• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.224-243
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of constructivist instruction applying cooperative learning skill on science academic achievement, science inquiry ability, self-regulated learning, and science related attitude. The subjects of the study were 157 2nd grade junior high school students in Pusan. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, experiment and control group. Two groups received 14 sessions training for about 1 month which was done by researcher. The experiment group received constructivist science instruction and the control group received teacher-centered instruction. Constructivist science instruction applying cooperative learning skill consists of five phases: problem recognition, hypothesis establishment, experiment observation, clarification, and application phases. The results of this study are as follows: Constructivist science instruction applying cooperative learning skill had a significant effect on science academic achievement, self-regulated learning and science attitude improvement of middle school students but had no significant improvement of science inquiry ability. And constructivist science instruction had an effect on science academic achievement improvement of the students having high level science inquiry ability. Research suggestions and implications for teaching are discussed.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.204-220
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• 2011

This study was intended to develop an experimental module based on inquiry processes conducted by photosynthesis scientists. It was aimed to enhance scientific inquiry ability of the middle school students by applying the developed module. Developed module included some experiments conducted by earlier photosynthesis scientists such as Helmont, Woodward, Priestly, Hales and Ingen-Hausz. Inquiry process was involved in the developed module for instructing the inquiry methods. Rapid-cycling Brassica rapa known as a Fast Plant was used for the experimental material. Developed module was applied to the experimental group consisting 27 eighth grader, while experiments suggested in the science textbook was applied to the control group consisting 30 eighth grader. Developed module was more effective in improving students' scientific inquiry ability, especially measuring, forecasting and hypothesizing ability as its subordinate elements. When the result of post-test was compared to one of pre-test in the experimental group, their observing, forecasting, and generalization ability were improved. Experimental group showed that students' conception in photosynthesis and conceptual development related with the role of plants in the ecosystem and plant's food and movement of the water and nutrients were also improved. Before application, students in the experimental group did not have enough understanding of the abstract concept such as the existence or the role of the materials like $CO_2$ or $O_2$ or the energy accumulation. Developed module could help students to achieve the comprehensive concept regarding the role of plants as producers of organic matter and oxygen and to enhance their scientific inquiry ability and concepts regarding photosynthesis.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.323-337
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientific reasoning ability during open-inquiry activities of science-gifted 2nd middle school students. Open-inquiry activity is similar to process of scientists' science knowledge generation. Identifying and analyzing the scientific reasoning process and the scientific reasoning ability during open-inquiry activities of science-gifted students, will be able to provide implications for future research. CSRI Matrix(Dolan & Grady, 2010) was used to analyze the complexity of the scientific reasoning ability. The higher degree of complexity of the scientific reasoning is similar to process of scientists' science knowledge generation. The results showed that each process of the open-inquiry activities were distributed by various steps of complexity of the scientific reasoning. Particularly, 'The generating questions' and 'Connecting data to the research question' were 'most complex' step in all teams. On the other side, 'Posing preliminary hypotheses', 'Selecting dependent and independent variables', 'Considering the limitations or flaws of their experiments' were low steps in most teams. And 'Communicating and defending findings' was distributed by most various steps of complexity of the scientific reasoning.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.40-56
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to understand the teaching effects after conducting ASI module in the open inquiry activities of the elementary science class. in order to understand the effects of ASI(Authentic Scientific Inquiry) module application using science research notes in open inquiry activities to students' science research ability. The results of this study were as follow. First, the after test results were covariance-analyzed to be the effects to science process skills were statistically significant in 0.5 significance level. Second, in the covariance analysis of the after test of the study group and the comparative group, the effects to scientific creative problem solving skills were statistically significant in 0.5 significance level. Third, the covariance analysis of the after test in the effects of ASI module application using science notebooks to students' scientific attitude revealed that the two groups' average difference was statistically significant in 0.5 significance level. In conclusion, application of the ASI module using science notebooks had a positive effect on improvements of students' science process skills, science creative problem solving ability and scientific attitude. Therefore, the ASI module using science notebooks is hopefully to be provided as an effective instructive strategy in the open inquiry activities courses in school in the future.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of elementary school students' knowledge and information processing competence and collaborative problem-solving ability in scientific inquiry class using data measured with digital inquiry tools. To this end, three classes of 5th grade elementary schools in S-city, Gyeongnam were selected as experimental groups and three classes as control groups. The control group conducted traditional lecture-style classes, and the experimental group conducted scientific inquiry classes using scientific data. The following results were obtained through questionnaires after class. First, science inquiry classes using scientific data helped elementary school students improve their knowledge and information processing competence. Second, scientific inquiry classes using scientific data improved elementary school students' cooperative problem-solving ability. From the above results, it was found that scientific inquiry classes using scientific data are needed to improve the knowledge information processing competence and cooperative problem solving ability of elementary school students. Based on this research, it is necessary to study a specific teaching and learning environment that can activate scientific inquiry class using data measured with digital inquiry tools in the future.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.139-167
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• 2019

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of a learning cycle model-based early childhood education program using physical motion on young children's scientific inquiry ability, scientific attitude, object manipulation ability and spatial ability. Methods: The subjects of this study were 60 five-year-old children who were attending K-G City Childcare Center. The SPSS Window 21.0 program and content analysis method were used, and post-validation Tukey was conducted to examine the differences between the one-way ANOVA and the group. Results: Activities using body movement were practiced systematically based on the circle learning. Children could revise their pre-concept and concept of error by interacting with other children, teachers and the environment. Furthermore, children were attaining new knowledge while they were doing body movement activities, assessing and applying them to actual activities. Conclusion/Implications: This study is investigated a cyclic learning-based early childhood science education program using physical motion, which has significance in systematic and practical early childhood centered education for young children.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.229-251
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• 2016

