Comparison of the recent trend of chemistry education research based on the analysis of the domestic and foreign journals

Abstract

This study analyzed the research papers published in three (2 domestic and 1 foreign) journals, in order to understand the recent trend of chemistry education research. We selected Journal of the Korean Chemical Society (JKCS) and Journal of the Korean Association for Science Education (JKASE) as the domestic journals, and Journal of Chemical Education (JCE) as a foreign journal. The papers published from 2000 to 2009 were analyzed. As the result, the chemistry education research theme focused on 'teaching method and education technology', 'learner's characteristics', and 'chemical concept and experiment' in the order of frequency. The research on 'curriculum and textbooks' was performed often in JKCS reflecting Korean social environment. The most researched chemistry education goal was the 'conceptual understanding/change' followed by 'achievement/grade' in JCE and 'experiment/inquiry skill' in JKCS, and 'attitude/interest/motivation' in JKASE. The research subjects were focused to 'middle or high school students' in JKCS, in contrast to the 'university students' in JCE. More concern to the higher education is required in the domestic research. The most frequently used research method was 'survey/ examination' followed by 'experimental research' in JCE and JKASE and 'data/material analysis' in JKCS. We discussed the implication on future chemistry education research.