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This study investigates pre-service teachers’ beliefs about learning physics and explores how beliefs correlate with learning achievement as evidenced by conceptual understanding and grades in a year-long physics course. To investigate beliefs about learning physics, 14 second-year pre-service teachers in a teacher training program in South Korea completed a Likert-style questionnaire called the Beliefs About Learning Physics Survey (BAPS). To measure learning achievement, final grades for the physic course were obtained and the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was used to assess conceptual understanding. Analysis revealed that pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs about learning physics had a positive correlation with conceptual understanding but not with motivational beliefs. Students’ grades in physics had a positive correlation with cognitive beliefs, regardless of changes in pre- and post-test responses. Implications about how to utilize pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs about learning physics as an epistemological resource for teaching and learning physics are discussed.

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.

This paper presents findings from a study conducted in an urban elementary school in the United States with an English language learner (ELL) student and two teachers engaged in collaborative teaching in an inclusion science classroom. This study examines the efficacy of utilising cogenerative dialogues between an ELL student and his science teacher and English as second language teacher to improve instructional practices enacted during coteaching. Drawing from field notes, teacher and student interviews, and video captured during cotaught science lessons and during cogenerative dialogues between the student and his coteachers, we examined the ways in which cogenerative dialogue expands teachers’ agency to adapt curriculum and implement instructional strategies that can better meet the needs of their students. At the same time, we examined the ways in which participation in cogenerative dialogues with his teachers expanded this student’s agency as a science learner and a language learner.

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers‘ recognition on field practice and effectiveness of creativity and character education. This study used post tests to examine the effects of teacher training for creativity and character education on 451 teachers. The results were as follows. Firstly, the average in satisfaction of teacher training for creativity and character education was 4.65 for elementary teachers and 4.35 for secondary teachers in summer, and 4.55 for elementary teachers and 4.42 for secondary teachers in winter. Secondly, effectiveness of teacher training on creativity and character education was showed highly as more than 4.0 and was higher in winter than in summer. Thirdly, in the case of field practice and effectiveness of teacher training for creativity and character education, the average of elementary teachers(3,66) was higher in respect of educational environment than that of secondary teachers(3.20) and the averages of elementary teachers and secondary teachers were 3.85 and 3.42 in respect of subject activity, respectively. In practising creativity and character education, it was analyzed that both elementary(ave. 3.89) and secondary(ave. 3.84) teachers went through some difficulties for curriculum reconstruction, development of instructional model, program development, and human and physical supports.Key words : Creativity․character education, Field practice, Effectiveness analysisCorresponding author : 053-850-4364, syoungpark@daegu.ac.kr 2013 (2014).

This Special Issue of Eruasia Journal of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education offers ten articles addressing issues that are currently emerging in Korea and that will be a continued focus for teacher educators and researchers in the years to come. The papers in this issue represent the efforts of 31 researchers, from four different countries and more than 18 universities and research institutes. The papers were selected to offer the international reader perspectives on a broad range of educational issues in Korea. These works highlight current trends in research in different STEM related disciplines, issues in teacher education and professional development, and they provide a socio-historical context for making sense of Korean students’ achievement in math and science on international comparative exams and on national assessments. Finally, this issue includes a special focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Mathematics) education.

For over two decades, there has been increasing concern regarding the science learning of disadvantaged students such as indigenous or disabled students. The academic achievement of students with hearing impairment has been seen as relatively low. This low achievement has been mainly due to students’ poor literal ability and not because of their low intellectual ability. Interactive experiences and the repeated use of previously learned terms have been suggested as being important to improve their literacy. In addition, it is well recognized that for all students to experience success in science education, literacy needs to be considered as a crucial factor when setting educational goals among students with limited language proficiency. This study presents a strategy for teaching science to students with limited language proficiency based on a teaching strategy which deliberately focuses on written expression in the context of hands-on scientific activities. The influence of this teaching strategy upon hearing impaired students’ language proficiency and inquiry skills was also examined. Results revealed the students’ language proficiency was enhanced in terms of fluency of expression, and their inquiry skills were also improved as compared to the students in a control group among whom the teaching strategy was not used. These results demonstrated that this teaching strategy which focuses on students’ written expression and inquiry skills through scientific activity can improve the literacy of students with limited language proficiency as well as increase their learning success in science.

High school `science` in the 2009 revised curriculum in Korea was developed for the purpose of enhancing students` scientific literacy needed for citizenship in a democratic society. For this analysis, `science` includes a variety of scientific topics from the origin of the universe to the birth of life, and the relationship between technology and modern society. It aims to make students understand the process of scientific inquiry and foster interest and curiosity about science. On the other hand, interest has been studied as a psychological construct to affect academic achievement and career selection of students. In this study, the authors investigated students` interest in high school `science` in view of the 2009 revised curriculum. To carry this out, a survey tool was developed according to previous research, with 997 high school students` responses analyzed with descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The result showed that the students` interest in high school `science` in view of the 2009 revised curriculum can be interpreted into three dimensions such as motivation, activity, and topic, which has several sub-dimensions. Students` interest in motivation dimension was higher than in activity or topic dimension, while the average value was slightly higher than the middle value. They showed different distribution of interest by gender and job orientation, especially in activity and topic dimensions. From this study, the authors can infer the multi-dimensional property of students` interest in high school `Science` and the different distribution of interest by dimensions.

While much is known about the high academic but low affective achievement of Korean students on international comparative studies, little is known about science teacher education in Korea. As the quality of science teachers is an important factor determining the quality of science education, gaining an understanding of science education in Korea necessitates understanding the science teacher education system and the ways of leveraging quality science teacher preparation. Korea has a unique science teacher education system in many aspects due to its unique socio-cultural background. This study critically reviews the current state of the science teacher education system in South Korea in terms of the outcomes and institutional backgrounds, such as associated law and policy, teacher education curriculum, recruiting system and examinations. A careful review is conducted of the previous literature, official documents and statistics from the Korean government, and curricular documents from some teacher education institutions. The paper concludes with a discussion on the uprising issues in science teacher education within the socio-cultural context of Korea and offers implications to the international science education community.