• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.453-475
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• 2007

School algebra starts with introducing algebraic expressions which have been one of the cognitive obstacles to the students in the transfer from arithmetic to algebra. In the recent studies on the teaching school algebra, algebraic thinking is getting much more attention together with algebraic expressions. In this paper, we examined the processes of the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and ways for teaching early algebra through algebraic thinking factors. Issues about algebraic thinking have continued since 1980's. But the theoretic foundations for algebraic thinking have not been founded in the previous studies. In this paper, we analyzed the algebraic thinking in school algebra from historico-genetic, epistemological, and symbolic-linguistic points of view, and identified algebraic thinking factors, i.e. the principle of permanence of formal laws, the concept of variable, quantitative reasoning, algebraic interpretation - constructing algebraic expressions, trans formational reasoning - changing algebraic expressions, operational senses - operating algebraic expressions, substitution, etc. We also identified these algebraic thinking factors through analyzing mathematics textbooks of elementary and middle school, and showed the middle school students' low achievement relating to these factors through the algebraic thinking ability test. Based upon these analyses, we argued that the readiness for algebra learning should be made through the processes including algebraic thinking factors in the elementary school and that the transfer from arithmetic to algebra should be accomplished naturally through the pre-algebra course. And we searched for alternative ways to improve algebra curriculums, emphasizing algebraic thinking factors. In summary, we identified the problems of school algebra relating to the transfer from arithmetic to algebra with the problem of teaching algebraic thinking and analyzed the algebraic thinking factors of school algebra, and searched for alternative ways for improving the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and the teaching of early algebra.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.33-43
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• 2016

In this study, 3D-image based course material has been suggested as a potential pedagogical tool for laboratory courses for aviational maintenance in vocational high schools. With a special focus on assembly/disassembly of the combustion chamber, 3D contents described here are created by Soildworks 2014 based on the textbook widely used in aviational high schools. By analyzing several textbooks currently adopted at various schools, we have clearly shown that the current text-based teaching method is far from being effective regarding providing adequate learning environment for high school students who study aviational maintenance. From the analysis of the conventional textbooks, it is seen that it is urgent that we should come up with more effective and efficient way of teaching methods for these topics at vocational high schools. Using Solidworks, we have developed very vivid 3D image-based course material for topics related to a combustion chamber in the airplane. Newly developed 3D material is seen to clearly show step by step procedures of assembly and disassembly of the combustion chamber which has crucial importance in the aviational laboratory courses. Especially the transparent feature in Solidworks could make it possible to observe the parts covered by outer casing, which can not be seen even in any laboratory class with real objects. 3D animated views could provided unprecedented learning environment for students to acquire core knowledge with ease for the maintenance of a combustion chamber. In order to provide easy access for students to this 3D-based course material, the exclusive viewer is also developed using MS office powerpoint 2007. An example of a learning plan using 3d course material is suggested as well.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.583-613
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• 2010

