• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary students' perception on science-related career and teachers' perception on science-related career education. The subjects of this study were 196 5^th and 6^th elementary students and 100 elementary teachers. The results show that 28% of the students desire to have science-related career. More Boys desire science-related careers than girls, and more students with higher level of perception in their science achievement also do than lower level students. The reason students did not desired science-related career were that they were not interested in science and did not have fun in science. Students' perceptions in the factors of science-related career choice were mostly negative except socio-cultural factors. The results of teacher's perception show that 42% of the teachers conducted science-related career education. A lot of teacher did not conduct science-related career education since they perceived the career education were not necessary or important. Students' negative perception on the factors of science-related career choice and the teachers' low perception on necessity of science-related career education can negatively influence students' science-related career choice. The more efforts were required in order to increase positive perception on science-related career.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.265-276
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to develop a plan to ensure that students lacking basic science skills acquire the minimum needed science learning ability while completing the common curriculum. We surveyed 27 elementary and secondary science teachers with experience in research and teaching related to basic skills support to investigate their perceptions of the criteria for minimum achievement standards using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results indicated that the science teachers tended to describe low achievers as lacking science learning competency, accumulating a science learning deficit, and lacking prerequisite knowledge. However, there were some differences in the characteristics that the elementary and secondary teachers paid attention to in students with insufficient science and basic academic skills. Specifically, the secondary teachers demonstrated greater sensitivity towards low learning motivation and difficulties in using scientific symbols, whereas the elementary teachers were more sensitive towards students' attitudes towards science or lack of experience. Furthermore, it has been observed that the prioritization of items, categorized by school level, differs in terms of setting minimum achievement standards to ensure basic skill support. This implies the need to develop minimum achievement standards considering various variables based on the school level. As there are diverse opinions among science teachers, depending on their expertise, regarding the factors to be considered when developing these standards to guarantee science and basic skill support. Based on the findings of the study, policy support is required to enhance teachers' professionalism in developing students' basic skills while considering the individual context and diversity of low achievers. Additionally, it is crucial to establish a shared vision for students lacking basic skills to reduce the gap between national policy and the practices of science teachers in ensuring support for basic skills.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of lesson planning of pre-service secondary science teachers and the factors which influenced in their lesson planning. Thirteen pre-service secondary science teachers at a college of education in Seoul participated in this study. Teaching-learning materials such as lesson plans and handouts, and lesson planning journals written by the pre-service teachers were collected. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to obtain information about their lesson planning activities. The analyses of the results revealed that most of the pre-service teachers did not systematically consider the national science curriculum and focused on planning one lesson only. Instructional objectives were not only considered as minor element in lesson planning, but also limited to cognitive domain. Devising teaching-learning strategies was found to be the starting point of the lesson planning. They accommodated constructivistic teaching-learning theory presented in their method courses through reflective evaluation of the experiences of learning in their secondary schools. The experiment activities that were presented in the textbooks were used themselves when they planned experiments as student activities, but other activities were planned depending on their personal experiences. Most pre-service teachers did not plan assessment because they could not recognize it as an element of lesson planning. These results may offer some implications in educating pre-service secondary science teachers on lesson planning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.261-272
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• 2014

In this study, to disseminate the Practical On-site Cooperation Model (POCoM) for practical improvement of science teaching and learning through cooperation between researcher and teacher, an in-service program has been developed, applied and evaluated. The in-service program emphasizes the following three aspects; (1) video-recording of actual science teaching has been used as a primary resource, (2) communication between teacher and researcher and among teachers have been emphasized, (3) activities have been mainly included. The in-service program has been implemented for nine hours, and 17 science teachers have been recruited as volunteers. The result shows that, by checking the agreements between raters, we found that teachers' expertise in analyzing the science class using the Korean Teaching Observation Protocol (KTOP) has improved, and we have confirmed that teachers are able to judge whether the science class has improved or not. Through the questionnaire, various highly positive responses could be obtained from teachers. And through the observation of teachers' activities during the in-service program, teachers' questions, their difficulties in doing activities, and their comments for improving the program has also been analyzed. Finally, based on the results, a list of recommendations for a more effective in-service program have been suggested. It is expected that this list can be utilized for more effective and meaningful design and implementation of in-service course.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.699-706
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of pre-service teachers, which directly affect the concepts and ways of thinking of students who are studying Earth science. This work further seeks to identify pre-service Earth science teachers' Earth science-centered ways of thinking regarding the components and the process of water cycle. The concept sketch method was used to survey 50 pre-service teachers who majored in Earth science education at a National Teachers' University. The survey analyzed the preservice teachers' perceptions of a subordinate concept of Earth systems from the applied components of water cycle, and to code the applied concepts with the components of the water cycle based on a subordinate concept of Earth systems including Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Geosphere, and Biosphere. The preservice teachers only perceived the components of the water cycle as ones in Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. In Biosphere, many participants lack the knowledge about how the actions of plants and animals, and human beings impact the water cycle. About the process of water cycle, the majority of the participants only perceived evaporation and precipitation as the process of cycling: their understanding about the underground flow of water was more lacking than the surface flow.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.238-252
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• 2020

