Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
In science education, models are used as key teaching tools to teach scientific phenomena and concepts to students. Although South Korea recognizes the value of model use in science education, it is necessary to analyze how model use is reflected in science textbooks and in classrooms. This study examined the development and usage patterns of models in experimental activities in the geological, astronomical, and atmospheric domains in three Korean elementary school science textbooks. A coding framework was developed and analyzed based on previous studies and science curricula in other countries. The study found that, first, the model development and usage patterns in experimental activities in the geological, astronomical, and atmospheric domains in science textbooks were largely similar, although some differences existed across domains. Second, the resources required for model development and development methods; evidence-based model development, evaluation, and modification; and the cyclic features of modeling were similar across the three domains, but the geological domain was characterized by model limitations and the astronomical domain was characterized by the process of investigating a phenomenon. Based on these f indings, the study discussed model development activities in textbooks can be improved.
Kim et al. (Sun,) studied this question.