Chan-Jong Kim

A Comparative Analysis of the Linguistic Features of Texts used in the unit of Volcano and Earthquake in Korean Elementary and Secondary School Science Textbooks

The purpose of this study is to investigate the aspect of variation of the texts in elementary and secondary school science textbooks at each grade level in terms of linguistic features. Data included some of the written texts related to `Volcano and Earthquake` in Korean elementary and secondary school science textbooks in the seventh National Curriculum. The written texts were comparatively analyzed in terms of textual meaning, interpersonal meaning, and ideational meaning. Results revealed that there were different structures and linguistic features of the texts in school science textbooks depending on the grade level. Therefore, we argue that the differences in this study may make students feel difficult and strange when they read and understand science textbooks. We suggest that science teachers need to play the role of a mediator between students` understanding and the structural features of the scientific language in science learning.

Characteristics of Children's Interactive Learning in a Natural History Museum

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of children`s interactive learning focusing on the Vygotsky`s ZPD (the zone of proximal development) in a natural history museum as a representative free-choice learning context. We focused on the understanding of peer dyadic discourses and data were collected from 13 peer groups of children (3rd and 4th graders) who were videotaped all conversations occurred as they visited around the exhibits with no predetermined path. The transcribed data were analyzed by the developmental level of ZPD system and the discourse within an ADL (an actual developmental level) was overwhelmingly common in the conversations between child-child dyads. The representative discourse by discourse types were parsed according to three constructs of ZPD. Children formed the intersubjectivity through semiotic mediation such as conversations and exhibits and ended up with the similar situation definition. In conclusion, the details of discourses of the most impressive dyad were looked into focusing on the scientific concept. The study implies that a natural history museum becomes a meaningful resource to offer a deeper understanding of the nature of children`s learning as an informal learning setting.

Science Teacher`s Perceptions and Orientations about Earth Systems Education: A Case Study

Teachers play key roles in classroom instruction. The perceptions and orientations of teachers about teaching have substantial effect on the practical context of science teaching. Analyzing science teacher`s perceptions and orientations about Earth Systems Education (ESE) offers an opportunity to figure out how the goals of ESE might be dealt with. In this study, lesson plans developed by and in-depth interview results with two teachers were analyzed in terms of ESE perceptions. ESE orientations were also investigated in terms of teaching orientations and integration orientations. Research results showed that the teacher`s deep understandings about `Global Scientific Literacy (GSL)`, the ultimate goal of ESE, precede the sound ESE teaching in the classroom. To enhance teachers` GSL, exemplary aspects of various integration, including networked integration, should be provided specifically to teachers. Also, the institutionalized approaches to developing ESE curriculum could help classroom teachers activate ESE teaching in their classroom.

Interaction Patterns in Dialogic Inquiry of Middle School Students in Small Groups in the Natural History Gallery

Inquiry became an essential methodology in science education. Recently, argumentation becomes more important in inquiry, but inquiry-based teaching in school science would not provide enough opportunities for students to have voluntary and active interactions during inquiry activities. Informal science learning can be an alternative for authentic inquiry. Accordingly, this study aims to find interaction patterns in dialogic inquiry of junior high school students in small groups in the natural history gallery. Inquiry elements and interaction patterns are analyzed with 42 dialogues of 13 small groups. As a result, seven interaction patterns are identified. First, five major interaction patterns were drawn as follows; Sharing questions, asking questions and simple response, asking questions and simple explanation, asking questions-simple explanation-(collecting data)-data based explanation, and asking questions-collecting data-data based explanation. Second, pattern 2, `asking questions and simple response`, is subdivided into three categories; passive and/or evasive response, inaccurate response, and repeated patterns of asking questions-simple response. The results of the study provide different patterns of dialogic interactions in a small group inquiry in informal contexts from formal contexts, and provide foundations to understand middle school students` interactive dialogues of inquiry occurred in the natural history gallery.

Investigating Science-Talented Students` Understandings and Meaning Generation about the Earth Systems Based on Their Geological Field Trip Reports

The purpose of this study was to investigate Earth Systems Understandings (Mayer, 1991) and Earth Systems meaning generation reported by science-talented students who participated in a geological field trip. The eight (4 female and 4 male students) field trip reports were randomly selected among all the reports written by twenty eighth-grade students who joined Shiwha-Lake field trip in Korea. The three-step program, including preparation, field trip, and summary, was provided to the students in order to facilitate meaningful learning through outdoor teaming activities. Seven Earth Systems Understandings and thematic types (Keys, 1999) were used to analyze the reports. The results of this study indicated thai aesthetic views and stewardship toward the Earth, which were the most distinguishing characteristics in Earth Systems Education, were reflected on most of the reports. The results also showed that the students tried to represent their understandings in such a type as meaning extension, meaning enhancement, or meaning elaboration. Overall, many students used `knowledge-telling` process with a long list of observations and facts, whereas a few students used higher-order `knowledge-transforming` process by coordinating their findings with interpretations and reasoning in their writings.

