• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.147-162
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• 2007

This paper reports an analysis of 19 Chinese and Korean middles school mathematics teachers' understanding of division by fractions. The study analyzes the teachers' responses to the teaching task of generating a real-world situation representing the meaning of division by fractions. The findings of this study suggests that the teachers' conceptual models of division are dominated by the partitive model of division with whole numbers as equal sharing. The dominance of partitive model of division constraints the teachers' ability to generate real-world representations of the meaning of division by fractions, such that they are able to teach only the rule-based algorithm (invert-and-multiply) for handling division by fractions.

• School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.685-706
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• 2009

This dissertation is aimed to investigate the reason why a contextualization is needed to help the meaningful teaching-learning concerning multiplications and divisions of fractions, the way to make the contextualization possible, and the methods which enable us to use it effectively. For this reason, this study intends to examine the differences of situations multiplying or dividing of fractions comparing to that of natural numbers, to recognize the changes in units by contextualization of multiplication of fractions, the context is set which helps to understand the role of operator that is a multiplier. As for the contextualization of division of fractions, the measurement division would have the left quantity if the quotient is discrete quantity, while the quotient of the measurement division should be presented as fractions if it is continuous quantity. The context of partitive division is connected with partitive division of natural number and 3 effective learning steps of formalization from division of natural number to division of fraction are presented. This research is expected to help teachers and students to acquire meaningful algorithm in the process of teaching and learning.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.111-130
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• 2018

In this study, I compared and analyzed the contents of Korean, Japanese, Singapore, American, and Finnish textbooks about fraction which is one of the important and difficult concepts in elementary school mathematics. This is aimed to get the implications for meaningful fractional teaching and learning by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the methods and time of introducing the concept because fraction has the diversity of the sub-concepts and the introducing methods or process. As a result of the analysis, the fraction was introduced as part-whole(area) in all five countries' textbooks, but the use of number line, conversion between improper fraction and mixed number, whether to deal with part-whole(set) model. Furthermore, there are differences in the methods in obtaining of the equivalent fraction and the order of arrangement in comparison of fraction. Through this analysis, we discussed the reconsideration of the introducing contexts of fractions, the use of number line when introducing fractions, and the problem of segmentation and classification of contents.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.385-399
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• 2003

In our present elementary mathematics curriculum, natural numbers are taught by using the a method of one-to-one correspondence or counting operation which are not related to measurement, and fractional numbers are taught by using a method which is partially related to measurement. The most serious limitation of these teaching methods is that natural numbers and fractional numbers are separated. To overcome this limitation, Dewey and Davydov insisted that the natural number and the fractional number should be taught by measurement of quantity. In this article, we suggested a method of teaching the natural number and the fractional number by measurement of quantity based on the claims of Dewey and Davydov, and compare it with our current method. In conclusion, we drew some educational implications of teaching the natural number and the fractional number by measurement of quantity as follows. First, the concepts of the natural number and the fractional number evolve from measurement of quantity. Second, the process of transition from the natural number to the fractional number became to continuous. Third, the natural number, the fractional number, and their lower categories are closely related.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2019

Because of the various concepts and meanings of fractions and the difficulty of learning, studies to improve the teaching methods of fraction have been carried out. Particularly, because there are various methods of teaching depending on the type of fractions or the models or methods used for problem solving in fraction operations, many researches have been implemented. In this study, I analyzed the fractional operations of CCSSM-CA and its U.S. textbooks. It was CCSSM-CA revised and presented in California and the textbooks of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., which reflect the content and direction of CCSSM-CA. As a result of the analysis, although the grades presented in CCSSM-CA and Korean textbooks were consistent in the addition and subtraction of fractions, there are the features of expressing fractions by the sum of fractions with the same denominator or unit fraction and the evaluation of the appropriateness of the answer. In the multiplication and division of fractions, there is a difference in the presentation according to the grades. There are the features of the comparison the results of products based on the number of factor, presenting the division including the unit fractions at first, and suggesting the solving of division problems using various ways.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.141
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• pp.167-185
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• 2017

