This study explored the characteristics of elementary preservice teachers'prior perceptions and design experiences when developing science assessment items using Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT)-4o. Five elementary preservice teachers from A University of Education, located outside a metropolitan area, participated in design activities involving the generation, review, and revision of assessment items aligned with the "Earth and Space" domain of the 2015 revised elementary science curriculum. Data were collected from pre-workshop written responses, initial and final versions of the assessment items, ChatGPT interaction logs, records documenting prompt rationales, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted in two stages. First, perceptions formed prior to item generation were analyzed using inductive content analysis of pre-workshop written responses. Second, design experiences during the item review and revision stages were interpreted through a case-based, process-oriented qualitative analysis informed by the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). The results indicated that prior perceptions were structured along two axes: (1) "role expectations", in which generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) was expected to reduce design burden and support idea expansion and (2) "recognition of limitations and human responsibility", in which trust and uncertainty regarding AI-generated outputs coexisted and responsibility for verifying scientific and curricular validity and making final decisions remained with teachers. In addition, analysis of design experiences indicated that preservice teachers did not adopt AI-generated items without modification; rather, they reconstructed key components-such as redesign of reasoning structures, adjustment of cognitive levels, responsibility for evaluation criteria and judgment, and modification of item scope and phrasing-through human-led interventions. These patterns were interpreted in relation to AIAS Level 4 across all cases, demonstrating that even when generative AI supported the design process, core judgments, and responsibilities remained with preservice teachers. By distinguishing prior perceptions from design experiences, this study provides foundational insights for discussions on the use of generative AI and the assessment of professionalism in elementary teacher education
The petrological and geochemical characteristics of the igneous rocks in Daewangam Park, a representative geological site in Bangeojin, Ulsan Metropolitan City, were investigated. Various types of igneous rocks are distributed in Daewangam Park, including the Ulsan Formation deposited during the Early Cretaceous Period, as well as fine-grained biotite granite, diorite, pink feldspar granite, and feldspar porphyry, formed from the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene. In the coastal study area, a coastal terrace rock zone extends approximately 2.5 km, with magma mixing zone in the southern and northern parts, where various enclave rocks indicating heterogeneous magma mixing are observed. Analysis of the chemical composition of the rocks and minerals showed that the granites in the study area corresponded to gabbroic diorite, diorite, granodiorite, and granite, and the SiO2 composition is 52.2-52.6 wt.% for gabbroic diorite, 56.9-61.0 wt.% for diorite, 63.5-67.5 wt.% for granite, and 71.6-79.0 wt.% for granite. The formation environment was related to the volcano-plutonic processes of the continental-margin volcanic arc, which formed in response to subduction of the tectonic plate. Analysis of the directionality of the fractures developed in the pink feldspar granite using satellite images showed that the most dominantly developed fracture on the rias coast east of Daewangam Park is oriented northeast (NE) direction, followed by northwest (NW). Those in the northeast direction exhibited relatively good extension, those in the northwest direction showed a development pattern regulated by the northeast direction, and the spacing of fractures identified as linear structures tended to be tighter than that in the northeast direction.
This study investigated the meteorological characteristics and mechanisms of three distinct heavy snowfall events that occurred over the central Korean Peninsula on November 27, 2024, December 15, 2024, and March 18, 2025. Satellite imagery, total precipitable water, integrated vapor transport, and wind and pressure field data revealed that the November 27, 2024 event represented a compound case wherein strong moisture transport from the southwestern sea combined with a cut-off low, leading to the development of an atmospheric river (AR), synoptic-scale ascent, and countrywide heavy snowfall. In contrast, the December 15 2024 event exhibited a typical lake-effect snowfall pattern characterized by weak AR activity and a dominant localized moisture supply from the Yellow Sea, resulting in short-lived and spatially confined snowfall. The March 18, 2025 event was a mixed cycloniclake-effect case triggered by the interaction between mid-latitude moisture transported by southwesterly winds and an upper-level low, producing significant snowfall over the Seoul metropolitan and Yeongdong regions. These differences arise from variations in AR strength, lakeeffect processes, and cyclonic development, whereas all three events shared enhanced thermal instability, a moisture supply associated with a large SST850 hPa temperature difference (Delta T>10oC), and a prevailing northwesterly flow. These specific cases show that heavy snowfall intensity and duration are closely linked to sequential interactions between large-scale AR processes, regional lake effects, and cyclonic mechanisms. Overall, this study suggests that an increased AR frequency under climate change scenarios may increase the risk of extreme snowfall, thereby contributing to improved weather forecasting and disaster preparedness strategies.
