Two Middle School Science Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Science in the Republic of Korea: A Phenomenological Analysis

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study investigated how the unique educational contexts in the Republic of Korea (RK) impacted two science teachers’ teaching practices in a public middle school and what the science teaching experience means to them. In particular, we explored how the middle school science teachers decide pedagogical approaches to use in their teaching based on classroom climate, students’ attitude toward learning science, school curriculum and classroom culture. Using a phenomenological research approach, we analyzed classroom observation data and interview data to interpret the teachers’ science teaching experience. Results of the study showed that the teachers’ practice was dominantly affected by two external factors. First, the teachers’ teaching practice was affected by the amount of science content knowledge they need to cover within a given class time. Second, the teachers’ teaching practice was affected by students’ attitudes toward science learning and their science preparedness in private tutoring centers. Implications of the study results are discussed in the paper.

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