The Contents of Practical Knowledge Realized in Two Science Teachers` Classes on Social Construction of Scientific Models

This study investigated two science teachers` practical knowledge shaped during their science classes which intend to realize social construction of scientific models. The teachers` practical knowledge was qualitatively examined in terms of five content categories defined by Elbaz through the reflection-in-action based on video data of their teaching as well as the reflection-on-action based on their narratives and interview data obtained after their classes. The results shows: 1) two science teachers implemented their practical knowledge on appropriate subject matter knowledge when they provided students with scaffoldings to support building scientific models during the classes. 2) The teachers` knowledge about science curriculum played important roles to change the purposes of the classes from the transmission of difficult science concepts to the construction of scientific model appropriate to learning goals. 3) The teachers` implementation of pedagogical knowledge changed toward supporting students` group activities and model generations aligned to the intention of social construction of scientific models. 4) The teachers` practical knowledge about their `selves` showed that a teacher`s perception and implementation of his/her roles of helper, guide, or facilitator are important for students to construct scientific models through group activities. 5) The two teachers` practical knowledge the milieu of schooling is realized by their modes of interactions with student groups during their classes. Two teachers acted like a co-player with his students or like a coach to students near a playground. We discussed domain-specific characteristics about scientific model construction.

Relation between the Personal and Social Factors and the Interacting Role of Science Gifted Students in Social Co-construction of Scientific Model Class

This study try to analyze the effect that personal and social factors affects the interactions among science gifted students. For this, I analyze the interacting role of science gifted students in social co-construction and scientific model constructing class for phase change and rising-sinking time of moon and categorize according to type. I analyze aspects of interaction and association of each elements in the students after I understand character type self conception friendship a parents-children relationship relation with teachers derived from advanced research through questionnaire and depth interview. After analyzing, I find the following-close friendship form or not and usual school class participation appear important factors that have strong connection with the aspect of the interactions. Also, character type, self conception and relation of parents affect the interactions relatively lower. Through this study, We identify two things. Firstly, We must consider individual`s inside factors for making animatedly the interaction among the students. Secondly, We get considering factors that devise the strategies for making the interaction animatedly.

Science Popularizing Mechanism of a Science Magazine in terms of the Linguistic Features of Earth Science Articles in `Science Donga`

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a science magazine played a role in filling the gap between scientists and the general public, and how it contributed to science popularization. We analyzed the linguistic features of the texts used in a science magazine. We used 12 articles (six written by journalists, and six written by scientists) from the Science Donga. Register analysis was conducted in order to define the linguistic features of the texts in terms of ideational meaning, interpersonal meaning and, textual meaning. Results of this study are as follows: (1) the articles written by journalists used a higher mental and verbal processes in which the conversations and thoughts of scientists were expressed. (2) Human agents were relatively explicit in the journalists` articles. However, they were implicit or omitted in the articles of scientists. (3) Interrogative sentences and inclusive imperative sentences, and even omissions were frequently found in the journalists` articles whereas scientists` articles mainly used declarative statements. (4) The clause density of journalist` articles and scientists` were similarly lower than that of science textbooks. (5) The information structure revealed by the patterns of Theme and Rheme that the journalists` articles used in science magazines was simpler than that of science textbooks, while the structure of scientists` articles was more complex than that of journalists`. Based on the linguistic features of the texts used in science magazines, we found that a science magazine contributes to science popularization in two faces: One is in that the articles of journalists present science contents in a way that the readers can follow with ease and feel well-acquainted. The other is that the modified articles of scientists help the general public get familiar with the culuture of science in terms of use of science language.

Understanding of the Linguistic Features of Earth Science Treatises: Register Analysis Approach

This study identified the linguistic features of Earth science treatises through the analysis of the register. Data included three Korean treatises that were in geology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. The register of Earth science treatise was as follows: First, there were semantic, referential connections between Themes and Rhemes, that the messages and main points of the texts were expressed coherently and cohesively. Second, some predicates were used which were related to deductive inference, abductive inferences, or causal relation according to the genre elements of each text. The logical relations were not represented by the conjunctions but by the types of predicates. Third, most texts in the treatises showed interpersonally weak relationship using mental predicates related to possibilities, which meant scientists expressed indirectly their interpretation, explanation, or arguments. From these results, we argued that some activities of unpacking the language of science be included in science curriculum in order to improve students` literacy of science texts and understanding scientists` knowledge construction.

An Analysis of Earth System Understandings (ESU) of 8th-grade Students` Imagery about `the Earth` Represented by Words and Drawings

The purpose of this study was to explore 8th-grade students` imageries of the Earth. We analyzed the middle school students` imageries about the Earth represented with words and drawings in Earth Systems Understanding (ESU, hereafter) framework. The students` imageries about `the Earth` are vary by their experiences and prior-knowledge, which significantly impacts their imagery construction. Especially, the students` ESU were characterized into two aspects: One is a macroscopic view point based on full-objects of the Earth by indirect experiences and the other is everyday view point based on scene of the Earth surface and environment by direct experiences. Results revealed students` imageries about the Earth were impacted by visual experiences and those students` ESU were more represented by drawing as visual imagery than by words, formal language. The negative imageries were mainly represented through interactions of the Earth subsystems.