• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.603-609
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• 2005

Students obtain most concepts through textbooks, and teaching-learning activities between teachers and students. Accordingly, if science teachers already have misconceptions they will inevitably affect students' scientific concept. This study found many problems in teachers' cognition on the concepts of nuclear radiation. Because 12th grade physics II is classified as an optional subject in the 7th curriculum, teachers have few chances to teach it and, more importantly, have difficulty in teaching it because of the need to prepare students for the university entrance examination. The concept of radiation must be taught correctly because of its emergence in the 'environment' unit of 10th grade Science. Finally, results from this study can help science teachers teach these difficult concepts more correctly. In addition, results can also be useful in in-service retraining programs.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.783-790
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• 2016

The 'Integrated Inquiry' unit is a new addition in the 5th~6th grade science textbooks, and was developed for the 2009 revised national curriculum. The unit deals with six integrated inquiry process skills: problem cognition, formulating hypotheses, controlling variables, transforming and interpreting data, drawing results, and generalization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions and the teaching practices of elementary school teachers on this unit in their school curriculum and where improvements can be made. Data was collected from questionnaires filled out by 92 elementary school teachers. The results are as follows: First, teachers do have a positive perception on the importance of teaching integrated process skills. Second, with that being true, this unit ended up receiving both positive and negative reviews by teachers. This research found that there were good and bad responses on the educational aspects of this unit in three particular areas: dealing with the development of integrated inquiry process skills, facilitating science learning in other units, and implementing open inquiry. Third, teachers have difficulties particularly in problem cognition, formulating hypotheses, controlling variables, transforming and interpreting data, generalization, and drawing results. There is a lack of student understanding as well as a lack of professionalism for teachers on this unit, and many issues related to the composition of the textbook. This study may have important implications for making improvements in this unit and teaching integrated process skills.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.92-110
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to provide necessary information to understand characteristics of vocational high school students and to enhance academic engagement through social support of teachers, leading to help research of teaching and learning strategy. A survey was conducted on 990 engineering major students attending 11 vocational high schools in Seoul metropolitan, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Kyeongsang and Kangwon regions. A questionnaire consists of measurement tools for the academic engagement (21 questions) and the social support of teachers (25 questions). The findings of this study are as follows: First, it is found that the level of students' academic engagement was high. But it appears that the students showed low engagement of emotion compared with that of behavior and cognition. There was no level difference according to gender, but there was a considerable difference according to a school year. The first year students' level of engagement was higher than the second and the third year students' in terms of cognition and emotion. Second, it shows that the level of the teachers' social support was normal, which was in the order of appraisal support, instrumental support, informational support, and emotional support. Especially, the level of appraisal support and instrumental support was most. Third, there were correlation and explanation between students' academic engagement and teachers' social support. Moreover, the result that teachers' emotional support has high correlation and explanation in qualitative terms of academic engagement support the importance. Therefore, it is concluded that the social support of teachers can make an positive influence on improving the academic engagement of students and provide students with adaptability and satisfaction with their school life, which may give students a positive effect in emotional development, self-formation, and complement.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.14-25
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the forest experience on elementary students' environmental sensitivity and cognition ability. The forest experience was applied to the experimental group and the control group was taught by the traditional teaching method focused on teachers' lecture for 8 lessons. The pre-test, the 1st, and 2nd post-test for environmental sensitivity were applied to both groups to analyze the effects of the forest experience. After then the results were analyzed by One-way ANOVA and ANCOVA. And the narration test for cognition ability on learning a environmental context was applied to only the experimental group and the results were analyzed. As a result, the students' environmental sensitivity was not significantly different(p<.05) between experimental and control groups in terms of the pre-test score. However, the 1st and 2nd post-test scores of experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in term of the level of environmental sensitivity(F=9.28, p<.01, F=10.95, p<.01). The results of the forest experience in the aspect of cognition ability, 'the sound of nature(61%)', 'the smiling forest path which blooming out(57%)', and 'one's own places(52%) were high but 'the kinds and characteristics of the roots(30%)' was low. In conclusion, the forest experience made a positive effect on the students' environmental sensitivity and cognition ability through the direct observation, data collection, and analysis on the nearby natural environment.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1133-1142
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of science classes using abductive strategies on the scientific concept understanding and meta-cognition. The subjects included two classes of sixth graders from K Elementary School in B Metropolitan City and they divided into two groups. Research group was composed of 21 students(10 boys, 11 girls) and comparative group was composed of 21 students(11 boys, 10 girls). In order to achieve aims of this study, proper contents to apply abductive strategies were selected from the first semester science curriculum for sixth graders. Also five-steps study papers were designed to elicit abductive reasoning. While the research group received 20 times of reframed science lessons using abductive strategies, the comparative group received common science lessons according to the teachers' manual. The results of this study are as follows. First, science classes using abductive strategies were effective for the scientific concept understanding. Also there were statistically significant differences between the research group and the comparative group in overall science sub-domain. In the process of hypothesis formulating, students tried to find out scientific causes thoroughly to present the optimal explanation and they concentrated on the analysis of each scientific concept. It is thought that this process contributed to better understanding in scientific concepts. Second, science classes using abductive strategies were effective for improving meta-cognition. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups and especially in monitoring that is one of sub-factors of meta-cognition. It indicates that hypothesis formulating process gave positive effect on meta-cognition by stimulating critical thinking and manifesting elaboration.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.573-584
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• 2015

