• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.109-124
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• 2012

Developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been emphasized for teacher's professionalism and it should be done from systematic teacher training courses. In this study, we investigated changes of elementary pre-service teachers' PCK of science teaching and motivational strategies before and after a training course. For the analysis of pre-service teachers' PCK, their lesson plans, surveys, and interviews were collected. According to the results, in the beginning of the semester, pre-service teachers in the experimental group usually used didactic or combination of didactic and inquiry teaching strategies and a few pre-service teachers used inquiry or discovery teaching strategies when making lesson plans. However, at the end of the semester many pre-service teachers used inquiry teaching strategies in their lessons which included activities of asking students' prior knowledge, conducing experiments, finding conclusion, and comparing teachers' explanations with students' explanations. Regarding motivational strategies, in the beginning of the semester they focused using activities to create student's emotional interest in science lesson but at the end they used other strategies to create positive atmosphere for learning, capture intellectual interest in science, and connect science to students' everyday lives. The changes in pre-service teachers' PCK in the experimental group was meaningful because there was less change in pre-service teachers' PCK in the control group. This study implies the need for effective professional development programs for developing pre-service teachers' PCK.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2013

The study aims to figure out pre-service elementary teachers' knowledge understanding on 'stratum and rock' as well as teaching-learning types on the same topic. A total of 65 seniors in an advanced science education course at B University of Education joined the research to fulfill the purpose above. With PCK classification framework, the study examined pre-service teachers' knowledge understanding on 'stratum and rock' while it analyzed how the teachers would teach the given topic to students. The results of the study are presented as follows. First, it was observed that the pre-service elementary teachers have a great understanding on 'stratum and rock' that would be taught via a science textbook for elementary fourth graders. However, regarding terms in 'shale and limestone', they appeared to have a relatively short understanding. Second, PCK elements of the pre-service teachers related to 'stratum and rock' were analyzed and according to the results, the teachers would be interested in teaching model selecting in the teaching-learning strategy field while they would be well aware of how important it is for them to perform an experiment in a teaching process. The teachers also appeared to understand that the teacher question can be mutual complementary during class. However, it turned out that the teachers would have a very much low understanding on learners' prior knowledge as they particularly believe that learning could be significantly affected by the learners' perception level as well as their learning interest and motive. Third, the pre-service elementary teachers were told to design teaching plans on 'stratum and rock' so that the study could find out what learning-teaching methods the teachers would adopt to teach the topic. It was learned that the teachers would proceed with the class basically by giving the learners a descriptive explanation on the topic and also by using pictures and drawings to enhance the learners' understanding during the class.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the questions generated by elementary school pre-service teachers when reading the teacher's guide for the refraction of light, and to analyze the difficulties in understanding the concept and in making instructional plans. A total of 592 meaningful questions were generated by 283 elementary school pre-service teachers after reading the teacher's guide of 'light and lens' unit in the 6th grade of the 2015 revised curriculum. Of these, 306 questions are for understanding the concept of physics and 286 are pedagogical questions. As a result of the analysis, in terms of understanding the concept of physics, the elementary school pre-service teachers encounter difficulties in understanding the concept of the 'cause' of the phenomenon suggested in the textbook, such as the cause of refraction, the reason for scattering light, and the cause of the image change depending on the focal length of the convex lens. In terms of instructional planning, it was followed by questions about how to explain concepts, questions about not being able to explain concepts to elementary school students and having to teach only phenomena, specific explanation methods for specific concepts, and experimental methods. Although the teacher's guide contains various explanations and supplementary materials to help teachers understand the concept, it can be seen that there are many elementary pre-service teachers who cannot answer questions about some concepts even after reading the guide. For concepts with a high frequency of questions, it is necessary to prepare a tutorial that is more understandable. In the instructional plan, there were many questions about teaching methods and experimental methods, so it is necessary to provide more examples and specific experimental methods for explaining concepts in the teacher's guide.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.533-547
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• 2023

This study is an action research aimed at improving the instruction of a teacher educator who teaches science teaching methods to elementary preservice teachers. After identifying the cause of their low levels of curiosity and interest in physics, teaching plans addressing this problem were explored, applied to classes, and reflected upon. Through this process, ways to improve teaching practice in science classes for elementary preservice teachers and pique their scientific curiosity and interest were proposed. A spiral implementation structure that repeats implementation and reflection a total of three times was designed for the prospective preservice teachers who participated in elementary science textbook research physics classes. Self-reports, student participation data, and results from both peer and self-evaluations were collected and analyzed. The reasons for the preservice teachers' low levels of curiosity and interest in science were identified as their inability to recognize and express information gaps and their low levels of willingness to resolve this. Practice expressing information gaps, raising the level of knowledge to be able to recognize information gaps, and a strategy to have the will to resolve information gaps were introduced into the class. To the extent that changes can be made by improving unit classes, elementary preservice teachers can express their curiosity and interest in science through this process.

