EAPSI:Linguistic Analysis of the conceptualization of science by students and instructors in the Korean university context

King Seth L, State College PA

Investigators

Abstract

What comes to define science in different cultures? It is established that there are different philosophies as to what is considered ?science? and what is valued as ?scientific? in a specific culture. This project is concerned with a cross cultural analysis of science concepts and science education between different language-cultures, as well as the teaching of subject-matter content in foreign language contexts. This study will investigate the conceptualization of science in the Korean university setting at Seoul National University (SNU) in close collaboration with Dr. Seungho Maeng, a researcher in the department of Science Education. The project will provide a crucial vantage for the promotion of the cross-cultural understanding of these topics. There are few studies that compare the concepts of science between langua-cultures. This study investigates Korean students, who are becoming an increasingly large sector of the population of international students at American universities. As more Korean students become enrolled at American universities, it is essential that educators in the United States have tools to understand the origins of scientific concepts of this student population. This study will document the disconnects between the American conceptualizations of science and the Korean system, which will in turn assist educators in STEM fields to develop teaching materials designed to support Korean students who are studying at American universities as well as Korean scientists who teach or work in those universities. In order to ascertain these cultural differences, this study will conduct interviews with students and instructors of science courses as well as record science classroom interactions. This award is funded in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Korea.