Mathematics anxiety is likely to be a drag on mathematics learning if that is left alone, and it is important to grasp the cause of mathematics anxiety and devise how to get rid of it. The purpose of this study was to examine the cause of mathematics anxiety among elementary school children, to develop a math-friendly activity program geared toward easing mathematics anxiety and to check the effect of the developed program on the alleviation of mathematics anxiety. The subjects in this study were 32 students in a fourth-grade class in I elementary school located in Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul. A math-friendly activity program was designed to alleviate the mathematics anxiety of the five subfactors-test anxiety, time constraints, comprehension, learning motivation and parent attitude-on which the students scored higher than their pretest collective averages. The mathematics anxiety pretest data, the objectives and content system of the current 7th national mathematics curriculum and the mathematics textbooks for 4-A and 4-B were analyzed to develop the math-friendly activity program that consisted of psychological remedy (positive thinking training) and non-psychological remedy (mathematics activities). After the program was implemented, we analyze the pretest and posttest mathematics anxiety data to determine the effect of the program. As a result, the collective averages of every student on math anxiety and its subfactors were lower in the posttest than in the pretest.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of concept sketches on the understanding and scientific attitude in high school student's learning of weather change. Among the various fields of meteorology, especially in weather change, we often deal with the change of the spatiotemporal change in an abstract way. So making use of 'Concept Sketches'- simplified sketches which represent the main features, principles, processes and interrelationships of the learning contents using some concise explanations, signs and terms - could help the students learn the phenomena of weather change efficiently. This study's aim was to check up the effect and analyze the results of the lesson including the concept sketches. As a result of this study, concept sketches group showed significant improvement compared to the other groups in understanding of weather change and in scientific attitude, too. In students' recognition research of concept sketches showed that students found the class more interesting with improved concentration and had a chance to review through concept sketching, which is helpful for their learning. Considering the above research results, the study which applies concept sketching required the students to actively process their knowledge, and had a positive effect on the understanding of weather changes. Most of all, drawing the pictures which is a familiar activity helped the students to take part in the class eagerly.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.214-229
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of science-based STEAM program on the positive science experience of elementary school students. The participants of this study were 64 fourth graders of S elementary school located in Gyeonggi-do. They were divided into the experimental group of 30 students and the comparative group of 34 students. The program was reorganized into the STEAM program, which emphasized communication with students in the second semester of 4th grade, centered on 'Earth and Moon' unit which were carried out in total 16 times. The experimental group was giving the science-centered STEAM program, and the comparative group was giving the general instruction model based on the instructional book guidelines. The results of the study are as follows. The science-centered STEAM program showed a further influence on the positive science experience of elementary school students. Based on these results, it can be confirmed that the class using the science-centered STEAM program positively influenced the improvement of students' positive science experience.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.148-164
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• 2018

This study developed the sex education program based on the 'reproduction and development' unit of the middle school science, and examined its effectiveness on middle school boys' sex-related knowledge and attitude towards sex. The sex education program consisted of six topics of the structures and functions of generative organs, the importance of life, abortion, the human generation process, venereal diseases and AIDS, and responsibility of self-determination on sexual behavior. The results indicated that the experimental group demonstrated the statistically higher scores of the knowledge on sex than the control groups' scores, especially in the subcategories of 'pregnancy and delivery' and 'sex-related health'. However, both groups did not display any statistical difference on the attitude toward sex. In the subcategory of the attitude towards sex, the experimental group showed the statistically higher scores on 'self-determination and selection' and 'a health relationship'. In addition, the Pearson correlation results indicated the strongest relationship between the attitude toward sex and 'the self-determination and selection'. These results implicated that the sex education program related to the unit of reproduction and development in the middle school science helps the middle school boys develop the better knowledge and attitude towards sex.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.329-349
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• 2003

Mathematics education is accomplished by systems such as mathematical curriculum and tools such as a textbook which reflects such systems. Human beings make such systems and tools. Therefore, a viewpoint of mathematics of those who make them is an important factor. The view point of mathematics is formed during doing and learning mathematics, but the already formed viewpoint of mathematics affects doing and teaching mathematics. Hence, it will be a factor which affects basically that those who employ themselves on mathematics education have a certain viewpoint of mathematics. This article presents dialectical materialistic viewpoint as the viewpoint of mathematics which affects fundamentally on mathematical teaching-learning practice. The dialectical materialism is carried through the process and result of mathematics development. This shows that mathematical knowledge is objective. Mathematical knowledge has developed according to three basic rules of dialectical materialism i.e. the transformation of quantity into quality, the unification of antagonistic objects, and the negation of negation. This viewpoint of mathematics should offer the viewpoint of mathematics education which is different from the view point of absolutism, relativism or formal logic. In this article I considered mathematics separating standpoint of mathematics into materialistic viewpoint and dialectical viewpoint. 1 did so for the convenience of analysis, but you will be able to look at the unified viewpoint of dialectical materialism. 1 will make mention of teaching-learning method on another occasion.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.259-273
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• 2003

