practice was dominantly affected by two external factors. First, the teachers' teaching practice was affected by the amount of science content knowledge they need to cover within a given class time. Second, the teachers' teaching practice was affected by students' attitudes toward science learning and their science preparedness in private tutoring centers. Implications of the study results are discussed in the paper.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.231-241
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• 2011

The purpose of this study lies in finding out a betterment of ongoing experimental training program in science for the secondary science teachers to increase their training ability more effectively. For this, from 2010 July to September, a preliminary study on secondary science experiment training, questionnaire on the satisfaction of 128 secondary teachers in U metropolitan city with the training program were carried out which were contributive to the preparation of a better plan for the training program to be helpful for the teachers at schools. Following are the study results. First, the class theme should be selected by the teachers who participate in the experiment for the year to raise their training ability for experiment class. Second, the direct activity of the teachers' joining in experiment training for the development of experiment training module, and the demonstration with the developed module-used experiment class need to be included to the program Third, the assessment for the demonstration of experiment attitude, the development process of experiment training module, would be more advisable compared with that for written examination for the teachers joined in the experiment training to concentrate more on the experimental activities and to get richer experiment experience As this study results show, the theme selection, class method and assessment method involved in ongoing experiment training need for betterment for the science teachers to apply it at schools and this improved experiment training program proposed by this study is suitable for that under a condition it has to be modified and supplemented to the distinct features of every city and province.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.216-228
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-school teachers' observation experience and their pre and post degrees of preferences in observing underground and water living things, fungus, insects, flowerless plants and sea lives. Based on the analysis, their pre-observation experience in living things were insects, ocean creatures, underground living things, flowerless plants, fungus and water living things in order. The degree of preferences in flowerless plans based on their gender, the female pre-service teachers showed higher scores than the average in both pre and post test. The male, however, responded higher scores in underground living things in both tests. Their background such as liberal arts or science or arts and physical major affected their preferences scores in water living things, insects and flowerless plans in the post test, and the science major pre-service teachers showed the highest degree of preferences in insects among the liberal arts, science or arts and physical major pre-teachers in the post test. In conclusion, there were different degree of their preferences affected by the pre observation experience, gender difference, their present majors such as the liberal arts, science or arts and physical major, the categories of living things but not in their high school background such as liberal arts or science.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.144-154
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• 2010

This study was conducted among elementary pre-service teachers who participated in creative story writing exercises related to science. It aimed at analyzing their perceptions, based on their own experiences in the story writing exercises, about story writing as a pedagogic method, to discover the implications on science education. First, creative story writing exercises were carried out over a period of eight weeks by 114 elementary pre-service teachers at a college of education, all of whom were non-science majors taking a course on earth science as a liberal arts elective. Afterward, an open-ended survey was conducted among them to discover their attitudes and opinions, both as students and as teachers-to-be. The majority of the subjects expressed a positive opinion about creative story writing as a pedagogic tool, stating that they would apply it in their future teaching by telling stories they wrote or having students write their own compositions. Pre-service teachers conclude a creative writing improves students' studying, leads interest and motivation. In addition, it linked with daily life and other school subjects. Creative story writing, when used at colleges of education, has didactic value as an empirical exercise for pre-service teachers who are not majoring in science.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2011

This study examines eighteen elementary teachers knowledge and teaching practrice of climate change using the KQEM survey, modified from the survey developed by Leiserowitz, A., Smith, N. & Marlon, J.R. (2010). The survey includes 11 questions from KQEM survey and 2 open ended questions about teachers' knowledge of climate change and their understandings of important climate change concept for elementary students. All of the participant teachers were purposefully selected for the study and were participated in the study volunteerly. The data for this study were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The result of this study indicates that the teachers have knowledge of climate change specifically about the topics of causes of climate change and consequences of climate change such as shifting biome and ecological impacts. While most of the teachers described climate change phenomena using scientific knowledge, some of the teachers (N=2) showed misconceptions about climate change phenomena. Most of the teachers thought the causes of climate change and potential solutions to reduce climate change are important concept that elementary students need to understand about climate change. Actually, most of the teachers are currently teaching the causes and consequences of climate change (N=13) potential solutions to global warming (N= 8). This study could inform teacher educators about what elementary teachers understand about climate change and what elementary teachers are currently teaching about climate change.