• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.153-165
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• 2012

This study investigated the frequent mistakes and the causes of the alternative conceptions in the animal classification by using the questionnaire and interview with the middle school students (N=300). As results, some students have difficulties classifying suggested animals into vertebrates or invertebrates : snakes (31.7%), shrimps (28.3%), turtles (25.6%), frogs (24.7%), and starfish (10.7%) in order of precedence. These errors seemed to be caused by intuitive thinking over characteristics of physical motions and appearance of suggested animals, wrong inference from comparing to features of familiar animals and the lack of observation experience of the vertebrate backbone. Furthermore, the results showed that relatively many students made a mistake classifying subgroup members of vertebrates such as classifying salamanders into the class Reptilia (45.3%) and turtles into Amphibia (40.3%). It is likely that those errors are affected by ambiguousness of classification terminology (e.g. the term of Amphibia) and weak ability in relating the physiological and ecological feature to standard of classification feature. In addition, sociocultural factors could influence animal classification as 'bat in birds', 'whale in fish, and 'penguin in mammals'. The present study implied that teaching and learning animal classification may require an appropriate guide focused on activities to explore major characteristics used for the animal classification standard through providing more chances of animal observation rather than the cramming method of learning induced by technical memorizing.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.587-598
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• 2018

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of pre-service science teachers' curriculum design for lessons using self-generated analogy. Three pre-service science teachers at a college of education in Seoul participated in this study. After a workshop on lessons using self-generated analogy, they planned and demonstrated lessons. All of the teaching-learning materials were collected, and their lessons were observed and videotaped. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted before and after their lessons. The characteristics of lessons using self-generated analogy were analyzed in the perspectives of PCK. The analyses of the results revealed that they used various strategies to promote students' generating analogies. They lacked understanding of the stages of the lessons and the role of teachers. Although all of them considered assessment, they used limited assessment methods and assessment dimensions. Some actively considered students' misconceptions, and specifically anticipated analogies that students could generate. They determined topics for lessons considering various aspects such as the level of self-generated analogy and the characteristics of scientific conceptions. On the bases of the results, we suggest some educational implications for pre-service science teacher education.

• 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.