• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.100-120
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• 1993

Middle school students' conceptual changes on physics, chemistry, biology and earth science concepts which were intentionally selected by researchers had been investigated through traditional teaching and learning by paper and pencil tests and P.O.E. The weak points had been studied by individual interviews about the problems of traditional science classroom teaching after students' testing and learning about science concepts. As results, students' conceptual changes could be hardly found through traditional teaching and learning except several concepts in biology, The weak points of traditional science classroom teaching and learning were as follows: 1) Teachers teach science as finding answers. 2) The conventional science test is not performed to find students' concepts out but to recall simple knowledge or calculus. 3) Students hesitate to ask teacher Questions in science class because of their colleagues' or teachers' blame. These mean that science teachers need specially designed teaching methods on the students' concepts and reseachers had to study about science classroom socialogy, what happened in science classrooms.

• 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 Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.307-317
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• 2006

Those students with ability and interest in science should be supported to develop their potential and to reach high levels of achievement in science and technology. In order to ensure that gifted pupils are able to enhance their creativity as well as research abilities, appropriate learning programs and environments are essential. One of the various teaching and learning models for the gifted in science is the discovery learning model based on inductive science activities. There is a clear line of continuity between knowledge discovery at the forefront of research and student's learning activities. If students receive excellent training in organizing scientific concepts for themselves, they will be able to skillfully apply appropriate scientific concepts and solve problems when facing unfamiliar situations. It is very important to offer an appropriate learning environment to maximize the learning effect whilst, at the same time, understanding individual student's characteristics. In this study, the authors took great pains to research effective learning environments for gifted science students. Firstly, appropriate classroom learning environments thought by the teacher to offer the most potential were investigated. 3 different classes in which a revised teaching and learning environment was applied in sequence were examined. Inquiries were conducted into students' activities and achievement through observation, interviews, and examination of students' worksheets. A Science Education expert and 5 elementary school teachers specializing in gifted education also observed the class to examine the specific character of gifted science students. A number of suggestions in discovery learning classes for elementary students gifted in science are possible; 1) Readiness is essential in attitudes related to the inquiry. 2) The interaction between students should be developed. A permissive atmosphere is needed in small group activities. 3) Students require training in listening to others. In a whole class discussion, a permissive atmosphere needs to be restricted somewhat in order to promote full and inclusive discussion. 4) Students should have a chance to practice induction and abduction methods in solving problems.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.45-57
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to guide and apply gettable and accessible materials around everyday life into classroom instruction, and to find out their effects on student academic achievement. In order to achieve it, this study was tried to develop and guide available materials around life in teaming activities, to provide a preliminary assignment that could apply the available materials, and to compare its academic achievement to one from field trip loaming. For the hypothesis testing, first, the experimental and comparing classes were selected based on the results of basic learning diagnostic evaluation, which conducted by the researcher being served as a full-time science teacher of the third and sixth grade of K elementary school in Kwangju for 2 years. Secondly, the instructional use of the available materials around life was applied to the experimental class. Also, the instructional use of the existing materials was applied to the comparing class. Finally, for the testing of the effects on academic achievement, the posterio test was implemented after conducting the experimental instruction in knowledge·understanding, inquiry process, and attitude domains classified by the unit characteristics. Using SPSS/WIN program the t-test was performed in order to compare the differences between the two groups. Major findings were as follows: 1) In the achievement test of knowledge·understanding domain, there were no significant differences at the 5％ level between the experimental and comparing classes. It could be difficult to say, therefore, that the instructional use of the available materials around life was more effective than the instructional use of the existing materials. However, it had some effects on differences between the third grade final achievement test and sixth grade experimental class. 2) In the achievement test of inquiry process domain, there were some significant differences in that the sixth grade experimental class was higher than the third grade out-of classroom experience unit. It was indicated that the instructional use of the available materials around life had some effects on improving the students' inquiry ability 3) In achievement test of attitude domain, there were some significant differences. It was shown that the self-evaluation test of the sixth grade experimental class unit was higher than that of the third grade out-of classroom experience unit; Especially, the learning activities in the experimental class were more active, and the experimental practice ability was improved. It was presented that the instructional use of the available materials around life had some effects on the students' academic achievement in attitude domain. It was concluded from this study that the instructional use of the available materials around life was less effective on Knowledge understanding domain, but was effective on improving their scientific inquiry ability and interest on science education.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.521-530
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• 2010

This study aimed to explore how to characterize the earth science inquiry in schools in terms of science teaching interaction and constructivist teaching practice. The constructivist teaching practices were analyzed with Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) in three aspects including (1) student oriented class implementation, (2) subject knowledge and representation, and (3) classroom communication. Fourteen earth science classes were observed and scored with RTOP. The class was evaluated to be transitional stage in terms of constructivist teaching, e.g., moving toward student-centered teaching practice. Especially, Korean teachers tend to lean their classes more on propositional knowledge than procedural knowledge. To interpret science teaching interactions, an earth science teacher with a RTOP top rank was selected. Her class was then videotaped for detailed analysis. I adopted the analytical framework of communicative approaches and discourse patterns among the five aspects of interactions presented by Mortimer and Scott (2003). It was found that this earth science teacher used more authoritative patterns than the dialogic. In addition, she used IRE discourse pattern more frequently. Interestingly, teachers interacted with their students more frequently in the form of repeated (or IRE chain pattern), that is IRFRF (teacher initiation-student response-teacher feedback-student response-teacher feedback) in the context of dialogic communicative approaches, while simple IRE occurred in an authoritative approach. In earth science classrooms, typical interaction may well be constructed in the form of IRFRF chains to allow students free conjectures and abduction.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.432-446
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• 2007

