• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2011

This study aimed to identify the difficulties that new science teachers in secondary schools experience. Subjects for this study were 190 science teachers attending qualifying training for 1st degree of teaching certificate. Using an open questionnaire, the difficulties these teachers encounter were collected, categorized, and compared between their first year and their succeeding years of teaching in terms of their school level, gender, majors and regions. Results showed that first year science teachers have had difficulties in areas including subject teaching, guidance, administrative affairs, human relationship and self-understanding. On their succeeding years, difficulties about subject teaching were reduced to half while other difficulties remained. New teachers in middle schools have experienced the most number of difficulties about guidance, while new teachers in general high schools have experienced the most number of difficulties about subject teaching. Based on these findings, some recommendations were proposed for new science teachers in secondary schools, school administrators, and training institutions.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.807-825
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• 2013

This study investigated two science teachers' practical knowledge shaped during their science classes which intend to realize social construction of scientific models. The teachers' practical knowledge was qualitatively examined in terms of five content categories defined by Elbaz through the reflection-in-action based on video data of their teaching as well as the reflection-on-action based on their narratives and interview data obtained after their classes. The results shows: 1) two science teachers implemented their practical knowledge on appropriate subject matter knowledge when they provided students with scaffoldings to support building scientific models during the classes. 2) The teachers' knowledge about science curriculum played important roles to change the purposes of the classes from the transmission of difficult science concepts to the construction of scientific model appropriate to learning goals. 3) The teachers' implementation of pedagogical knowledge changed toward supporting students' group activities and model generations aligned to the intention of social construction of scientific models. 4) The teachers' practical knowledge about their 'selves' showed that a teacher's perception and implementation of his/her roles of helper, guide, or facilitator are important for students to construct scientific models through group activities. 5) The two teachers' practical knowledge the milieu of schooling is realized by their modes of interactions with student groups during their classes. Two teachers acted like a co-player with his students or like a coach to students near a playground. We discussed domain-specific characteristics about scientific model construction.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.105-117
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-service chemistry teachers' view of learning focused on the influence of science education courses that pre-service chemistry teachers had learned. Three pre-service chemistry teachers were selected for this study. Documents related to science education courses, survey data about their view of learning and interview data were collected, transcribed and analyzed. According to this study, pre-service chemistry teachers had changed, modified, maintained and strengthened their view of learning while they took the science education courses. Pre-service teacher K and P had changed their traditional view to the constructive view and then had modified their view by adding the reality. And pre-service teacher H had modified his constructive view with some traditional view. All Pre-service teachers had modified their own view of learning because of the science education course that emphasized the real field situation. As discussed above, science education courses focused on the applying the theory to real teaching situation gave the opportunity to modify pre-service teachers' own view of learning. It implied that the science education courses learned in the teachers college have to include contents based on real teaching situation and pre-service teachers' reflective thinking processes for establishing their view of learning and customized teaching activities.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.151-164
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• 2015

This study's purpose is to investigate elementary school teachers' perception on infographics learning materials. For this, this study made a questionnaire about infographics cognition or not, the need for development of infographics learning materials, science class applied infographics. And then, this study conducted a survey of 300 elementary school teachers. Through this process, this study had the results that most elementary school teachers had not some experience infographics and had never applied infographics during the class. On the other hand, elementary school teachers who had some experience said that they had used infographics in society subject and science subject. And they said that infographics was used in the development stage of class. In the need for development of infographics learning materials, this study had the results that elementary school teachers recognized the quantities of infographics which could apply in learning materials of elementary school inadequate. And elementary school teachers said that they needed infographics learning materials which could actually apply in class. Also, elementary school teachers said that the subject which could be most applied infographics learning materials was society subject and science subject. And they said that infographics learning materials was a good method which can be applied to third grade and fourth grade in elementary school. In science class applied infographics learning materials, elementary school teachers said that the best class stage to presenting infographics learning materials was full-scale lesson of each chapter in curriculum and they recognized that infographics learning materials must be used for understanding scientific concepts. Add to this, elementary school teachers recognized that the development of learning materials with the application of infographics learning materials must take precedence in order for education applied infographics learning materials to carry out successfully.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.911-923
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to figure out the quality of understanding and implementation for teachers implementing the 2009 revised elementary science curriculum achievement standards. To achieve this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants, and the qualitative contents method was used to analyze interview contents. According to the interview contents, the results of this study can be described as a phenomenon that teachers implementing achievement standards regarded achievement standards as usual, while focusing on evaluation in school. To make clear of this phenomenon, we classified it into two main dimensions. One is the understanding of teachers by implementing the 2009 Revised National Curriculum achievement standards for elementary school science curriculum, the other is its application. Teachers regarded achievement standards as a criterion, but did not have much attention to it during class time. Furthermore, teachers point out the problems caused by lacking available support materials and the material about core achievement standards. When teachers implemented achievement standards, they prefer to give class to students based on textbooks rather than achievement standards, and they usually use it as evaluation criterion. Based on the results of this study, there were three suggestions and they are as follows: First, it is necessary to improve teachers' professionalism on curriculum and it is a must for teachers to have more concerns about achievement standards; Second, to develop accessible support materials for teachers; Third, to improve curriculum implementation systems.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.693-703
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• 2018

