Exploring Changes in Science PCK Characteristics through a Family Resemblance Approach (가족유사성 접근을 통한 과학 PCK 변화 탐색)
-
- Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
- /
- v.15 no.2
- /
- pp.235-248
- /
- 2022
With the changes in the future educational environment, such as the rapid decline of the school-age population and the expansion of students' choice of curriculum, changes are also required in PCK, the expertise of science teachers. In other words, the categories constituting the existing 'consensus-PCK' and the characteristics of 'science PCK' are not fixed, so more categories and characteristics can be added. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential area of science PCK required to cope with changes in the future educational environment in the form of 'Family Resemblance Science PCK (Family Resemblance-PCK, hereafter)' through Wittgenstein's family resemblance approach. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with three focus groups. In the focus group in-depth interview, participants discussed how the science PCK required for science teachers in future schools in 2030-2045 will change due to changes in the future society and educational environment. Qualitative analysis was performed based on the in-depth interview, and semantic network analysis was performed on the in-depth interview text to analyze the characteristics of 'Family Resemblance-PCK' differentiated from the existing 'consensus-PCK'. In results, the characteristics of Family Resemblance-PCK, which are newly requested along with changes in role expectations of science teachers, were examined by PCK area. As a result of semantic network analysis of Family Resemblance-PCK, it was found that Family Resemblance-PCK expands its boundaries from the existing consensus-PCK, which is the starting point, and new PCK elements were added. Looking at the aspects of Family Resemblance-PCK, [AI-Convergence Knowledge-Contents-Digital], [Community-Network-Human Resources-Relationships], [Technology-Exploration-Virtual Reality-Research], [Self-Directed Learning-Collaboration-Community], etc., form a distinct network cluster, and it is expected that future science teacher expertise will be formed and strengthened around these PCK areas. Based on the research results, changes in the professionalism of science teachers in future schools and countermeasures were proposed as a conclusion.
After the investigation on, and the analysis of, the educational system for medical technicians and the present educational situation for medical technologies in this country, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. As of March 1983 the current academic system for education in medical technologies included the regular 4-year college courses and those of the 2-year professional junior college courses. But except in the cases on clinical pathology and physical therapy, there were no college-level departments. Particularly, no educational institutions, at whatever level, had a department for working therapies. 2. The total number of credits needed for graduation from a department of medical technologies was 150 points at a regular 4-year college and 85 to 96 points at a 2-year professional college. The obligatory minimum number of credits for a student at a professional college was set at 80 points and above. 3. As for the number of the educational institutions for medical technologies in this country, there were one regular college and 14 professional colleges, a total of 15 institutions. As many as 14 colleges had departments of clinical pathology, 12 had departments of Radiotechnology, 11 had departments of physical therapy, 12 had departments of dental technology, and eight had departments of dental hygiene. 4. The total capacity of the professional colleges in admitting new enrollment each year were 1,920 for clinical pathology, 1,552 for radiology, 1,012 for physical therapy, 1,334 for dental technologies, 828 for dental hygiene, an aggregate of 6,646 for all of the professional college departments. 5. The total number of graduates from the 12 professional colleges by department during the period of 1965-83 were 7,595 for clindical pathology, 4,768 for radiology, 2,821 for physical therapy, 3,000 for dental technologies, and 1,787 for dental hygiene, totalling 19,971 for all departments in the professional colleges. 6. In the state examination for licensed medical technicians, 12,446 have passed from among the total of 26,609 participants, representing a 45% passing ratio. By departments the ratios showed 44% for clinical pathology, 39.7% for radiology, 51.2% for physical therapy, 42.5% for dental technology, 72.5% for dental hygiene and 73.1% for working therapy. 7. As for the degree of satisfaction shown by the people in this field, 52.2 percent of the teaching staffs who responed to the questionaires said they were satisfied with their present profession, while the great majority of medical technicians(66%) replied that they were indifferent to the problem. 8. The degree of satisfaction shown by the students on their enrollment in this particular academic field was generally in the framework of indifference(43.7%), but mere students(36.5%) were satisfied with their choice than those were not satisfied(14.4%) 9. As for the student's opinions on the lectures and practicing hours, a good many students replied that, among such courses as general science and humanities courses the basic medical course, the major course and practicing hours, the hours provided for the general courses(47.1%) and practicing(47.6%) were insufficient. 10. When asked about the contents of their major courses, comparatively few students (23.6%) replied that the courses were too difficult, while a convincing majority(58.5%) said they were neither difficult nor easy. As for the appropriateness of the number of the present teaching staffs, a great majority(71.0%) of the students replied that the level of the teaching personnel in each particular field was insufficient. 11. Among the students who responded to the poll, good part of them(49.5%) wanted mandatory clinical practicing hours, and the the majority of them(64.6%) held the view that the experimental and practicing facilities of their schools were insufficient. 