• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of cognitive conflict in the conceptual change process. Ninety-seven high school students in Korea participated in this study. Before instruction, we conducted pretests to measure learning motivation and learning strategies. During instruction, we tested the students' preconceptions about Newton's 3rd Law and presented demonstrations. After this, we tested the students' cognitive conflict levels and provided students learning sessions in which we explained the results of the demonstrations. After these learning sessions, we tested the students' state learning motivation and state learning strategy. Posttests and delayed posttests were conducted with individual interviews. The result shows that cognitive conflict has direct/indirect effects on the conceptual change process. However, the effects of cognitive conflict are mediated by other variables in class, such as state learning motivation and state learning strategy. In addition, we found that there was an optimal level of cognitive conflict in the conceptual change process. We discuss the complex role of cognitive conflict in conceptual change, and the educational implications of these findings.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-75
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• 2001

While previous studies have recognized and have researched the resistance of students' scientific conception to change and the difficulty of the change of a conception's status, few have investigated the idea of conceptual ecology as a context of conceptual change learning, including the role that affective and motivational aspects might play when students are exposed to conceptual change learning, The present study was conducted to describe in detail high school students' views about learning and knowing science by summarizing of students' conceptual ecologies. The study was interpretive, using multiple data sources to achieve a triangulation of data. Three students from a public high school for boys serve as cases representative of students' views about learning and knowing science. Students' enthusiasm to pursue science was closely connected to their views about learning and knowing science. Students' views about learning and knowing science are influenced by their views regarding science and science class including the nature of knowledge, learning, and their epistemological commitments, They influence students' self-efficacy and motivation on learning science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.125-134
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between motivational belief about learning science, self-directed learning ability and conceptual understanding of matter change with a quantitative method, assuming that motivational belief and self-directed learning ability might affect conceptual understanding. To do this, the authors investigated middle school students' motivational belief about learning science, self-directed learning ability, and conceptual understanding of matter change using measurement tools based on previous studies, and then analysed the casual relationship between three variables using PLS structural equation model. As a result, three latent variables in this study could be evaluated as appropriated in reliability and validity. And also, self-directed learning ability could affect both the motivational belief and conceptual understanding, while motivational belief could affect only self-directed learning ability but not conceptual understanding. Through this study the authors confirmed that in the context of science learning self-directed learning ability can directly affect conceptual understanding but motivational belief can affect indirectly. This study is significant in that the causal relationship between different variables in science learning could be confirmed in a quantitate manner, and also in that it can suggest PLS structural equation method as a new research methodology in science education research area.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.477-486
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• 2022

This study explored a possibility of science concept learning in scientific practice-based science instruction through the review of literature about situated learning theories and practice-based science education. It was revealed that the situated learning theories were closely related to the recent trend in science education which emphasizes students' active engagement in scientific practices. From the perspective of situated learning, concept learning occurs in the process in which learners make use of concepts as resources and further develop the concepts through the emergence of conceptual agency during their participation in practices. The study also found that the situated learning perspectives could apply to science concept learning in scientific practice-based instruction: Science concepts are used as resources in practice-based science learning, students can better engage in scientific practices as they take advantage of science concepts as resources, and the emergence of conceptual agency can facilitate science concept learning during the participation in scientific practices. Implications for school science education were suggested.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

