• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.253-265
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• 2014

This study was aimed to find the impact of science lessons using e-NIE on science process skills and scientific attitudes of elementary students in comparison with that of traditional lessons. Subjects of this study were 5th graders from two separate classes at a elementary school located in U city. And the experiment has been conducted throughout 10 lessons for the duration of total 12 weeks, where one class, experimental group, attended e-NIE based lessons, while the other, comparative group, with traditional lessons for the same period, in an effort to collect both pre and post test results to compare. Findings from this study were briefly listed below: Firstly, e-NIE applied lessons were more effective in improving science process skills than traditional lessons, especially in the domain of integrated science process skills, with meaningful difference. Secondly, lessons combined with e-NIE enhanced scientific attitudes of elementary students more than traditional lessons with meaningful difference.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.16-30
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to interpret modeling-based elementary science lessons from a perspective of distributed cognition. Data sources included three consecutive elementary science lessons dealing with particle models of gases and students' worksheet generated from modeling activities during the lessons. The data were analyzed in ways that could reveal the affordances and constraints of students' mental models and an external model in the science textbook, as well as the evolution of the models. The results showed that the students' mental models and the external model provided both affordances for and constraints to scientific problem solving and that the models evolved in the process of overcoming the constraints. Implications for science lessons and science education research were suggested.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.269-284
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the epistemic process in elementary science classrooms by analyzing classroom discourse as a epistemic practice. Data came from four elementary teachers in the form of video-recordings. A total of 12 elementary science lessons were examined to reveal the discursive modes and sequences in which the teacher and students participated when they constructed and developed scientific knowledge during the lessons. Three representative discursive patterns were found in the elementary science lessons explored: (i) 'Retrieving-Retrieving-${\cdots}$' by which well-established scientific knowledge was retrieved repeatedly, (ii) 'Exploring-Building on the Shared' which allowed introducing new scientific knowledge based on the scientific phenomena explored by the teacher and students together through practical work, and (iii) 'Retrieving-Elaborating/Reformulating/Narrating' or 'Building on the Shared-Elaborating/Reformulating/Narrating' which expanded and strengthened scientific knowledge already learned. These discursive patterns were suggested as discursive-epistemic mechanisms employed frequently in the epistemic process in elementary science lessons and as a basis for defining epistemic cultures of science classrooms.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.162-177
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• 2011

