Exploration on the Features and Possibility of Self-Study in Science Education Research: Based on the Theoretical Background and Previous Researches

We investigated the conceptual and methodological characteristics of self-study as an innovational way with reflective research methods and explored the possibility of application of self-study in the field of science education by reviewing previous researches done in foreign countries. The results show that Self-study in education means the study of self, self-practice, self-thought, and so on in the teaching and learning context. It is a kind of new research method to pursue the improvement of teaching and learning practice with integrated perspectives on the context of instruction, identities of members, their beliefs and values, innovation agenda for better education, etc. This can be attained by collective and critical reflection in doing research. Most previous articles on the methodology of self-study suggested that the self-study should be more than just daily journals written only by her/him self. To do self-study in the academic way, they requested interaction with critical and cooperative colleagues, multiple but strict qualitative research methods, and participants’ efforts for making better practice in instruction. Similar features to the above are found in the previous 14 self-study papers related to science education done in foreign countries. Based on the results, we concluded that self-study could be applied usefully into the field of science education in Korea. This paper could contribute to stimulation in the innovation of science instruction in a more practical way by increasing the attention to self-study and provoking its practice in Korea.