• The Mathematical Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to estimate teachers'conceptions of mathematics through the conception on compositions of mathematical knowledge, the conception on structure of mathematical knowledge, the conception on status of mathematical knowledge, the conception on mathematical activity, and the conception of mathematics learning. This study reached the following conclusions: Most of teachers has more internal viewpoint than external viewpoint on the compositions, structures and status of mathematical knowledge, mathematical activity and mathematics learning.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.187-196
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• 2008

In this study, a survey was conducted of students in grades 7 through 12, student teachers enrolled in their senior year at teachers' colleges, and science teachers. Subjects were surveyed on their conceptions of phenomenon related with dissolution, saturation, and extraction. The models and analogies used by student teachers and science teachers to explain dissolution were sought. The highest percentage of students thought of dissolution as a phenomenon in which particles broke into the spaces between other particles. The models or analogies used by the highest percentage of science teachers were similar. They generally conceived of dissolution phenomenon through what we call the 'space conception'. A conception of dissolution phenomenon as 'hydration through attraction of solvent and solute' was held by more student teachers than science teachers; there were some differences, however, according to their academic background. The percentage of teachers professing this view decreased when they attempted to explain the process of extraction of matter in a solution after other matter had dissolved or after the solution was cooled, indicating that the 'hydration' conception was not firmly established in the student teachers' cognition. Therefore, it can be inferred that the conceptions of dissolution as 'hydration' were transformed into the conceptions of dissolution as 'space' after teaching dissolution phenomenon as practicing teachers. This finding should be considered in teacher-training courses.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.474-483
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated preservice elementary school teachers' awareness of students' misconceptions about several science topics, and the variables influencing their awareness. Seniors (N=106) from an university of education were asked to predict elementary school students' misconceptions on science topics such as phase changes and dissolution. Their conceptions about teaching and learning were also measured. The results indicated that the preservice teachers' predictions about the kinds and/or the ratios of students' misconceptions were different from those reported in previous studies. The low level preservice teachers in terms of the degrees of possessing traditional conception about teaching and learning predicted more students' common misconceptions. The degrees of preservice teachers' constructivist conception about teaching and learning and their major, however, did not significantly influence the numbers of common misconceptions predicted.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.524-534
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• 2011

This study is to ascertain pre-service teachers' conceptions for the causes of season change, to verify their conceptional mistakes, and to analyze how their conceptions are changed while presenting Disproof-Experiment Model where they cannot explain it with their current conceptions. 32 junior students of Education universities, pre-service elementary teachers, located at the middle of Korea participated in this research including two interviews and one experiment activity. As a result of analyzing of the data, the pre-service teachers held diverse conceptions for the causes of season change such as to mistake the phenomena, the distance between the earth and the sun, the tilting of the rotation axis and the revolving around the sun while changing the tilting direction of the rotation axis as the cause. After applying Disproof-Experiment Model designed by the researchers in order to change the current conception above, the conception changes of the pre-service teachers were investigated. Diverse Disproof-Experiment Models were used differently depending on the pre-service teachers' conceptions. As a result of the application of Disproof-Experiment Model, 26 out of 28 pre-service teachers were changed to scientific conceptions. It was determined that in order to modify pre-service teachers' conceptions, designing and presenting the Disproof-Experiment Model appropriate to their conceptions are effective after analyzing their conceptions. In case of conceptions that pre-service teachers feel difficult, it was established that unraveling experiment models prescribed after investigating the preconceptions and identifying the misconceptions are important.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.401-414
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate the elementary preservice teachers' conceptions about 'plastics' focusing on non-polar property from a National University of Education. For the study, the views about plastics, relative shapes of a water droplet on plastic or glass material, and relative shapes of water surface in the plastic or glass measuring cylinder were surveyed from the preservice teachers. And the responses were analyzed based on the patterns. The results from the study are as follows: First, most preservice teachers were well aware of the plastic products which are used in daily life. Second, the responses concerning the reason why plastics can be used commonly were divided into 2 categories with 14 sub-level groups. However relatively few preservice teachers mentioned regarding 'chemical stability' and 'conductivity', which are associated with the plastics' non-polar property. Third, it was found that 50 participants (30.1%) had 'Scientific conception (Sc)', 38 (22.9%) had 'Partial-scientific conception (Ps)', 66 (39.8%) had 'Misconception (Mc)', and 12 (7.2%) had 'No conception (Nc)' on the subject of the relative shapes of a water droplet. Fourth, the distribution patterns and the ratio of the preservice teachers' conception on the survey question 3 concerning the relative shapes of water surface were quite similar to those of the survey question 2. So it was concluded that overall understanding level of the preservice teachers was pretty low on the subjects of the relative polarities of the plastic, glass, and water as well as their interactions. Fifth, the distribution percentile of 'Sc'/'Ps'/'Mc'/'Nc' was not related with the gender but highly correlated with preservice teachers' academic field and their science subjects taken in high school. Based on the results from the study, some educational guidelines were suggested.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2003

