[1st year study] In this study, Inquiry-based learning program was developed for promoting students' scientific justification activities along with their uses of scientific evidence in elementary school. The program was applied to the 5th grade scienc ...
[1st year study] In this study, Inquiry-based learning program was developed for promoting students' scientific justification activities along with their uses of scientific evidence in elementary school. The program was applied to the 5th grade science class to examine the effect of the program on the cognitive development level, perception of scientific learning environment, and attitude toward science. Also, the types and features of their scientific justification activities found in this study were analyzed.
The objects of this study were 4 classes in 5th grade of E elementary school located in Seoul, KOREA. The Inquiry-based learning program covering two topics, ‘5. Reaction of solution and 6. Making electric circuit, was developed for promoting students' scientific justification activities. The program was applied to the experimental class for 4 weeks, for 9 lessons. In this study, statistical methods as well as qualitative ones were applied to examine the effects of the program and proceed the in-depth analysis of students' justification activities through their classroom discussion. The whole classroom activities were recorded using 3 video cameras and audiotapes to investigate all of students' classroom activities and learning behavior.
The analysis of the data show that first, Inquiry-based learning to promote scientific justification included 5 phases, 'problem understanding,' `individual justification,' `performance of inquiry activity,' `social justification,' and 'conclusion'.In the 'problem understanding' phase. Second, after the treatment of the program, the students’ cognition test of scientific learning environment showed significant effects in the areas of critical view and social interaction. On the other hand, there were no significant effects found in students' cognitive level development and attitude toward science. Third, the evidence used by students during scientific justification process appeared as knowledge-based evidence, experience-based evidence and authority-based evidence. Overtime, the evidence used by the students became more valid and relevant, but there were also some students who were unable to make the relevant relations between the evidences and the claims they used. Finally, when closely observed students' discussion activities in focus groups(8 students), this study found that each student in the groups showed consistent patterns and features to propose their claims based on valid evidence to persuade others.
[2nd year study] The purposes of this study were to develop scientific inquiry instruction to facilitate individual and social justification of elementary school students, to identify its effects on cognitive ability, perception on constructivist learning environment, class participation, self-efficacy, scientific conception, and science inquiry skill when the instruction was applied to teaching-learning, to investigate the students' perceptions of the instruction, and to study the changes of students' individual and social justification during the instruction.
The subject of this study was a 4th grade class at J elementary school located in Seoul, KOREA. The instruction developed in this study was applied for 24 lessons during 8weeks. For this study, quantitative research methods as well as qualitative ones were used.
The results of this study show that first, there were no significant effects on cognitive ability, perception on constructivist learning environment, class participation, and self-efficacy, while significant effects were shown on class participation, scientific conception, and science inquiry skill. Second, as for the perception of students on the instruction, most students(93.3%) perceived the instruction was helpful and interesting, but at the same time many students(71.4%) thought it was difficult. Third, as for the changes of students' individual and social justification, there was few development in discussion in the earlier of this study.