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the 'structure' of an elementary school teacher's practical knowledge concerning science experiment lessons. A female elementary teacher in the early career years participated in the study, and video recordings of her science experiment lessons as well as audio-taped interviews with her were analyzed by means of Elbaz's framework. The teacher expressed six images of science experiment lessons: 'Science is difficult', 'Experiments are dangerous', 'Experiments are accurate', 'A science experiment takes a long time', 'Science experiments are interesting', and 'Children are little scientists.' These images were supported by several principles and rules, most of which were clearly described. Among the images, principles, and rules, there were complex relationships with some working in synergy and some conflicting. In case of the image 'Children are little scientists', its subordinate principles and rules were not fully realized in the classroom. Implications for science teaching reform and science education research were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.476-485
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of free inquiry lessons utilizing flipped learning with smart devices on digital literacy, $21^{st}$ century skills and scientific attitude of $5^{th}$ graders of elementary school. The subjects of this study were two different $5^{th}$ grade classes in J elementary school located in B metropolitan city. Free inquiry lessons utilizing flipped learning with smart devices were applied to experimental group, whereas comparison group was taught general free inquiry lessons using ordinary teaching materials. The results of this study were as follows: First, free inquiry lessons utilizing flipped learning with smart devices were statistically meaningful on students' digital literacy. Second, free inquiry lessons utilizing flipped learning with smart devices were not statistically meaningful on students' $21^{st}$ century skills. Third, free inquiry lessons utilizing flip teaching with smart devices were not statistically meaningful on students' scientific attitude. Fourth, free inquiry lessons utilizing flipped learning with smart devices caused an effectiveness on students' interests.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to get an implication on teacher education program, by exploring the difficulties pre-service elementary teachers have with their science lessons. 37 pre-service teachers were requested to write an anecdote about their science lessons during their 4 week practicum. By analyzing these anecdotes, the difficulties were grouped into several categories by the researcher, and then reconfirmed by the pre-service teachers themselves. The result showed that there were far more difficulties with practical work (cases: 48), than with content knowledge teaching (cases: 17). Among practical work related difficulties, the most frequent cases were: 1) when they have unexpected result different from scientific theory (cases: 10), 2) when they teach process skill and usage of lab equipments (cases: 8), and 3) when they do not have enough preparation for practical work (cases: 7). Unlike the result of preceding research on secondary pre-service teachers, there was no affective aspect problems. These difficulties also can be divided into 'problems' and 'dilemmas'. Whereas 'problems' can be settled by removing obstacles, 'dilemmas', a conflict-filled situation, require choices between competing values or aims. The use of scientific language, the decision on the level and amount of knowledge they teach, and disposal of unexpected experiment results caused such dilemmas in science lessons. The research results imply practical work should be more strengthened in the elementary teacher education program. And both teacher educators and pre-service teachers need to understand that practical teaching is a complex enterprise accompanying some 'dilemmas'. The role of science teachers as managers of dilemmas could be considered.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.495-502
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore North Korean immigrant elementary students' cognitive and affective characteristics related to science education. A total of 68 North Korean immigrant students enrolled in 3 to 6 grades and 133 South Korean students in 4 and 6 grades in 3 South Korean elementary schools participated in the study. A short version of Group Assessment of Logical Thinking(GALT) was used to investigate the students' levels of logical thinking, and the Enjoyment of Science Lessons Scale(ESLS) of the Test of Science Related Attitudes(TOSRA) was administrated to examine their attitudes towards science lessons. The statistical analysis of data revealed that the level of logical thinking of the North Korean immigrant elementary students was very low and that this was also the case for the South Korean students. Especially, the mean score of logical thinking of the North Korean immigrant 6 graders was much lower when compared with that of the South Korean counterparts. For both the North Korean immigrant students and South Korean students, the enjoyment of science lessons decreased as they progressed through higher grades. This decreasing trend, however, turned out to be more serious in the South Korean elementary students. Based on these results, suggestions were presented to help successful science learning of North Korean immigrant elementary students.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.515-525
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyze of how the elementary school teachers lead their classes of a science laboratory instruction and an engineering laboratory instruction in a science subject class. For this study, science laboratory and engineering laboratory lessons were selected and for each science and engineering laboratory lesson, five elementary school teachers were video-recorded of their lessons. The science and engineering laboratory lessons were analyzed by utilizing processes of the science model and the engineering model based on Schauble et al. (1991). The results of these studies are as follows: In science laboratory instruction, some participants didn't distinguish the difference between the science laboratory goal and the engineering laboratory goal. All of participants used search and end strategy of engineering laboratory for science laboratory lesson. In engineering laboratory instruction, all of participants guided to students engineering laboratory goal and used inferences and search strategy of engineering laboratory. However they didn't use the trial and error strategy or redesign which can be an essential element in engineering and design process. Educational implications are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2008

We investigated the characteristics of lesson session and the professional development of teachers who conduct good teaching science subject. Seven teachers' were selected the finalists at the elementary school science and teaching competition. The study was based on a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews. To prove validity of the study, the collected data were verified by subject teachers for feedback. The results showed that the teachers believed that their lesson contents and methods were superior to other teachers. To enhance professional development in their lessons, they are only being made through help from colleagues and personal efforts, and a systematic development was involved with necessary situation. As a plan for enhancing an effective quality enhancement of lessons, open classes and conversation between colleagues were proposed. An organization or a group that can motivate teachers and provide systematic support for quality enhancement of lessons by teachers is needed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.545-556
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• 2013

The purpose of this research was to enhance the understanding of scientific thinking of $5^{th}$ graders of elementary school through conducting investigative analyses on the students' associations with regard to illustrations on science textbooks and to provide basic data that are needed for the teachers teaching science in classrooms to reorganize textbook illustrations suitable to the realities of science contents and realms. In order to achieve the research purposes, subject $5^{th}$ grade students were asked to write down what they associated with the illustrations on the matter part of the $5^{th}$ science textbooks of elementary school: among 14 illustrations, a half of them were after lessons and other half from before lessons. The types of students' learning goal statements according to Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives were compared with the learning objectives provided in teachers' guide. The differences between before and after lessons in associated words which students used responding to given illustrations were investigated. Students' responses were analyzed in terms of how their associations were consistent with what their preference of learning objectives would be as well. Students variables including their achievement levels and gender were used as group variables in order to locate their effects on differences in their associations before and after the lessons. It was found that students manipulated the given illustrations more variously with more explanations before the lessons than after. After the lessons students tended to describe the illustrations more homogeneously and made theirs stick on the given direction by the textbooks. The implications for how school teaching affected to students' perception was made.