One of the important competencies in knowledge and information society is the competency of Knowledge information processing. This is closely related to science education and described as one of the core competencies in the 2015 national curriculum revision. Even with a general agreement of the educational necessity of this competency, its practice in class depends mostly on teachers' will. Therefore, we surveyed science teachers' perceptions and classroom condition about the competency of Knowledge information processing, and we analyzed the questionnaires of 64 middle and high school teachers in Seoul and interviewed three teachers. As a result, all teachers shared the importance of Knowledge information processing competency and explained it in terms of social paradigm and goal of the subject. However, there were not many cases of actual practice in class. The teachers answered that time for Knowledge information processing competency is not enough in class and they also lack of PCK on this competency. About half of the teachers had experiences in teacher training about Knowledge information processing competency but most of their experiences are related to information utilization literacy. The importance of Knowledge information processing competency was very high in three factors (collection, analyzation, and utilization), among which information analysis was the highest. Middle school teachers showed higher scores in most questions even though the differences were not significant, and high school teachers showed higher scores in the importance of information sources at a significant level. In order to cultivate competencies, it is necessary to expand the meaning of science inquiry so as to cover this competency and to consider ways of linking with other subjects and develop methods of teaching and learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.208-227
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze secondary science teachers' planning process for an integrated science lesson. For this study, relevant references were collected from various sources, including literatures, previous studies regarding integrated science education, and individual studies. Two teachers (one from middle school and the other from high school) participated and 'the five-step instructional design' was adopted from former studies in this subject. The teachers were asked to develop an instructional plan based on 'the design' provided. While the consultation provided a framework for an instructional plan, the teachers were asked to take a leading role in terms of selecting the chapter to be taught; analyzing the course structure; and making detailed teaching plans. In the course of consultations, discussions, records, and analysis were organized into a journal. Based on the journal, the aspects of the planning process, including difficulties and problems faced by teachers, were analyzed in-depth. From the study, it could be observed that both high school and middle school teachers face various difficulties in preparing for the integrated science lesson. Among other things, the teachers emphasized the difficulties in the stages of selecting the topic, collecting the relevant information, and restructuring and organizing the lecture contents.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1021-1040
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• 2013

In order to explore the influences of coteaching through mentoring upon the teaching professionalism of beginning science-gifted education teachers, this case study deeply investigated the change processes in the aspects of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Two beginning teachers planned, performed and reflected together their science instructions for science-gifted students in secondary school during four 3-hour classes. Since the second instruction, pre-, during-, and post-mentoring were conducted, we collected various data related to teachers' planning processes, videotaped all coteaching science classes, and wrote field notes. We also recorded in-depth interviews with the teachers and the whole process of mentoring. All the data were analyzed by using the constant comparative method. The results of the analyses indicated that coteaching through mentoring positively changed the teachers' PCK. Above all, we found that coteaching and mentoring strategies generated a significant synergy effect through a mutually complementary relationship. The teachers developed deep practical knowledge about the enrichment curriculum, which placed more emphasis on developing cognitive and/or affective characteristics of science-gifted students. The teachers also improved their knowledge about the characteristics of science-gifted students and the instructional strategies appropriate for developing them. Moreover, practical knowledge about assessment domains and methods used in science-gifted education were improved. Knowledge on science content necessary for effective inquiry instruction was also improved.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.429-440
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• 2021

In this article, we explored the value of interculturalism in developing the discourses of international cooperation in science education. By doing so, we interviewed four teachers who had an experience in teaching science in developing countries, and analyzed their experiences and perceptions in the lens of interculturalism and dialogue. Our analysis of teacher narratives shows the transition in the teachers' perspectives from volunteering and transmission to collaboration and learning. The transition from volunteering to collaboration occurred as the teachers learned how to meet 'the others' as themselves being strangers in the foreign context. Through intervening and colliding, teachers were able to reposition their identities as teachers. Furthermore, their science teaching practices show how the teachers tried to negotiate between the universal or idealistic value of science education and the heterogeneities formed by the country's cultural and specific situation of science education. Through these experiences, the teachers began to understand the importance of the culturally specific 'need' for science education. In conclusion, we proposed a discourse of science education collaboration based on interculturalism in terms of the diversity and complexity of science education practices in developing countries, teacher professionalism, culturally relevant pedagogy and sustainable policy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the degree of argumentation structure development and factors of development of preservice teachers through SSI related argumentative writings. The study was conducted with 16 preservice teachers that students taking elementary science education theory class in K university located in Chungbuk. The testees wrote six SSI related argumentative writings (once a week), and we examined the degree of argumentation structure development and the change in the recognition of SSI of the preservice teachers by comparing the writings before and after the experiments. The experimental results showed that argumentation structure of the preservice teachers'writings improved and argument level (argument capability) of them also increased as the number of writing was increased. Factors that affect the argumentation structure improvement are mainly argumentation structure education, a number of writings, feedbacks, and subjects related to SSI. In this aspect, the argumentative writing on SSI has the effect of developing scientific sophistication and enhancing the decision-making power of students, and it has positive impacts in science education.