• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.177-196
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• 2005

In the Korean curriculum, students learn the concept of sample, sampling and other concepts related to sample and sampling, when they have reached the 10th grade of high school. But before the 10th grade, they have an activity about data collection, data analysis and the formulation of conclusion. We then investigated and analyzed the informal knowledge of students before they receive formal instructions. The results enabled the identification of the maximum response rate for each question that each student agreed or disagreed with. In particular, it didn't agree with how students consider the characteristic of population in the process of sampling, and the students agreed on a sampling process without considering the characteristic of the population or the components that consist the population. It showed that 5th grade students didn't investigate the data connected with sampling, and didn't understand the validity of sample survey process. While, 6th grade students equally understood sample size, sampling process, the reliance of data acquired through sample survey that applied to the source of judgment. But in details, it revealed that student had a misconception, or stayed at a subjective judgment level. The significant point is that many high school students didn't adequately understood a sample size with sampling. Though statistics instruction has traditionally been delayed until upper secondary education, this inquiry convinced us that this delay is unnecessary.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.197-219
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• 2008

Unlike ordinary situations, deifinitions play a very important role in mathematics education in schools. Mathematical concepts have been mainly acquired by given definitions. However, according to didactical intentions, mathematics education in schools has employed mathematical concepts and definitions with less strict forms than those in pure mathematics. This research mainly discusses definitions used in geometry (promising) course in primary schools to cope with possibilities of creating misconception due to this didactical transformation. After analyzing problems with potential misconceptions, a survey was conducted $\underline{with}$ 80 primary school teachers in Jeju to investigate their recognitions in meaning of mathematical concepts in geometry and attitudes toward teaching. Most of the respondents answered they taught their students while they knew well about mathematical definitions in geometry but the respondents sometimes confused mathematical concepts of polygons and circles. Also, they were aware of problems in current mathematics textbooks which have explained figures in small topics (classes). Here, several suggestions are proposed as follows from analyzing teachers' recognitions and researches in mathematical viewpoints of definitions (promising) in geometric figures which have been adopted by current mathematics textbooks in primary schools from the seventh educational curriculum. First, when primary school students in their detailed operational stage studying figures, they tend to experience $\underline{a}$ collision between concept images acquired from activities to find out promising and concept images formed through promising. Therefore, a teaching method is required to lessen possibility of misconceptions. That is, there should be a communication method between defining conceptual definitions and Images. Second, we need to consider how geometric figures and their elements in primary school textbooks are connected with fundamental terminologies laying the foundation for geometrical definitions and more logical approaches should be adopted. Third, the consistency with studying geometric figures should be considered. Fourth, sorting activities about problems in coined words related to figures and way and time of their introductions should be emphasized. In primary schools mathematics curriculum, geometry has played a crucial role in increasing mathematical ways of thoughts. Hence, being introduced by parts from viewpoints of relational understanding should be emphasized more in textbooks and teachers should teach students after restructuring this. Mathematics teachers should help their students not only learn conceptual definitions of geometric figures in their courses well but also advance to rigid mathematical definitions. Therefore, that's why mathematics teachers should know meanings of concepts clearly and accurately.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.65-86
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• 2003

Mathematics textbooks are substitutive showing real characters of didactic transposition in pseudo-contextualization and pseudo-personalization. This study analyzed statistical graphs in elementary school mathematics textbooks according to the first to the 7th curriculum in Korea. It focused on the didactic principles used in those methods through those view of Didactic Transposition Theory. The features of the elementary school mathematics textbooks in Korea are investigated and described ethnomethodologically according to each curriculum periods in dividing bar graph, line graph, pictograph, graph of ratio, histogram. The teaching sequences and methods of the statistical graphs, order and methods of sub-learning activities, teaming data, matter of the learning activity indicator were summarized. Usually, the teaching sequences, excepting the graphs of ratio, statistical graphs are introduced in the second semester of each grade. The graph of ratio is introduced in the first semester of 6th grade. As a result of analysing sub-Loaming activities, using them increased from the first to the 7th curriculum and its form was fixed constructive and stable at the 4th curriculum textbooks. As a result of analysing the teaming data, the data of the social aspects are used more frequently and the data of the individual preferences trended more gradually. As a result of analysing the matter of the teaming activity indicators, concept-explanation question style were used more frequently. Statement-practice style and consideration style trended gradually. Concluding remarks are: First, the didactic transposition of the elementary school mathematics textbooks developed systematically according to the first to the 7th curriculum; Second, mathematics textbooks gradually introduced the positive learning style of activity and the learners' spontaneousness; Third, more concrete practice activities and reflective activities were variously introduced considering the level and interest of each elementary student.