12. On the necessity of the attached hospitals, 71.1% of the teaching staffs and 58.0% of the medical technicians had the opinion that this kind of facility was indispensable. 13. As for the qualifications for applicants to the state examination in the licensing system for medical technicians, 52.2% of the teacher's and 36% of the medical technicians replied that the present system granting the qualifications according to the apprenticeship period should be abolished. 14. On the necessity of improving the present system for education in medical technologies, an overwhelming majority(94.4% of the :caching staffs, 92.0% of the medical technicians and 91.9% of students) of these polled replied that the present system should be changed for the better. 15. On the method of changes for the present educational system, a great majority(89.4% of the teaching staffs, 80.4% of the medical technicians and 90.1% of the students) said that the system must be changed so that it fits into the reality of the present day. 16. As for the present 2-year program for the professional colleges, 61.6% of the teachers, 72.0% of the medical technicians and 38.8% of the students expressed the hope that the academic period would be extended to four regular years, hemming a full-fledged collegelevels program. 17. On the life-long eductional system for medical technicians, there was a considerable number of people who expressed the hope that an open university system(38.9% of the teaching staffs, 36.0% of the medical technicians) and a graduate school system would be set up. 18. As for the future prospects for medical technicians as professionals, the optimists ana pessimists were almost equally divided, and 41.1% of the teaching staffs 36.0% of. the technicians and 50.5% of the students expressed an intermediate position on this issue.
Under the full consideration of the growing need and importance of population education in the field of home economics in Korea, the study was carried out to verify and assess the following facts on the current issues of population education of home economists who are presently engaging in teaching professions as the teachers of middle and high school and professors of college and universities by setting its primary objectives of the study as followings; 1) to assess the degree of general knowledge and attitudes of home economists toward population education in the field of home economics, 2) to verify the problems encountered in implementing population education by home economists in its field, 3) to find an existing status of previous trainings received and other activities of population education of home economists aimed at utilizing these findings as a part of reference materials when the population education is conducted in the field of home economics. In order to attain these objectives described above, the questionnaire was carefully designed to house a total of 40 questions with good combination of multiple-choice and the simple answer questions. The mail questionnaire survey was conducted by establishing teachers of home economics at middle/high schools and college/universities as Senior Home Economists(SHE) who are from public, private liberal arts and vocational schools. The rate of response observed during the survey was 45.6 percent and the findings of the survey research are as follows: 1) Examining the status of the respondents by residence and religion, it was found that 45 percent of middle & high school teachers ar.d 59. 1 percent of college professors are residing in Seoul city area and that the largest percent of them are christian in their religion. Analyzing respondents by their ages, 56 percent of middle/high school teachers are in their 30s, 45 percent of college professors are in their 40s, and 37 percent of college teachers are in their 30s. In addition, 13 percent of the total respondents are found to be unmarried. The study also revealed that 71 percent of the college professors finished Master Degree course and 82 percent of middle/high school teachers are graduated from college level lasting 4 years. Looking over the status cf major fields of respondents, 68.4 percent of middle/high school teachers are specialized in home economic education and the college professors, on the other hand, show relatively even prortion by specializing in the order of food & nutrition science, clothes & textile science and home managerial science. As far as the length of teaching experience is concerned, a relatively longer period of teaching experience is observed in the college professors in comparison with that of middle/high school teachers. In other words, 33.3 percent of middle/high school teachers are experienced in teaching from 6 to 10 years on average while 43.9 percent of college professors show more than 16 years of experience. 2) Examining the status of existing number of children cf the respondents, one boy and one daughter pattern is predominant, showing 28.5 percent in middle/high school teachers and 21.1 percent in college professors. As for the desired number of children of unmarried respondents, it is observed that 43.8 percent of middle/high school teachers desire to have one boy and one girl, and 31.3 percent of college professors want to have one child regardless of the sex. By assessing the degree of awareness of the population education through their students, it is observed that 53 percent of middle/high school teachers and 50 percent of college professors are aware of population education in some extent and that a majority of respondents took the positive attitudes toward an inclusion of family planning components into the formal school education. Another noteworthy to observe is that a total of 84.8 percent out of middle/high school teachers pointed that the population education currently conducted at schools as a part of home economics are less sufficient than it should be. 3) Analyzing the tendency as to whether the respondents were experienced in receiving population education during the time when they were students, 75 percent of college professors and 59 percent of middle/high school teachers responded negative answers in the survey. In the mean time, a total of 50 percent of the respondents replied that they began to acknowledge the importance of population education mainly through the participation of some sort of population-education orientend seminars, experienced by 40 percent of college professors and 80 percent of middle/high school teachers. 