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between middle school students' smart media competency and online learning outcomes. The context of this study was on online inquiry-based mathematics and science learning environment, and four-hundred and fifty-five (455) 7^th to 9^th grade students in Korea participated in this research. To assess students' smart device competency, Smart Media Literacy Quotient (SMLQ) which consisted of 18 items regarding the operation ability of smart media and its application (14 items) and positive beliefs of smart media (4 items) was administered to each student. The findings of this study first showed that students' smart media literacy varied according to their characteristics such as gender, grade, class (subject), and socio-economic status. Female students' scores were higher in overall smart media literacy operation and learning ability of smart media than male students. 7^th grade middle school students represented lower smart media literacy scores, compared to 8^th and 9^th graders. Also, minority students were significantly lower in smart media literacy, operation and learning ability of smart media, and positive belief of smart media than the non-minority students. Second, overall smart media literacy and operation and learning ability of smart media varied among high, medium, and low score achievers in inquiry tasks. Low scored students in inquiry tasks were significantly lower in overall smart media literacy and operation and learning ability of smart media than medium scored students. Lastly, smart media literacy also varied by students' dropout/completion. Students who dropped out reported significantly lower scores in overall smart media literacy, operation and learning ability of smart media, and positive belief of smart media.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.18-34
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• 2024

This study aimed to examine the effects of a science-learning program based on data visualization on the science inquiry and creative problem-solving abilities of elementary school science-gifted students. Accordingly, this research developed a data visualization science-learning program using Tableau, which had twelve sessions. The subjects encompassed 61 students in three gifted classes taught by the researcher. The scientific inquiry ability test and creative problem-solving ability test modified to suit the environment and situation were given to the subjects before and after the treatment. The results confirmed that science learning based on data visualization had no significant impact on basic science inquiry skills. Among the subdomains, significant results were obtained only in the reasoning subdomain. Moreover, integrative inquiry ability was significantly affected, unlike basic inquiry abilities. Among the five subdomains, significant differences were observed in three subdomains (data conversion, data interpretation, and variable control). However, concerning the generation of hypotheses and the control of variables, students exhibited confusion regarding the process of variable control and the exact concept of hypothesis development. This study also evaluated the effects of the program's application on creative problem-solving abilities and found a significant impact. Additionally, it was significantly different in all four subdomains. The results were interpreted to be owing to the students' mastery of Tableau's features, collaborative learning through discussion and debate, and the thematic impact of the data visualization program emphasizing procedural thinking. Finally, this study presented implications for science learning based on data visualization and the future direction of education.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.11-22
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• 1998

The present educational and social circumstances require the improvement of science education and the promotion of scientific technology simultaneously Under this situation, it is necessary to develop the performance assessment evaluating the ability of scientific inquiry. The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument of the performance assessment that is can evaluate the scientific inquiring ability. The characteristics of the instrument developed through this study, are as follows, 1. The performance assessment can be impartially achieved for all the elements of scientific inquiry, which are required in the units of elementary science from 3rd to 6th grade of elementary school. 2. To maintain the objectivity of performance assessment, the detailed standpoints and standards are established. 3. The instruments are devised to evaluate the thinking skills with the experimental reports of student, the operation skills by the check list of evaluation that the teacher's observation for the student are recorded. 4. Considering the level of elementary school student, the items required the complex thinking and the investigative skills are exclude as much as possible. 5. The items are arranged according to the learning steps of elementary school, so that the evaluation may be achieved in parallel with the process of the real teaching -learning in class. 6. According to circumstances, make use of these materials for the evaluation as the practical teaching-learning materials instead of the normal teaching-learning materials The first field trial with the instrument was carried out, using a sample of 20 students from the 3rd to 6th at K and Y elementary school located in Kwangju city. The results of mean achievement quotient for each grade are as follows, the first term of 3rd grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 85%, inquiry thinking skills ; 74%), the second term of 3rd grade (experiment and exercise skills : 81%, inquiry thinking skills ; 76%), the first term of 4th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 70%, inquiry thinking skills ; 59%), the second term of 4th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 61%, inquiry thinking skills ; 71%), the first term of 5th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 84%, inquiry thinking skills ; 67%), the second term of 5th grade (experiment and exercise skills; 73%, inquiry thinking skills ; 70%), the first term of 6th grade (experiment and exercise skills : 83%, inquiry thinking skills ; 84%), the second term of 6th grade (experiment and exercise skills ; 87%, inquiry thinking skills ; 81%).

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.113-128
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to confirm achievement of goals in science curriculum. The questionnaires related to 'solution' chapter of 5th grade were developed. The subjects were 69 sixth grade elementary school students and four elementary school teachers. 5 students were selected for deep interviews. Each interview was progressed separately, and all the contents of the interviews were recorded. As results, it is revealed that most of the students could not understand basic concepts of 'solution' chapter. The teachers and the students recognized that explanations in the textbook were insufficient. Many inquiry activities were introduced in textbooks, but the students could not acquire inquiry abilities, especially data interpretation and generalization abilities. Inadequate pictures in the textbook also disturbed the students' learning of inquiry ability. Using materials of real life in textbook could not attract the elementary school students' interests effectively.