Inquiry has been consistently emphasized in science education as a crucial element for learning. Although many researchers came to agree on the importance of scientific inquiry, authentic inquiry activities are hard to be actualized in an educational context. Therefore it is required to critically examine what teachers have difficulty in teaching inquiry. In this article, we looked into inquiry-based science activities in a small group setting where pre-service science teachers faced dilemmas between cognition and practice of inquiry. A case study was conducted on eight undergraduate students who are majoring in science education. The participants attended a weekly science program for middle school students in low SES as teaching assistants and mentors, and took full care of his/her mentees during open-inquiry activities. The results were drawn by analyzing participants' personal and group interviews, participant observations, self-reports, and others. The pre-service teachers viewed the knowledge and procedure of science as an essential factor in inquiry activities along with student's spontaneous attitude. However, in the process of performing inquiry, they faced several dilemmas between ideal cognition and real activities. The aspects of dilemmas could be summarized in three pairs of opposing concepts: 'diverging inquiry or converging science', 'interest-centered inquiry or learning-centered inquiry', and 'student as the subject or student with the insufficient expertise.' We discussed ways of resolving dilemmas and alternative perspectives on scientific inquiry.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.79-94
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• 2016

Objective: This study aimed to examine the predictors of indoor play behaviors using cluster analyses. Methods: Data from 963 children (age 4 years) who participated in the $5^{th}$ phase of the Panel Study of Korean Children, their parents, and their teachers were analyzed using K-means clustering analyses, F-tests and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Results: The clustering analyses revealed three distinctive profiles: positive-theme oriented, general-exploratory/manipulative, and negative-exploratory/manipulative groups. Child characteristics, including cognition, language, and social level, and teachers' age were significantly associated with the groups in a different way; the clusters were partially different in the gender and creativity of children, interaction level of teachers' interaction, classroom environment, and program types that children attended. Conclusion: Findings revealed three clusters of play behaviors and highlighted the importance of the ecological variables that determined the clusters.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.189-205
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• 2013

Addition problems can be divided into the 'problem of quantity' which does not have the concept of object or unit, and the 'problem of number' which have the concept of object or unit. 'Additive property' is the factor which has to be considered in the former case. On the other hand, 'additive property' is not considered and meaningless in the latter case. However, this additive property is not emphasized in the elementary curriculum that mostly deals with quantitative problems, so related errors are occurred in actual life. In this study, we will investigate to the pre-service elementary teachers through the problems of deciding the additive property. The result shows that the pre-service elementary teachers' cognition of additive problems is insufficient. This study will provide focal points in the teacher education and the elementary education, and the clues for the operating programs through the information about the tendency of errors.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.117-143
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• 2005

This study is aimed at checking on the extent of practical use of CAI in mathematical classes in secondary schools, thus seeking a way of activating the practical use of CAI, with computer networks being widely used for education. This research was conducted among some 120 mathematics teachers and 350 students in middle and high schools in the City of Kunsan, with questionnaires designed to survey the extent and effectiveness of the use of CAI, the teachers and students' awareness of CAI. In consequence, this research shows the following: The use of CAI was of considerable help in conducting mathematics classes, along with CAI used in a more effective way, but education materials concerning CAI were poorly managed and not a few teachers was negative toward the use of CAI in mathematics classes. In short, the practical use of CAI was unsatisfactory, probably due to the lack of application ability on the part of teachers caused by the perfunctory teachers' training. In conclusion, the practical use of CAI in classes can be activated as follows: CAI apparatuses and other teaching aids should be systematically managed by experts; high-quality CAI programs need to be developed to help teachers conduct effective classes; teachers should be positively encouraged to make practical use of CAI through teachers' training and a plan of obligating teachers to use CAI for one or two fixed class hours in a week may be strongly recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.628-637
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• 2012

In this research, the textbook contents related to the ionization degree of strong acid in water were analyzed from 1945 year syllabus to chemistry II textbook in 2009 revised curriculum. Fifty chemistry teachers' cognition related to the species of strong acid in water, and the relationship between the degree of ionization was surveyed by a questionnaire and interviews. As results, most of the teachers thought the species of strong acid in water based on the degree of ionization represented on the chemistry II textbooks. They didn't recognize the conflict of the degree of ionization and definition of strong acid on the textbooks, and then they awakened the conflict, they could not solve the problem.