• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.635-645
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to identify elementary school teachers' perceptions, practices, and background factors related to introducing students' everyday experience in science teaching process. The participants of this study were four elementary school teachers who have different features such as major, teaching period, gender, growth area, and age. The data was collected through semi-constructed and in-depth interviews. The results of the research are as follows: Teachers mostly used students' everyday experience during the introduction phase of science lessons for the purpose of motivation. They hold a positive view of using students' everyday experience during science lessons and thought that science teaching needs to actively use more of students' everyday experience, while in actual practice they disregarded or only passively introduced students' everyday experience. The various background factors found to affect teachers' practice are as follows: positive memory on their science class; educational experience of their own children; their own childhood environment; their learning style; their insufficient knowledge or enthusiasm; perceived educational value of everyday life in science education; teacher's duties; importance of students' achievement; difficulty in guiding experiment; reaction of students on introducing everyday experience; characteristics of science textbook and teacher's guidebook; lack of lesson time; realization of national common basic education; characteristics of their students; demands from parents or students; effect of introducing everyday experience. In addition, we found that the teachers behave not in accordance with what they thought due to external factors related to their profession and that, for a more active use of students' everyday experience in their teaching, teachers need support from textbooks and teachers' guidebooks.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.139-150
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• 2016

The development of Smart devices has become a key influence on the changes of the school system. As Smart education is integrated and institutionalized in school systems, how it is perceived and utilized by teachers should be investigated. This study is conducted to find out the perception of the teachers on characteristics of Smart education, using qualitative research method, and to analyze importance-performance, using additional quantitative analysis. To figure out the perceptions of the attributes of Smart education by teachers, related literatures were reviewed. The 8 teachers were selected and the data on their perceptions of Smart education were collected through direct observation of class and semi-structured in-depth interview. After researching, we finally drew out 16 final concepts, 6 sub-categories, and 3 categories in the open coding process. Based on the 16 concepts on teachers' perceptions on Smart education, importance-performance analysis (IPA) were conducted to identify areas that need focus and improvement. Based on the results of teachers' perceptions on importance of and the levels of use of Smart education, recommendations were provided for better practice of Smart education in school.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.25-45
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore daycare-center director's perceptons of recruitment and to understand how hire beginning teachers. Methods: One hundred twenty-five directors of daycare-centers in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do Province answered a questionnaire that was developed by researchers. The results were analyzed by frequency analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple response analysis through SPSS 18.0. Furthermore, 17 of the directors that participated in the study were given individual interviews by qualitative methods for research. Results: First, 56.8% of the directors felt difficulty to employ beginning teachers because of 'lack of information about them' and 'uncertainty of practice capability.' On the other hand, other directors of daycare-centers said that they hire them for 'high acceptance' and 'operational efficiency of the daycare-center.' Second, the main way to recruit teachers for daycare-centers is open recruitment, and through recommendations of acquaintances or through colleges in relevant fields. Professional talent and personal characteristics were important selection criteria for recruitment, and daycare-center directors used interviews, résumés, cover-letters, and demo classes for the hiring process. Primarily, most directors select candidates through résumés and cover-letters, and the final selection is completed by conducting interviews. Conclusion/Implications: In conclusion, this study can be useful to prepare beginning teachers for employment and for educating applicants.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to draw implications for future Korean science education by analyzing the PISA 2015 science teacher questionnaire. To this end, descriptive statistics and difference tests were conducted for each questionnaire item, using raw data from science teacher surveys in Korea, the United States, and China. As a result of the analysis, first, the perception that Korean science teachers should participate in professional development activities was lower than that of comparative countries, and it was found that improvement was needed in the practice of adaptive instruction and various evaluation methods. Second, although Korean science teachers were generally satisfied with their jobs, the response that they were hindered in science education activities due to limitations in various resources at their current school was relatively higher than that of comparative countries. Third, scientific inquiry was less emphasized in science curriculum and science class in Korea, and self-efficacy in inquiry teaching process was relatively low. Fourth, in Korea, it was found that there were fewer classes for discussion and using ICT in science classes.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to diagnose the operation status of high school integrated science newly introduced in the 2015 revised national curriculum and first applied in 2018, to examine teachers' perception on the new educational policy, and then based on this, extract implications for settling down the policy. A survey was administered to science teachers who participated in the in-service teacher training on integrated science, and the responses of 384 high school science teachers were analyzed. According to the results of the survey, integrated science was allotted six units to each school, and two or more teachers divided achievement standards and were responsible for them in many cases. Science teachers pointed to the increase of student-oriented activities as the biggest change due to the application of integrated science and also showed a positive attitude towards increasing the proportion of performance-based assessment, diversifying evaluation methods, increasing teacher consultations, and enhancing the holistic understanding of natural phenomenon, etc. In particular, teachers with 15 years or more of teaching experience were significantly positive about the increase of student-oriented activities, diverse assessment methods, and opportunities of teacher consultations. For teachers with a sub-major in science, teaching about non-majored contents was the most difficult and it was also difficult to determine the appropriate level of contents to teach. Teachers who majored common science, however, rarely complained about teaching non-majored content. In the case of two teachers in charge of integrated science, there was a statistically significant demand for subject matter knowledge as training content, and for mixed education incorporating theory and practice and customized training as a training method. In the case of one teacher responsible for the subject, there was a relatively lower demand. From these results, some implications for the successful implementation of integrated science were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.443-450
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• 1998