4) What it calls attention in this study was to find that 96.5 percent of middle/high school teachers and 72 percent of college professors conduct population education to some extent during their lecture hours and that more than 80 percent of them are never experienced in teaching population and family planning contents in their regular classes. It is, on the other hand, found that no more than once was the response of those who believe themselves that they are experienced in teaching these relevant components to their students. Analyzing the contents of the subjects being taught in the class, a large percent of them are found to be consisted of population and family planning contents. According to this study, the current population education through the formal school is quite inactive. Analyzing the facts, 44.9 percent of the college professors responded that the population and family planning components are quite apart from their specialization which eventually generates lack of interest in the field. 5) It is also noticed through the study that the degree of frequency of commenting on population and family planning contents during the classes was depending significantly on their specializations which means that the degree of frequency varies from a major to another. Those who majored in home managerial science was the first one, as compared to others who majored in different specializations. Glancing over the status of correlations between ages of the respondents and numbers of seminar paticipation, it is quite clear that the aged group participated more than the younger group did, and that the most highest number of participations made by college professors were those who are in 50s. In addition, it is also found that those who are aged 20s and 60s of the respondents were the group who comments least on the contents of population and family planning at their classes. The suggestions and recommendation made through this survey research are as follows. 1) No one denies that the rapid increase of population, as compared to the limited size of land and resources, will certainly affect adversly to an enhancement of individual life quality which will, eventually, bring forth the poverty of the nation. This is the reasson why we are insisting that the world population be controlled up to an optimum level with a matter of global concerns. It is our understading that the primary aim for reducing number of population is believed to be attained only by conducting the systematic and comprehensive population education through the formal schools. Therefore, the role of home economists in the field of population/family planning education is considered very importment due to the fact that an ultimate goal of population education is placed in elevating the quality of family life by having optimum number of children through family planning program. 2) It is quite clear that home economists as teachers of formal school in all level are invited to pay their attention on redefining the ultimate goal of education and that of population education. We also understant that the primary objective of population education is to change the norm and value of the clients by replenishing the students with pertinent knowledge and attitudes on population and its related problems through a sort of education in order to attain the ultimate goal for enhancing the quality of life. There is no exception in the theory of home economics. An altimate goal of home economics is to elevate the general quality of life through an establishment of value existed in daily life. Considering the relations between population education and home economics, it is quite indespensable to bandle population components as an integral part in the field of home economics. We believe, therefore, that the senior home economists positive participation in the effort population control is more needed than it has been. 3) It is also strongly urged that population education should be a part of instructor training course for home economics. In other words, the teacher of home economics should be well aware of population and its problems by teaching interrelationship between population education and home economics, needs, contents and methods of population education during the instructor training courese for home economics. In addition, the senior home economists should be encouraged through positive participation on the short term training by types of domestic and international seminar, workshop, etc. 4) We certainly believe that the population education can not sustain itself without any backing-up of information and findings' of various and comprehensive researches of natural and social sciences. Accordingly, every senior home economist is invited to exert their maximum effort to conduct systematic study with an aim to utilize these findings and information at best in population education in the field of home economics. Therefore, we consider that the development of training material is imminent in order to provide effective and efficient population education through the for training of home economies. It should be noted that these training materials must be carefully designed, tailored and developed to meet the different classes of trainees under the considerations as to whether it is easily adaptable and infusable into the curricula of every field of home economics, and it is acceptable in the degree of difficulty and quality in its contents. 5) It is true that there are many domestic and international research rapers, reports and findings in the field of population education and family planning. However, there is a tendency that the most of research papers are heavily relying on the authors intension and preferences in its expression and publication. Under these circumstances, it is urged that the home economists should aware of the growing need of the technical training in order to keep these available information and research findings reprocessed and redesigned to insure the practical application into the population education in the field of home economics in Korea.