In this study, we analyzed the types of rebuttals in the argument structure of learning contents in lesson plans constructed by Earth science preservice teachers, and then we explored examples of how they responded to resolving the rebuttal. As a result of analyzing preservice teachers' assignments, discussions, and interviews collected during a total of 20 hours of classes and group discussions for 5 weeks, all 5 types of rebuttals suggested by Verheij (2005) were identified. Through the data analysis, a total of 18 rebuttal cases derived, and these cases were classified into 3 types according to how preservice teachers solve the rebuttals in class. The conclusions and implications based on the results are as follows: First, this study provided empirical data that the thinking process of validating core elements of argumentation and processes of argumentation is actively taking place in preservice teachers' lesson planning using the argument structure, and expanded the scope of application of argumentation in science education research. Second, the argument structure of learning contents should be used to help teachers to come up with strategies to induce students' curiosity and devotion to learn science contents. Third, preservice teachers should have the opportunity to think about the nature of science, including the variability and uncertainty of scientific knowledge when they discover rebuttals and develop solutions to them. Based on these conclusions, implications and suggestions for science education and further research were suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.236-247
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• 2021

This study is to investigate the effect of pre-primary teachers' gender and earth science completion while attending high school on the diversity of concepts, the level of conceptual understanding, and misconceptions about seasonal changes. This study was conducted with 71 pre-primary teachers. The conclusion of this study is as follows. First, the area of concepts used by pre-primary teachers to explain seasonal changes showed a greater difference depending on whether or not they completed earth science while attending high school, rather than depending on gender. Second, although there was no significant gender difference in the conceptual level of pre-primary teachers for seasonal change, the group who completed earth science while attending high school had a statistically significantly higher level of conceptual understanding than the group that did not complete it. Third, the ratio of misconceptions related to seasonal change of pre-primary teachers by gender was not significant, but the group who did not complete earth science while attending high school had a statistically significantly higher percentage of misconceptions than the group that completed it. As a result of the above examination, it is judged that the area of concepts, the level of conceptual understanding, and the misconceptions about seasonal changes of pre-primary teachers are more affected by the completion of earth science courses during high school than by gender differences.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.185-200
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• 2024

This study explored the changes in the elementary science teaching expertise of teachers who participated in an in-school professional learning community for elementary science instructional research. Six elementary school teachers from grades 4, 5, and 6 at an 18-class S elementary school in a medium-sized city in Chungcheongbuk-do conducted collaborative instructional research on elementary science lessons as part of an in-school professional learning community, which was held 26 times over 7 months in 2020. During the professional learning community, video and audio recordings of the activities, research lessons, course materials, and professional learning community reflection activities were collected for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative research methods; data processing, reading, note-taking, description, classification, interpretation, reporting, and visualization; and the instructional professionalism elements were extracted based on the instructional professionalism framework. In the early professional learning community activity stages, the participating teachers first discussed their teaching perspectives, their experiences, and their goals for teaching science, which resulted in a selection of research questions. The teachers then collaboratively designed and implemented research lessons for each grade level, after which lesson reflections were conducted. The teachers' abilities to engage in qualitative reflection on the research questions improved after each reflection iteration. It was found that this professional learning community collaborative lesson study experience positively contributed to teaching expertise development. Based on the study findings, the implications for using professional learning communities to improve elementary teachers' science teaching expertise are given.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.565-582
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate middle school science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for science practice-based instruction developed by five middle school science teachers in a teacher learning community. Science teachers in this study collaborated to examine lesson plans and reflect on teaching practice and collaboratively analyzed science curriculum, discussed video-recordings of teaching practice, and discussed to design detailed and elaborated lesson plans. Data collection consisted of pre and post questionnaire and interview, audio-recording of teacher discussion in a teacher learning community for one year, lesson plans, teacher written reflection, and video-recording of teaching practice. Data analysis reveals that science teachers developed pedagogical content knowledge for science practice-based instruction that consists of eleven sub-components of knowledge of science curriculum for science practice, knowledge of science practice-based instructional strategy, knowledge of students' science practice-based learning, and knowledge of science practice-based learning assessment. Science teachers in this study developed highly structured pedagogical content knowledge for science practice-based instruction.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.295-301
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate the difficulties of teachers and students on the unit about 'measuring weight.' In this research, we have acquired data about teachers through survey, interview, and self-reflection journals, at the same time we have collected information on the students through survey, assessment test, and interview. We have extracted the difficulties from analysis with constant comparison method. In addition, we have analysed the curriculum of science and mathematics to know the leaning sequence. The analysis had been checked up by experts in science education. The result of the study is as follows: The difficulties of teachers are from the lack of teachers' descriptive knowledge, disorder of conceptual hierarchy in the curriculum, poor experimental instruments, and low psychomotor skill of students. The difficulties of students are from common misconceptions, opaque concepts, lack of manipulation skill, insufficiency of mathematical ability, difficulty of application of principles to the real situation, and lack of problem-solving ability. In addition, teachers have recognized that students face more difficulties in experiment class, while students think that they face more difficulties in conceptual understanding class.