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The purpose of this study is multifold: First, to develop an educational program using artificial intelligence (AI) in middle school free semester system of South Korea. Second, to verify the program's effectiveness, the study clarified the definition of AI and AI education and considered their meaning in technology education. This study used three steps: preparation, development, and improvement. In the preparation step, this study set the theme and purpose of the AI program and selected the free semester activity type "theme selection activity." After analyzing the technology curriculum and extracting AI-related elements in the development step, this study laid out the program for 16 h of class time. In the improvement step, to augment the program's validity, the researcher revised and supplemented it as a whole through expert consultation. This research differentiated the developed program from the AI education program of other subjects and specialized it, focusing on the specificity of technology education. The study emphasized the social impact of the latest technology, ethics of AI, physical computing using AI, and technological problem-solving activity using AI. The final developed program was applied to the students, and students participated in a pretest and posttest. The study used the PATT and AI competency test tools. The PATT results showed a significant increase in the mean of both constructs in "interest in technology" and "career aspirations in technology." In AI competency, the mean of two constructs increased significantly in "social impact of AI" and "AI performance." In particular, "AI performance" showed the largest increase. There was no statistically significant change in "interaction with AI." The study results confirmed that the developed AI program was effective in technology education and career exploration, which is the primary purpose of the free semester. In addition, it was possible to confirm the technology educational value of the AI education program centered on technological problem-solving. These research results have implications for bringing AI into technology education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop a program that incorporates computational thinking into technology education classrooms and to investigate its effect on students. Software (SW) education and physical computing education are frequently addressed topics in technology education, but education about computational thinking (CT) lacks interest and research. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop educational programs in technology. In this study, we developed a program integrating CT, which centered on technological problem-solving processes. The program comprised 12 total hours of hacking a remote control (RC) car using Micro:bit development tool. This study investigates the effects of the developed program with a single group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design. Nineteen students participated in the study, completing survey instruments that measure CT competency and attitudes toward CT and technology, answering an open-ended questionnaire, and voluntarily took part in semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the technological problem-solving program positively affected participants' CT-related competencies. Moreover, we observed improvement in participants' attitudes toward technology due to the integration of CT into their technology education classes. This study provides a strong case for incorporating CT into technology education. It also suggests future research direction regarding the development of students' CT competencies in various technological problem-solving contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to investigate—using text network analysis—how key Korean mass media outlets present issues of maker education. To accomplish this goal, 1303 news articles (associated with maker education) were collected as issued by 54 Korean mass media companies. Based on this data, this study reports the frequency and network analyses using keywords gaining the following findings. First, the findings of a yearly trend in issues indicated an increased volume of issues related to maker education. In particular, there were sharp increases when the Korean government announced its maker education policy in 2017 and 2018. The monthly trend within this time period indicated that there were many news articles in May, June, October, and November. Second, the frequency analysis showed predominant keywords like education, student, maker education, maker, and school. TF–IDF analysis finalized the following keywords: maker, school, student, makerspace, support, and work. Third, network analysis of the keywords showed categorized terms such as future education, school curriculum-linked maker education, maker education for youths, diffusion of maker culture, maker education support project, direction on maker education policy, fabrication, and start-up. The following recommendations are derived from these findings. First, maker education policy should be expanded to the public: in particular, the target and projects for maker education should be expanded to diverse people and places. Second, full recognition of technology and design education are necessary to help settle maker education. This study will provide an outline for research regarding maker education and its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to identify trends of integrative approach in South Korean technology education. A literature review was completed from 131 selected research journal papers published in South Korean academic databases from 2010 to 2018. The review identified four trends. First, research on technology education within STEAM education has steadily increased since 2010, with student-targeted studies comprising the largest share. Second, program development and implementation type was the most frequent regarding the research types. Third, the analysis of school subjects integrated with technology for integrative approach in South Korean technology education showed the most links to science. Fourth, invention was the most common focus in analysis of the content area of technology education, while creation constituted the most common core concept of the new Korean national curriculum. The results of this study shed light on the place of technology education within STEAM education in South Korea and has implications for research and practice for integrative STEAM education in future Korean technology education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]