Skip to main content

Minsu Ha

Seoul National University · Social Sciences

About the Lab

Professor Minsu Ha's research lab focuses on science education, particularly on students' and teachers' understanding of evolution, cognitive factors influencing science learning, and the development of diagnostic and assessment tools. The lab investigates evolutionary acceptance, misconceptions in natural selection, and the role of intuitive cognition—such as feeling of certainty—in shaping scientific reasoning. It also explores the application of machine learning in scoring student explanations and the long-term impact of professional development on science teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. The lab emphasizes evidence-based teaching strategies and the use of advanced statistical and computational methods to improve science education outcomes across diverse educational contexts.

evolution educationcognitive biasdiagnostic assessmentmachine learning in educationteacher professional development

Research Overview

Papers
171
Total Citations
1,933
Papers (5y)
43
Primary Field
Social Sciences

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
43total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
58total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|174 citations·2012
Reasoning About Natural Selection: Diagnosing Contextual Competency Using the ACORNS Instrument
Ross H. Nehm, Elizabeth P. Beggrow, John E. Opfer, Minsu Ha
SJR Q3The American Biology Teacher

Studies of students' thinking about natural selection have revealed that the scenarios in which students reason evoke different types, magnitudes, and arrangements of knowledge elements and misconceptions. Diagnostic tests are needed that probe students' thinking across a representative array of evolutionary contexts. The ACORNS is a diagnostic test that treats different evolutionary contexts as unique scenarios worthy of focused assessment and targeted instruction. Our investigations revealed t

History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
2
Article|150 citations·2011
Transforming Biology Assessment with Machine Learning: Automated Scoring of Written Evolutionary Explanations
Ross H. Nehm, Minsu Ha, Elijah Mayfield
SJR Q1Journal of Science Education and Technology
History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
3
Article|127 citations·2011
Feeling of certainty: Uncovering a missing link between knowledge and acceptance of evolution
Minsu Ha, David L. Haury, Ross H. Nehm
SJR Q1Journal of Research in Science TeachingOA

Abstract We propose a new model of the factors influencing acceptance of evolutionary theory that highlights a novel variable unexplored in previous studies: the feeling of certainty (FOC). The model is grounded in an emerging understanding of brain function that acknowledges the contributions of intuitive cognitions in making decisions, such as whether or not to accept a particular theoretical explanation of events. Specifically, we examine the relationships among religious identity, level of e

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
4
Article|83 citations·2011
Applying Computerized-Scoring Models of Written Biological Explanations across Courses and Colleges: Prospects and Limitations
Minsu Ha, Ross H. Nehm, Mark Urban‐Lurain, John Merrill
SJR Q1CBE—Life Sciences EducationOA

Our study explored the prospects and limitations of using machine-learning software to score introductory biology students' written explanations of evolutionary change. We investigated three research questions: 1) Do scoring models built using student responses at one university function effectively at another university? 2) How many human-scored student responses are needed to build scoring models suitable for cross-institutional application? 3) What factors limit computer-scoring efficacy, and

History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
5
Article|53 citations·2017
Influence of Career Motivation on Science Learning in Korean High-School Students
Minsu Ha, Sein Shin, Jun‐Ki Lee
SJR Q2Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology EducationOA

Background:Motivation to learn is an essential element in science learning. In this study, the role of career motivation in science learning was examined. In particular, first, a science motivation model that focused on career motivation was tested. Second, the role of career motivation as a predictor of STEM track choice was examined. Third, the effect of gender and academic year on science motivation was explored.Material and methods:We used the Rasch analysis, structural equation modeling, lo

Safety ResearchSocial Sciences
6
Article|45 citations·2015
The Long-Term Impacts of Short-Term Professional Development: Science Teachers and Evolution
Minsu Ha, Brian Baldwin, Ross H. Nehm
SJR Q2Evolution Education and OutreachOA

Although a large body of work in science education has established the pervasive problem of science teachers’ alternative conceptions about evolution, knowledge deficits, and anti-evolutionary attitudes, only a handful of interventions have explored the mitigation of these issues using professional development (PD) workshops, and not a single study to our knowledge has investigated if positive outcomes are sustained long after program completion. The central aim of our study was to investigate t