The purpose of the study is to explore the science teaching orientations of secondary science teachers, and how they influence the planning and execution of reform-based lessons. Professional development workshop for constructivist teaching consisted of three different phases; five lectures, small group discussion, and preparing lesson plans. Four teachers who participated also executed their lesson plans in their own classroom. All workshops were videotape recorded. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted and recorded. Instructional materials were also collected for each science class. All data recorded were transcribed and analyzed. Based on the data collected from multiple sources, we identified each teacher's teaching orientations, and through this lens, we also tried to understand their classroom practices. We expected teacher-participants to implement constructivist science teaching. However, the differences among teachers in the course of actual planning and implementing activities for constructivist science was wider than we expected and even some teachers were unsuccessful. Teaching orientations can act as a filter for teachers when they decide whether to accept and apply new knowledge about teaching and learning to actual lessons or not. Even if a teacher plans a guided-inquiry lesson, her/his didactic teaching orientation could be revealed in actual classroom, and lead her/his class to other direction which is quite different from her/his original intention. Although the teachers participated in the same workshops in our study, they planned and executed differently and their own teaching orientations contribute substantially to their practice. Understanding the role of science teaching orientations could be an important step in addressing issues of diverse difficulties in supporting reform efforts in science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to analyze the 6th national secondary science curriculum and classroom practices to collect the basic data for developing secondary science program focusing on creative problem-solving ability. The creative problem-solving ability was conceptualized as an active process of producing new solutions to problems and consisted of five components: general knowledge, domain-specific knowledge, motivation, divergent thinking and critical thinking. The research questions were generated as follows: (1) Whether creative problem-solving elements-domain specific knowledge(declarative knowledge and inquiry methods) were included or not in the 6th secondary science curriculum, textbooks and teacher's guide? If so, how are they represented? (2) Whether the teachers tried to enhance divergent and critical thinking of their students. Through content analyses, observations and interviews, these research questions were answered as follows: (1) Inquiry methods, which are important to develop creative problem-solving abilities in science, were underestimated in comparison with declarative knowledge. In other words. inquiry methods were regarded only as tools to understand the scientific concepts and principles. (2) It was hard to find the situations which teachers provided opportunities for divergent and critical thinking to their students. Based on these results, the followings were recommended: (1) Inquiry methods should be regarded as a goal not as a tool and be used to acquire inquiry methods themselves. (2) Teachers should not stick to the prescribed inquiry methods prescribed in the textbook, but to give opportunities for thinking various kinds of inquiry methods to improve divergent and critical thinking.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.448-460
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• 1999

Worksheets with various levels are major instructional material in open classroom, but sometimes they have been arbitrarily developed in elementaryschools. Especially, pedagogical elements of science course seem to have been neglected in developing science learning papers. To solve these problems, a model of worksheets was developed considering the contextual nature of science knowledge and educational constructivism. The frame of this model is composed of inquiry skill and context, which are two dimensions of each learning task. The level of each worksheet was determined by the level of inquiry skills and the familiarity of contexts.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.287-304
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• 2019

Teaching with technology has been widespread in practical classroom settings, and increased the needs to enhance pre-service teachers' capability with a variety of technologies. The purpose of this study is focused on designing and implementing a training program to develop pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK) which promotes them use technologies tactically in integrated science classes. Based on the theoretical framework of TPACK and Practitioner's Guide to TPACK, the authors developed ten periods of lessons comprised instructional skills in elementary science education. Subsequently, the program was applied into a teacher trainee course in Korea. The results of this study indicate that the TPACK training program for pre-service teachers significantly influenced on attitude toward convergence, TPACK, and science teaching efficacy of the engaged participants. The developed program, meanwhile, caused a significant TPACK improvement of female participants of the teachers college more effectively. Furthermore, it mitigated the gap between science and humanity tracks coming from their high schools. Consequently, there are possibilities to improve pre-service teachers' teaching strategies for integrated classes, if they have opportunities to review the comprehensibility of technological, pedagogical, content knowledge, and intersected areas with metacognitive perspectives.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.3-11
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• 2012

This paper discusses the effect that classroom demonstrations have on students' conceptual understanding in concepts in introductory physics. We used the same conceptual survey to probe the students' understanding on certain concepts before and after taking the course. We introduce Hake's , which is used to evaluate the effect of various kind of teaching methods, suggested by physics education research groups, on conceptual understanding of students who took the class. The effect of physics class using demonstration turned to be better than the traditional lecture, higher for students who graduated from science schools with higher prior knowledge and demonstration experience. Authors suggest to use to probe concepts which need more attention.