• 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 Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.588-596
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for improving the STEAM class by examining elementary school teachers' difficulties in the STEAM class and discussing solutions. For this research, 25 elementary school teachers in Seoul City and Gyeonggi-do were asked to write their difficulties in the STEAM class in the open-ended questionnaires. After classification of the collected data, an in-depth interview was conducted with one in-service elementary school teacher who is richly experienced in STEAM education to find solutions for each type of difficulties. The study result showed that most of elementary school teachers had difficulties in the STEAM class, due to selection of integrated subjects, production of teaching devices and materials, guidance of group activities, reorganization of the curriculum, assessment and uncooperative co-teachers. One teacher that participated in the interview to discuss solutions for teachers' difficulties was solving the problems in various ways. She said that many of her solutions came from her experience and also, knowledge obtained through a participation in the STEAM training or opportunities to share information with other teachers who belong to the STEAM research institution, was highly helpful.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-23
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• 2009

This research defined professionality of science teacher from the perspective of PCK. An teaching strategy in the in-service teacher training for the gifted education was proposed based on the definition and implemented at an in-service teacher training program for the gifted education in order to explore about the teaching strategy and suggest practical implications that could improve the program. The in-service teacher training teaching strategy proposed in this research consists of three components: 'crafting activity materials', 'conducting inquiry-based experiment', 'developing rubric for identification of giftedness'. The survey carried out for the participants of the teacher training program showed that teachers perceived the importance of the need for the rubric for gifted identification, developing activity materials for the gifted education in science, and developing the rubric of gifted identification as properties for in-service teacher training programs fur the gifted education. However, the insufficiency of time and opportunities for being fully engaged in such a program made teachers feel lack of self-confidence in developing activity materials for the gifted education in science and rubric for gifted identification. Therefore, teacher training programs reflecting real features of the gifted education should be constantly developed and provided to enhance the effectiveness of in-service teacher training programs.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.480-500
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• 2022

In this study, the perception and demands on the use of realistic content were analyzed through in-depth interviews with elementary school teachers experienced in using realistic content in science classes. Specifically, the following questions were investigated: (1) What kind of realistic content and how do elementary school teachers use it in science classes? (2) What are the perceptions and difficulties of elementary school teachers regarding the use of realistic content in science classes? (3) What are the needs of elementary school teachers related to the professional development program for the use of realistic content in science classes? The study revealed the following results. First, elementary school teachers mainly used digital textbooks and realistic content provided by the "Science Level Up" site, and the content types could be classified into "exploration type," "visit type," and "production type," according to the purpose of use. Second, elementary school teachers mentioned the educational advantages of using realistic content to help students understand scientific content, induce interest and curiosity, and become immersed in a sense of reality. Several difficulties related to the use of realistic content were mentioned. Among them, the lack of high-quality educational content suitable for science classes and a lack of examples of specific class cases that use realistic content stood out. Thirdly, regarding the development of teacher expertise to use realistic content, elementary school teachers emphasized the need for information on quality realistic content; teacher training centered on specific class cases; instructional models that can be applied by realistic content type; and information on the purchase, use, management, and operation of necessary devices. Reflecting on these research results, implications for more effective use of realistic content in elementary science classes were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.407-419
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• 2021

This study investigated the perception of science philosophy education targeting 150 elementary school teachers in metropolitan cities and provinces. The questionnaire survey on the perception of the philosophy of science education was composed of a 5-point Likert scale based on the interest and experience of the philosophy of science, the reason for difficulty in using it, and the introduction method, the expected effect. As a result of the survey, elementary school teachers' awareness of the interest and necessity of the philosophy of science was generally high, while the experience of learning and teaching the philosophy of science was low. In addition, to the reason why it was difficult to utilize the philosophy of science, teachers answered that there was insufficient teacher training and development of teaching and learning methods. As a way to introduce the philosophy of science in science education, it was thought that it was necessary to combine the concept learning and inquiry method, and elementary school teachers' perception of the expected effect of using the philosophy of science was generally high. The results of this study are meaningful in that they provide basic data on the direction of the introduction of the philosophy of science in elementary science education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.109-118
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of experience as a science experiment assistant teacher on the science instruction anxiety and the science teaching efficacy beliefs of elementary pre-service teachers in a small scale school. For this study, 21 elementary pre-service teachers were selected and then they worked as science experiment assistant teachers in small scale schools for about 10 months. They were tested the science instruction anxiety and the science teaching efficacy beliefs in before and after. After analyzing the tests results, some pre-service teachers were interviewed. The results of this study are as follows. The experiences as science experiment assistant teachers positively influenced on reducing the science instruction anxiety to elementary pre-service teachers. The experiences also had positive effects on reducing both state anxiety and trait anxiety, which are the sub-factors of science instruction anxiety. In addition, the science teaching efficacy beliefs and its sub-factor, the self-efficacy in science teaching, had positive impacts, but the experiences did not have a positive impact on the outcome expectancy. The effects of the experience as a science experiment assistant teacher were different according to the personal experiences and cognitions of pre-service teachers.