• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.31 no.7
• /
• pp.1040-1054
• /
• 2011

This formative evaluation study presents a professional development program, "Earth Science Systems for Teachers (ESST)" held in a Midwest State in the United States. This study investigates how a professional development for urban teachers affects the teacher participants' perceptions of using the urban environment for their science teaching and their lesson unit development. The purpose of the program was to help urban teachers create science units using the urban geologic environment and its connection to urban students' everyday lives. The participant teachers' daily journal entries during the program, their lesson plans before and after the program, as well as their teaching reflections were collected as major data source. The teachers' daily journal entries were analyzed qualitatively and their pre-post lessons were analyzed quantitatively using a lesson plan analysis tool, Culturally Relevant Science Teaching Perspectives (CRSTP) was developed by the author. The lesson analysis tool was used to assess teachers' science lesson plans in the perspective of culturally relevant pedagogy and place-based pedagogy. The major findings include: 1) The teacher participants' field experiences in urban geologic sites and urban environments help the teachers to change their perceptions of using the urban environment as a teaching resource and 2) there were significant differences in their pre and post lesson unit scores based on CRSTP (P<. 01). The implications of this study are also discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.3557-3563
• /
• 2014

Korean National Level Kindergarten Curriculum does not include English education in regular class time. On the other hand, more than 90% kindergarteners are taught English. This study examined the Native English Teachers' (NETs') cultural aspects of their teaching at regular kindergartens in Korea. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with four NETs who were working at regular kindergartens in Korea, their partner Local English Teachers (LETs) and kindergarten principals. All interview data was transcribed and categorized based on the grounded theory method. The results showed that NETs are not required to be culturally prepared to teach in Korean kindergartens. Consequently, most of them do not consider the students' culture in their teaching activities. Moreover, Korean kindergartens, where research participants work, are not prepared well to invite NETs into their regular curriculum. These results will have significant implications on Korean kindergarten's English education practice.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.71-84
• /
• 2024

This paper presents a critical analysis of the current application of big data in higher education and how Learning Analytics (LA), and Educational Data Mining (EDM) are helping to shape learning in higher education institutions that have applied the concepts successfully. An extensive literature review of Learning Analytics, Educational Data Mining, Learning Management Systems, Informal Learning and Online Social Networks are presented to understand their usage and trends in higher education pedagogy taking advantage of 21st century educational technologies and platforms. The roles of and benefits of these technologies in teaching and learning are critically examined. Imperatively, this study provides vital information for education stakeholders on the significance of establishing a teaching and learning agenda that takes advantage of today's educational relevant technologies to promote teaching and learning while also acknowledging the difficulties of 21st-century learning. Aside from the roles and benefits of these technologies, the review highlights major challenges and research needs apparent in the use and application of these technologies. It appears that there is lack of research understanding in the challenges and utilization of data effectively for learning analytics, despite the massive educational data generated by high institutions. Also due to the growing importance of LA, there appears to be a serious lack of academic research that explore the application and impact of LA in high institution, especially in the context of informal online social network learning. In addition, high institution managers seem not to understand the emerging trends of LA which could be useful in the running of higher education. Though LA is viewed as a complex and expensive technology that will culturally change the future of high institution, the question that comes to mind is whether the use of LA in relation to informal learning in online social network is really what is expected? A study to analyze and evaluate the elements that influence high usage of OSN is also needed in the African context. It is high time African Universities paid attention to the application and use of these technologies to create a simplified learning approach occasioned by the use of these technologies.

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