Seungho Maeng

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.

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.

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.