This study identified problems associated with the concepts of geologic time and fossils presented in Earth Science I textbooks proposed improvement directions. Six Earth Science I textbooks under the 2015 revised curriculum were analyzed. The study examined the appropriateness of explanatory texts and illustrations related to the geologic time scale, index fossils, facies fossils, and paleoenvironment and biota through geologic time. Certain textbooks fail to provide proper source references and present geologic time intervals of equal length, potentially leading to misconceptions regarding the temporal scale of geologic time. Also, photographs of the index and facies fossils are frequently displayed together without scale indicators, making it difficult for students to infer the actual size of the fossils. Although substantial space has been devoted to describing changes in biotic assemblages across geological periods, many explanations remain limited to simple listings and some descriptions are inconsistent with current scientific knowledge. Furthermore, the biological criteria for defining geologic time are described primarily in terms of the degree of organismal proliferation, rather than their first appearances and final extinctions. Because the concepts of geologic time and fossils are essential for interpreting long-term changes in Earth's history, textbooks should surpass presenting a chronological sequence of geological events to provide clearer explanations and supplementary materials that explicitly emphasize the temporal scale.
Ulsan, located in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, is widely recognized as an industrial city. However, it also preserves a remarkably complex geological record, including Cretaceous continental sedimentation, associated with magmatic activity, Cenozoic crustal deformation, and Quaternary geomorphic evolution. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the geological characteristics and geosite framework of the Ulsan Geopark, currently designated as a National Geopark, and to assess its academic significance and potential for utilization. The geological background and history of the Ulsan area were reviewed, and ten representative geosites, selected through a stepwise investigation, were analyzed in relation to the geological themes proposed by UNESCO Global Geoparks. In addition, the ABC (Abiotic-Biotic-Cultural) concept was applied to assess inter-geosite connectivity and to evaluate the feasibility of constructing an integrated geopark narrative. The results indicate that the Ulsan Geopark preserves a continuous geological record spanning approximately 100 million years from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary, and exhibits a relatively balanced representation of geological disciplines, including stratigraphy and sedimentology, paleontology, structural geology, geomorphology, and igneous petrology. Notably, diverse vertebrate ichnofossils, intraplate active fault systems, petrological evidence of magma mixing, and strong linkages between geology and world-heritage-class petroglyphs distinguish the Ulsan Geopark from neighboring geoparks. This study provides a scientific basis for interpreting the geological heritage of Ulsan beyond individual geosites at the geopark scale, thereby supporting future geopark designation and management.
This study examines disaster and hazard-related exhibits in national science museums in Korea, with the aim of analyzing current exhibition structures and evaluating how the five domains of hazard literacy are reflected in exhibit design. Three national science museums were selected, and their exhibits were analyzed in terms of presentation methods (single vs multimodal media), types of disaster and hazards addressed, and panel composition elements. Panel texts were further analyzed through text mining to extract major thematic keywords, and all exhibits were assessed using a mixed-methods approach based on the five domains of hazard literacy: Knowledge and Understanding, Skills and Thinking, Values and Attitudes, Psychology and emotion, and Behavioral and practical engagement. The analysis revealed that exhibit panels across all three museums relied heavily on group texts and introductory explanations, supplemented by visual materials such as diagrams and photographs to conceptualize various hazards. TF-IDF analysis further showed that, despite shared themes, SM1 placed greater emphasis on natural hazards, SM2 on environmental and climate-change issues, and SM3 on complex meteorological disasters, revealing clear differences in exhibition focus across institutions. In the hazard literacy analysis, Knowledge and Understanding scored highest across institutions, whereas Psychological-Emotional and Behavioral and practical engagement domains were comparatively low. Multimodal exhibits reflected the five domains more evenly than single-media exhibits, which remained largely cognition-centered. K-medoids clustering classified the exhibits into five types: insufficient, knowledge-thinking-value based, value-attitude centered, knowledge centered, and balanced. This study demonstrates how science museum exhibits contribute to public understanding, attitudes, and potential behavioral responses toward disasters, and it offers practical implications for planning future exhibitions and developing hazard-education content within informal science learning environments.