A fraction is one of the most important concepts that students have to learn in elementary school. But it is a challenge for students to understand fraction concept because of its conceptual complexity. The focus of fraction learning is understanding the concept. Then the problem is how we can facilitate the conceptual understanding and estimate it. In this study, Moore's concept understanding scheme(concept definition, concept image, concept usage) was adopted as an theoretical framework to investigate students' fraction understanding. The questions of this study were a) what concept image do students have\ulcorner b) How well do students solve fraction problems\ulcorner c) How do students use fraction concept to generate fraction word problem\ulcorner By analyzing the data gathered from three elementary school, several conclusion was drawn. 1) The students' concept image of fraction is restricted to part-whole sub-construct. So is students' fraction understanding. 2) Students can solve part-whole fraction problems well but others less. This also imply that students' fraction understanding is partial. 3) Half of the subject(N=98) cannot pose problems that involve fraction and fraction operation. And some succeeded applied the concept mistakenly. To understand fraction, various fraction subconstructs have to be integrated as whole one. To facilitate this integration, fraction program should focus on unit, partitioning and quantity. This may be achieved by following activities: * Building on informal knowledge of fraction * Focusing on meaning other than symbol * Various partitioning activities * Facing various representation * Emphasizing quantitative aspects of fraction * Understanding the meanings of fraction operation Through these activities, teacher must help students construct various faction concept image and apply it to meaningful situation. Especially, to help students to construct various concept image and to use fraction meaningfully to pose problems, much time should be spent to problem posing using fraction.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.157-170
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• 2017

Mathematics was the main domain of PISA 2012, and both paper-based and computer-based assessment of mathematics (CBAM) were conducted. PISA 2012 was the first large-scale computer-based mathematics assessment in Korea, and it is meaningful in that it evaluated students' mathematical literacy in problem situations using dynamic geometry, graph, and spreadsheet. Although Korea ranked third in CBAM, the use of ICT in mathematics lessons appeared to be low. On the other hand, this study focused on Singapore, which ranked first in CBAM. The Singapore Ministry of Education developed online programs such as AlgeTools and AlgeDisc, and implemented the programs in classes by specifying them in mathematics curriculum and textbooks. Thus, this study investigated influential factors on computer-based assessment of mathematics by comparing the results of Korea and Singapore, and aimed to provide meaningful evidence on the direction of Korea's ICT-based mathematics education. The results showed that ICT use at home for school related tasks, attitudes towards computers as a tool for school learning, and openness and perseverance of problem solving were positively associated with computer-based mathematics performance, whereas the use of ICT in mathematics class by teacher demonstration was negatively related. Efforts are needed to improve computer use and enhance teaching techniques related to ICT use in Korean math classes. Future research is recommended to examine how effectively teachers use ICT in mathematics class in Singapore.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.16 no.4 s.34
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• pp.81-94
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to research middle school students' interest and practice about the housing education contents in Technology and Home Economics Subject(classify them into three units, application of living space, indoor environment and equipments. support and repair of housing) in their real life. This was the investigation of which 529 middle school students have lived in Jeonbuk province, SPSS program was utilized to analyze percentage. mean and standard deviation. as well as t-test, One-Way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficients. The results of this research were as follows: Middle school students' interest and practice of the housing education contents appeared to the middle level. Middle school students was consider that the order of interest parts of housing contents were indoor environment and equipments. application of living space, support and repair of housing. And the order of practice parts of housing contents were application of living space. indoor environment and equipments. support and repair of housing. There were significant differences in interest and practice of contents according to demographic variables such as sex, educational level of parents, social status of home. school record. Interest about the housing education contents had significant positive relationships with practices of contents of housing education. Therefore. it would be necessary to develop teaching materials and housing education contents promoting interest of students.