Chu Hsi inherited the proposition of Cheng Yi, and it spent him over ten years to finish writing the works of Xi Ming Jie, thus, making the thought of "Li Yi Fen Shu" bethe explanatory model of Xi Ming, therefore, playing the role to determine the tone of Xi Ming. At first, the thought of "Li Yi Fen Shu is a concept to embody the ethical significance of Xi Ming. But in terms of all the discussion about "Li Yi Fen Shu" of Chu Hsi in his life, this proposition is not only for the ethical significance of Xi Ming, but also includes much more general philosophical significance, revealing the general and special relationship of things. The former is the narrow "Li Yi Fen Shu", but the latter is the generalized one. This article won't discuss the generalized one, and it will take the narrow one as the research object. In the past research in academic circles, some scholars thinks that the proposition of "Li Yi Fen Shu" accords with the aim of Xi Ming, some others don't think so. Contrary to both of the two views, this article thinks that there is some conformity and inconformity between the explanatory model of "Li Yi Fen Shu" of Chu Hsi and the aim of Xi Ming. In other words, Contributions and limitations coexist when Chu Hsi explains Xi Ming in the model of "Li Yi Fen Shu", and there is not only the development to the intention of Xi Ming, but alsothe far meaning away from the aim of Xi Ming.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.295-320
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is searching students' cognitive structures before and after learning division of fraction. Also the researchers investigated how their structures are connected when they solve division of fraction problems through individual interviews. The researcher suggested the instruction of division of fraction from the results.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.215-239
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• 2015

A goal of this study is figuring out how fraction learning centered on various representation activities influences the fraction comprehension and mathematical attitudes. The study focused on 33 4th-grade students of B elementary school in Seoul. In the study, 15 fraction learning classes comprising enactive, iconic, and symbolic representations took place over 6 weeks. After the classes, the ratio of the students who achieved relational understanding increased and the students averagely recorded 90 pt or more on the fraction comprehension test I, II and III. Two-dependent samples t-test was conducted to analyze a significant difference in mathematical attitudes between pre-test and post-test. On the test result, there was the meaningful difference with 0.01 level of significance. To conclude, the fraction learning centered on various representation activities improves students' relational understanding and fraction understanding. In addition, the fraction learning centered on various representation activities gives positive influences on mathematical attitudes since it increases learning orientation, self-control, interests, value cognition, and self-confidence of the students and decreases fears of the students.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.793-818
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to explore in detail $5^{th}$ grade students' understanding on the big ideas related to addition of fraction with different denominators: fixed whole unit, necessity of common measure, and recursive partitioning connected to algorithms. We conducted teaching experiments on 15 fifth grade students who had learned about addition of fractions with different denominators using the current textbook. Most students approached to the big ideas related to addition of fractions in a procedural way. However, some students were able to conceptually understand the interpretations and algorithms of fraction addition by quantitatively thinking about the context and focusing on the structures of units. Building on these results, this study is expected to suggest specific implications on instruction methods for addition of fractions with different denominators.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.157-178
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• 2022

Mathematics teachers' content knowledge is an important asset for effective teaching. To enhance this asset, teacher's knowledge is required to be diagnosed and developed. In this study, we employed problem-posing and problem-solving tasks to diagnose preservice teachers' understanding of fraction multiplication. We recruited 41 elementary preservice teachers who were taking elementary mathematics methods courses in Korea and the United States and gave the tasks in their final exam. The collected data was analyzed in terms of interpreting, understanding, model, and representing of fraction multiplication. The results of the study show that preservice teachers tended to interpret (fraction)×(fraction) more correctly than (whole number)×(fraction). Especially, all US preservice teachers reversed the meanings of the fraction multiplier as well as the whole number multiplicand. In addition, preservice teachers frequently used 'part of part' for posing problems and solving posed problems for (fraction)×(fraction) problems. While preservice teachers preferred to a area model to solve (fraction)×(fraction) problems, many Korean preservice teachers selected a length model for (whole number)×(fraction). Lastly, preservice teachers showed their ability to make a conceptual connection between their models and the process of fraction multiplication. This study provided specific implications for preservice teacher education in relation to the meaning of fraction multiplication, visual representations, and the purposes of using representations.