The purposes of this study are to investigate the effects of the Science Conceptual Model Completion Activity and Science Conceptual Model Modifying Activity on middle-school students' achievement in science conceptual learning, and to analyze if there are any correlations among their achievements by purposed activities, their cognitive level and school science achievement. For the study, 112 middle school students were sampled for three groups, which are two experimental groups (Model Completion activity group, Model Modifying Activity group) and one control group. Pre- and post-tests were taken to measure the students' achievement in science concepts, and the logical thinking ability test was administered after the implementation period. In addition, their school science achievements were analyzed. The research findings are as follows: First, the Science Conceptual Model Completion activity is more effective for middle school students' science conceptual learning than the Science Conceptual Model Modifying activity or conventional activity. Second, higher school science achievement also results in higher achievement of science concepts through the Conceptual Model Modifying activity or the Conceptual Model Completion activity. Lastly, the Conceptual Model Completion activity is more effective for the concrete operational level students to attain science concepts than formal operational level ones. Meanwhile, on the contrary, the Conceptual Model Modifying activity is more effective for formal operational level students than the concrete operational level ones.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.502-523
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between selected components of conceptual ecology that are reflected in high school science students' statements, when answering questions. This study follows from a position that there is reason to believe that, in the process of answering questions, many aspects of conceptual ecology are likely to play a role. Data were gathered through six audio-taped interviews, the science teacher's profiles of each student, the students' personal journals, their assignments, and their examinations and participation in class. Kay and KY were selected as the focus of this study because theirs were both dramatic as well as representative cases. As the findings suggest, learning styles differ according to distinctions within individuals' conceptual ecologies. Thus the way in which a person learns science varies according to the construction of her/his conceptual ecology. This suggests that different forms of pedagogy may be effective with different types of learners. This also suggests that science educators may have a role in assisting students to develop into constructed, rather than received, learners.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among spatial ability, learning styles, visual-perception- recall abiltiy, and the conceptual construction of the earth and moon's motion. Four paper-and-pencil tests were used to measure students' cognitive variables. Spatial ability was measured by Spatial Visualization Test, visual-perception-recall ability was measured by Rey's Figure which also have used to test visual- perception-recall ability of right-temporal lobes, and VVT were used to investigate students' learning styles. further, the test of concept construction was consisted of 15 items about the earth and moon's motion developed by researcher One hundred and twenty-seven 6th-, one hundred and sixteen 7th-, eighty-seven 9th-grade, ninety-three college students were participated in the investigation of the effects of age and learning style on conceptual construction. In the analysis of students' performances, spatial ability, visual-perception-recall ability, and conceptual achievement showed an increasing pattern with grading. In addition, visual learner's conceptual achievement showed a significantly higher score on conceptual test than verbal learner's(p<0.05). The results of the present study supported tile hypothesis that learning styles would differently influence to learning atmospheric concepts by students'learning styles. This study also indicated to be considered the students' spatial ability in learning atmospheric concepts.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.320-326
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• 2004

This study investigated whether algorithmic problem solving and conceptual problem solving influenced each other or not. Four classes of 12th grade (N= 112) that are equal in prior achievement were randomly assigned to group AC (Algorithmic-Conceptual problem) and group CA (Conceptual-Algorithmic problem). Students of group AC solved the conceptual problems after learning the related algorithmic problems, and those of group CA solved the same problems in reverse order. The results revealed that learning the algorithmic problems improved students' ability to solve the related conceptual problems, but learning the conceptual problems did not help students solve the related algorithmic problems. Regarding the confidence on problem solving, learning the algorithmic problems had little effect on the related conceptual problems. Learning the conceptual problems also had little effect on students' confidence on solving of the related algorithmic problems.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.728-735
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• 2005

In this study, relationships between student the cognitive affective characteristics and conceptual understanding from individual computer-assisted instruction were investigated. Tests regarding field dependence-independence, learning strategy, self-regulated ability, visual learning preference, goal orientation, self-efficacy on ability, and computer attitude were administered. After having been taught by means of a CAl program, a conception test on molecular motion was administered. It was found that student conceptual understanding was significantly related to field independence, learning strategy, self-regulated ability among the cognitive characteristics and visual learning preference, goal orientation, self-efficacy on ability among the affective characteristics. Multiple regression analysis of the cognitive characteristics on conceptual understanding found that field dependence-independence was the most significant predictor. Self-regulated ability and a deep learning strategy were also found to have predictive power. Lastly, analysis of the affective characteristics, visual learning preference and self-efficacy on ability exposed them to be significant predictors of student conceptual understanding.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.991-1009
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• 2002

This qualitative study investigated two preservice teachers' conceptual ecologies in professional development during the science teacher preparation program. The notion of a conceptual ecology contains nature of knowledge, science and science teaching, learning, and content knowledge and comfort level. The data were collected during the participants' preservice year and their practicum experience. Both data collections and analyzing were from the various sources of interviews, teaching observations, journals, and information and profiles by the participants' supervisor. Two preservice teachers serve as cases representative of this study. Results show that problems preventing the preservice teachers from moving closer to conceptual change teaching were their understandings of the nature of science and the nature of knowledge. The preservice teachers' views about knowledge come from, and what knowledge is, are largely shaped by the nature of science and learning drive pedagogy and classroom practice. Knowledge of and comfort with the subject matter are also important.