History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
7
Article|45 citations·2016
The Impact of Misspelled Words on Automated Computer Scoring: A Case Study of Scientific Explanations
Minsu Ha, Ross H. Nehm
SJR Q1Journal of Science Education and Technology
Developmental and Educational PsychologyPsychology
8
Article|39 citations·2013
Darwin’s Difficulties and Students’ Struggles with Trait Loss: Cognitive-Historical Parallelisms in Evolutionary Explanation
Minsu Ha, Ross H. Nehm
SJR Q1Science & Education
History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
9
Article|34 citations·2019
Examining high-school students’ overconfidence bias in biology exam: a focus on the effects of country and gender
Arif Rachmatullah, Minsu Ha
SJR Q2International Journal of Science Education

Accurate, rational, and scientific decision making is now considered to be the most important skill in science education. Many studies have found that overconfidence bias is one of the cognitive biases hindering people from achieving such decision making. Gender and country play crucial roles in overconfidence bias. For instance, some particular cultures and genders tend to be more overconfident than others. However, whether or not the two variables interact to influence overconfidence bias also

Developmental and Educational PsychologyPsychology
10
Article|24 citations·2019
Preservice science teachers’ ecological value orientation: A comparative study between Indonesia and Korea
Arif Rachmatullah, Jun‐Ki Lee, Minsu Ha
SJR Q1The Journal of Environmental Education

The current study aimed to examine differences in ecological values between Indonesian and Korean preservice science teachers. Fifteen items from revised-New Ecological Paradigm based on value orientations were used as the research instrument. Two hundred seventy-three preservice science teachers participated in the study. Rasch analyses of dimensionality, item fit, and differential item functioning were used to explore the validity of the instrument. The independent-sample T-test and Pearson’s

Management, Monitoring, Policy and LawEnvironmental Science
11
Article|22 citations·2018
The Secondary-Student Science Learning Motivation in Korea and Indonesia
Minsu Ha, Arif Rachmatullah, Fenny Roshayanti, Sein Shin, Jun‐Ki Lee
SJR Q2Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology EducationOA

The previous studies on motivation have merely revealed the effects of gender, educational level, and country; however, the effect of the interactions between these variables on motivation has not yet been uncovered. The present study aims to statistically examine whether or not the interactions between these three variables can significantly impact the student science learning motivation. A set of the Science Motivation Questionnaire-II (SMQ-II) was administered to 867 Korean and 954 Indonesian

Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology
12
Article|21 citations·2019
Chinese pre-service biology teachers’ evolutionary knowledge, reasoning patterns, and acceptance levels
Minsu Ha, Xin Wei, Jian Wang, Dan Hou, Ross H. Nehm
SJR Q2International Journal of Science Education

Minsu Haa* http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3087-3833, Xin Weib, Jian Wangc http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6749-2068, Dan Houd & Ross H. Nehme http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5029-740Xa Division of Science Education, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Koreab Physics Editorial Department, People's Education Press, Beijing, People's Republic of Chinac School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of Chinad College of Physics and Materials Science, Tianjin Norm

History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
13
Article|20 citations·2017
Developing a Four-level Learning Progression and Assessment for the Concept of Buoyancy
Minsu Ha, Seoung‐Hey Paik, Geuron Song, Sungki Kim
SJR Q2Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology EducationOA

Despite its complexity in science, sinking and floating is a phenomenon about which students of almost all grades develop personal theories, using a variety of conceptual elements such as weight, volume, shape, and density, prior to classroom teaching. Here, we distribute students from elementary to high school according to the levels of their achievement on the learning progression regarding the buoyancy phenomenon. We suggest four levels of learning progression for buoyancy concept. We develop

EducationSocial Sciences
14
Article|15 citations·2020
Indonesian Pre-service Biology Teachers’ and Biology Education Professors’ Views on Evolution
Rahmi Qurota Aini, Arif Rachmatullah, Muhammad Dika Harliadi, Minsu Ha
SJR Q1Science & Education
History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities
15
Article|11 citations·2018
A LONGITUDINAL TRAJECTORY OF SCIENCE LEARNING MOTIVATION IN KOREAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Sein Shin, Arif Rachmatullah, Minsu Ha, Jun‐Ki Lee
SJR Q2Journal of Baltic Science EducationOA

This research examined longitudinal trajectories of Korean students’ motivation to learn science using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). The changes in five motivational constructs were focused in this research: self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, grade motivation, self-determination, and career motivation. In addition, the relationship between academic track of students and each trajectory group was examined. Using Science Motivation Questionnaire II, data from 255 male high school stude

Social PsychologyPsychology

Research Areas

Safety ResearchEducationHistory and Philosophy of ScienceInformation SystemsDevelopmental and Educational PsychologyComputer Networks and Communications

Dive deeper into Minsu Ha's research on Nubint

Open this lab's papers in the app to read with AI, summarize, and cite in your writing.