• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.173-185
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to present a reflective review of the earth and universe units from the revised elementary curriculum of 2007-2015 and suggest changes in the 2022 revised curriculum. For this purpose, we conducted an FGI with earth science educators and elementary school teachers regarding the content elements and system, the achievement standards and inquiry activity composition, and the vertical and horizontal curriculum connectivity. Free response and weighted hierarchical analysis items were incorporated into the FGI to ensure logical consistency of the inductively derived improvement. This analysis revealed that the composition of units by grade group had been unevenly distributed among each of the "earth systems" until the 2015 revised curriculum was finalized. Furthermore, the basic concept was still insufficient. We suggest that achievement standards centered on the learning content and skills must state specific scientific core competencies, and inquiry activities should include rigorous critical thinking, student written responses, and student inquiry and analysis. In the hierarchical analysis items, FGI emphasized the inclusion of essential content elements rather than reduction of content elements, understanding-oriented concept learning rather than interest-centered phenomenon learning, basic concept division learning before integration between subjects, and expanding vertical-horizontal connectivity rather than repeating and advancing learning. There is a limit to the generalizing the suggestions proposed in this study to the common opinion of elementary earth science experts. However, since the main vision of the 2022 revised curriculum is to gather opinions through educational entities' participation in a variety of educational subjects, it is suggested that our results should be incorporated as one of the opinions proposed for the 2022 curriculum revision.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.260-267
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between high school students' observation ability quotient and changes in their stress hormones while observing fruits. This experimental study was performed with 29 first-year female high school students in a metropolitan city. In order to measure the observation ability quotient, an appropriate scientific observation program was developed. In observation program, the subjects carried out observations in an open and autonomous environment and recorded their observations. Their saliva samples were extracted before and after the task so as to analyze the amount of the secreted hormone. Also, their observation ability was measured using the quotient equation of observation ability. And then, in order to investigate the relationship between the observation ability and the cortisol hormone, a correlation analysis was performed. The main results are as follows: First, the amount of learner's hormone secreted during the experiment decreased in overall after the free observation. And the observation ability quotient turned out to be significantly correlated to the cortisol hormone.