In this study, we analyzed the questions that science high school students posed to a generative AI tool (ChatGPT) during astronomy-related independent inquiries, using both concept-based and inquiry-based analytical frameworks. Six students who aspired to astronomy-related careers generated a total of 705 questions over the course of one year, which were examined and further analyzed through Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA). Among all questions, 53.9% were conceptual and 46.1% were factual, while no debatable questions were observed. In the inquiry-based analysis, mathematical thinking, data analysis and interpretation, and the use of computers and models have emerged as the most frequently utilized inquiry skills. The ENA results revealed that factual questions were strongly associated with procedure-focused, execution-oriented inquiries, characterized by the co-occurrence of data collection, mathematical thinking, and the use of computers and models. In contrast, conceptual questions formed a network structure with strong connections among inquiry design and implementaion, data analysis and interpretation, and mathematical thinking. These findings suggest that the types of questions generated by students significantly shape the progression and of their inquiry processes and skills. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the need to use generative AI as a mediating tool for organizing and extending the inquiry processes and skills of students, emphasize the importance of structuring question types and inquiry skills when incorporating generative AI into scientific inquiry, and underscore the crucial role of teachers as inquiry mediators in AI-supported inquiry activities.
In this study, we analyzed how Socio-Scientific Issues (SSI) are represented in high school Integrated Science 1-2 and Earth Science textbooks developed under the 2022 revised science curriculum in Korea, focusing on SSI topic composition, instructional strategy types, and the representation of democratic citizenship competencies. For the analysis, an SSI topic framework consisting of eight categories and the democratic citizenship competency framework proposed by Park et al. (2022), comprising eight elements, were applied. The results indicate that Integrated Science textbooks tend to address a wide range of SSI topics, including advanced science and technology, climate change, and natural hazards, whereas Earth Science textbooks show a topic distribution characterized by a relatively higher proportion of climate change and natural hazard-related issues. In terms of instructional strategies, inquiry-based activities accounted for the largest proportion in both subjects, while higher-level SSI strategies such as argumentation, decision-making, and civic action were presented relatively less frequently. Regarding democratic citizenship competencies, cognitive and functional elements-including information processing, communication and collaboration, and decision-making-were more prominently represented, whereas affective dimensions such as empathy and social responsibility appeared with relatively lower frequency. These findings suggest that SSI activities presented in textbooks tend to emphasize scientific inquiry and conceptual understanding, while elements related to social reflection, value judgment, and civic action could be further expanded through teachers' instructional design. The findings of our study have implications for future textbook development and SSI-based instructional design, highlighting the need to consider democratic citizenship competencies more systematically in science education.
Lateral fining is a characteristic feature of gravel beaches, yet its controlling mechanisms remain debated. This study investigates how grain size and shape influence lateral grading at Jeongdo-ri Beach in Wando County, a southfacing embayed gravel beach extending similar to 800 m east-west. Grain size and shape were measured directly at 100 sampling points, and end-member modelling analysis (EMA) was applied to interpret transport processes. The beach comprises an active lower gravel zone and a stable upper gravel surface at 6-10 m elevation. Topographic surveys identified two typhoon berms formed by Hinnamnor (4.7 m) and Bolaven (5.3 m). Grain-size patterns show that boulders and large cobbles (> -7 phi) dominate the eastern sector, whereas pebbles around -5.5 phi increase westward, indicating clear lateral fining. EMA identified five end-members with distinct spatial distributions. The coarsest population (-7.1 phi) in the east represents gravel lags mobilized only during typhoons. Intermediate-sized gravel (-5.8 to -6.6 phi) mixes with background material in the central beach and becomes the dominant mode in the west after overpassing and sorting. Grain-shape analysis reveals a progressive increase in spherical and rounded clasts from east to west. These results suggest that lateral fining arises from the persistence of coarse lag deposits in the east and the westward transport, mixing, and sorting of intermediate-sized gravel. In addition to the decrease in grain size, the increasing dominance of spherical gravel toward the west underscores the importance of gravel shape in governing transport processes.