This study was performed to find the environmental factors of inquiry instruction perceived by secondary school science teacher. The instrument consisted of three domains such as teaching conditions, viewpoints of secondary school science teachers of environmental factors for inquiry instruction, and barrier and improve! rent factors of inquiry instruction. Teaching conditions between middle school and high school science teachers were not different significantly. Environmental factors of inquiry instruction of secondary school science teacher included five factors such as 'facilities and encouragement', 'amount of works and materials', 'teacher education and textbook', 'practice and knowledge' and 'perception of necessity and satisfaction'. And all factors except 'perception of necessity and satisfaction' were very low state for inquiry instruction. In the disturbant and improving factors, the critical factors were 'over students per class', 'textbook' and 'learning materials' for middle school science teachers, and 'over students per class', and 'entrance examination' for high school science teachers. Thus the development and diffusion of adequate inquiry learning materials may be helpful to practicing inquiry instruction as decrease of works and psychological charges, and it is needed to reorganize systematically and intensify pre- and in-service teacher education to practice inquiry instruction.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.403-416
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the practice of nutrition education and perceptions for implementing nutrition education in elementary schools. In this survey, 833 dietitians, 808 principals and 3,141 teachers across the country were asked about the present status and problems as well as necessity, methods, education time, education subjects and the proper nutrition educator ratio. The results of the survey showed that only 4.2% of dietitians implemented nutrition education during regular school hours or through special activities. Many subjects responded that the reasons for not practicing nutrition education were systematic problems of lack of time due to too much food service work. Especially, many rural area dietitians responded that the reason was lack of time due to joint management and cooking. Many dietitians, principals and teachers responded that the placement of one nutrition teacher in every school is needed to resolve these problems. Other solutions suggested were the introduction of a dietitian internship, and the modernization of foodservice facilities for principals and teachers. Of those surveyed 98.4 percent of principals and 95.5 percent of teachers responded that nutrition education is urgently needed. Many subjects also responded that the first three years of elementary school are the most proper time for nutrition education and it is best that these lessons are reinforced at least once a month through discretional or special activities. Survey participants responded that the proper ratio for nutrition educators is 400-800 persons for dietitians compared to less than 400 persons for principals. In conclusion, it is hoped that this study will be able to provide a foundation of data for implementing a systematic nutrition education program by nutrition teachers in elementary school.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.24-37
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the current status of nutrition education via a free learning semester program (NE). The understanding of the program, the potential difficulties, and future initiatives for NE improvement were also investigated. Methods: A total number of 161 nutrition teachers from Gwangju and Jeonnam filled in a questionnaire and participated in this survey, which was performed from July to August 2019. Results: Our results showed that 8.1% of the nutrition teachers had taught nutrition education in free learning semester programs. The most frequently implemented model was subject selection, followed by club activities. Most of the nutrition teachers comprehended the purpose of NE. The attitude of nutrition teachers to NE differed by the understanding of its purpose. Positive attitude was evident due to a better understanding of the purpose by nutrition teachers. Nutrition teachers reported the most common difficulties of NE were the lack of preparation due to the heavy workload and the lack of a standard running program. The most effective method of NE was the activity classes. The experience of practicing NE influenced the choice of contents for each operating model. Nutrition teachers that were experienced in NE conducted via free learning semester programs preferred the selected topics model, but those without experience chose the career search model. Conclusions: Although some obstacles exist, nutrition teachers had a positive attitude and perceived well the importance of NE. Therefore, the awareness for the significance of NE of nutrition teachers needs to be improved. For better NE practice, it is necessary to reduce/ manage the workload of general food service. Furthermore, the development of standard running and promotion programs, and teacher training programs should be ensured.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.169-182
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• 2005

Influence of parenting, peer relationship, and teacher's support on the development of children's self-concept was assessed in Korean and Korean-Chinese elementary school students. Subjects were 280 Korean children in Korea and 210 Korean-Chinese children in Shenyang, China. The Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents(Harter, 1988), Parenting Practice(Cho et al., 2001), and 4 items from Social Support(Koo, 2000) were used to measure self-concept, parenting, and peer relationships, respectively. Data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation, factor analysis, and multiple regression. Results revealed differential influences between the two cultures : Korean children's self-concepts were significantly influenced by his/her peer relationships and teacher's support while Korean-Chinese children's self-concepts were influenced by teacher's support and parenting.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.289-299
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• 1997

This study has been undertaken in the light of constructivist view of teacher education. Participant observation, unstructured interview and questionnaire were used to explore the process and the role of practicum in science teacher education. The subjects were 19 student teachers majoring in physics education; 8 had participated at boys junior high school, 11 at senior high school. The student teachers had very critical and negative perception on their school days' science lessons. They had expected to do 'better' in their practicum but there were only 3 to 5 opportunities of teaching under the umbrella of textbook. Explanation in the classroom and solving exercise problem were the main features of student teachers' lessons. Much of the lessons were similar when it is to same topic and the main reference for their lesson preparation was the textbook. The student teachers felt the design of teaching approach as the most difficult thing during their lesson preparation. They realized that teaching is harder than they thought and they should consider students' level and responses. Though they had become to have more positive perception on teaching job through their field experiences, their decision on job preference did not change. More than half did not want to be a teacher. The student teachers recognised the courses related with science education as the most useful to their teaching in practice among the program of college of education which they had taken. The experience of writing one lesson plan or teaching in front of their peers, designing a new demonstration equipment were recognised as valuable and helpful element of the courses. They proposed to reduce the amount of general education courses and to emphasize the courses relevant with science education and practicum. The limited opportunity of teaching in practicum was pointed out as problematic. Though the practicum was recognized as a 'good' experience to student teachers, it was confined by textbook and limited teaching opportunity. In conclusion, the practicum was not organized and implemented as a meaningful experience of science teaching and learning. There should be more structured studies on what kind of perceptions and experiences the student teachers had brought to the science teacher education program, how they interact with the elements of the program and how they affect to their science teaching. The structure and content of practicum also should be studied and developed so as to make practicum as a meaningful experience of science teaching and learning.