This study was to analyze how elementary school science textbooks explain dissolution and to examine the patterns of elementary school teachers' conceptions on dissolution and the teaching practices on dissolution of elementary school teachers. According to the result of the textbook analysis, the textbooks based on the 7th curriculum didn't explain dissolution very differently from those based on the 6th curriculum. The contents dealing with dissolution in the textbooks of 7th curriculum became difficult gradually as the year went up, but the connected organization of the contents made students learn it easily. For example, in order to learn dissolution introduced first in the 3rd year 2nd semester textbook, students would tell soluble substance in water from insoluble substance in water as they put powdered substance in water. In the 5th year 1st semester textbook students were supposed to acquire the knowledge related to dissolution through the designed activities such as comparing solubility produced by different solvents and defining a solvent, a solute, dissolution, and a solution. In addition, teachers' guide for 5th year 1st semester textbook elucidated the principle of dissolution using attraction concept that was scientific. The result of the survey on teachers showed that 90% of elementary school teachers understood the dissolution of salt in water just as millet particles' filling the space between bean particles and they responded that they demonstrated millet particles' filling the space between been particles when they taught the dissolution of salt in water. When it comes to teachers who had the right idea on dissolution as the attraction conception, understanding was one thing and teaching was another, because they often instructed dissolution as the space conception in the real teaching.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.111-118
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• 2008

This study is aimed at analyzing earth conception the nine pre service teachers who are majoring in earth science education and classifying a special feature from the ontological categories. Open ended questionnaires and semi structured interviews which meant to contribute to identifying ontological categories of concepts involving study area were designed. Pre service teachers' ontological category about earth conception most showed to dynamic and proto process. In the results show that many pre service teachers recognize simply the conception to a material, a condition and a conversion of the state changing. Most of the pre service teachers show their intermediate understanding level about the earth inner construction according to the analyzed results of the drawing tasks and interviews. The main alternative conceptions show them through a definition of the plate, a wording definition between lithosphere and asthenosphere, a feature of the plate boundary, a heat convection in the earth inner, the earth inner heat source, the earth inner structure, a physical feature of the mantle.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.81-94
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• 2003

This study explored the relationship between kindergarten teachers' self-concept and job satisfaction. The subjects were 345 public and private kindergarten teachers. Instruments were 2 questionnaires: The Tools for Measuring kindergarten Teachers' Self-concept, and the Survey of Kindergarten Teacher Job Satisfaction. Results showed that kindergarten teachers' self-concept was positively correlated with job satisfaction. The most important sub-factor influencing job satisfaction was self-concept regarding professional and social position. These results imply that teacher education program or organizational climate improving teachers' positive self-concept would be needed.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.173-192
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to develop inquiry modules for learning straight propagation of light, to verify their efficiency, and to acquire implications. this study proposes teaching modules for improvements of light experiments, which were developed in this work. Inquiry modules were applied to 75 school teachers(8 elementary school teachers, 67 middle school and high school teachers) for examining that the modules make teachers have the scientific concepts. Then, conception changes were analyzed except 5 teachers who responded poorly. The pre-test result shows that most teachers have alternative conceptions, which is that they thought the bright shape on apparatus's bottom panel itself shown in the textbook as evidence for the path of light's straight propagation. The post-test result shows this alternative conception was changed into scientific conception. Unlikely pretest, most teachers' conception was changed into the scientific conception that the light come from a light source. Teachers are able to express that the light beam comes from a miniature electric bulb. Further more, most teachers can draw light's path correctly; from the miniature electric bulb, through vertical panel having a hole, to the apparatus bottom.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.544-555
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• 2004

This study examined the conception types of high school students, chemistry teachers, and pre-service teachers about the salt bridge in Daniel cell by a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. High school chemistry II textbooks were analyzed for finding the cause of the understanding difficulties of the teachers and students. Pre-service teachers' thoughts examined for the problems of pre-service teacher programs. From the analysis, it was found that teachers only thought that the role of salt bridge is for ion movement of two solutions involving electrodes. But they didn't have the conception that salt bridge has a roll of connection a circuit. This result was similar to students' and pre-service teachers' results. It was possible that insufficient and different explanations of the textbooks were attributed the teachers' and students' conceptual difficulties.