• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.223-247
• /
• 2016

Given the importance of developing algebraic thinking from early grades, this study investigated an overall performance and main characteristics of algebraic thinking from a total of 197 third grade students. The national elementary mathematics curriculum in Korea does not emphasize directly essential elements of algebraic thinking but indicates indirectly some of them. This study compared our students' performance related to algebraic thinking with results of Blanton et al. (2015) which reported considerable progress of algebraic thinking by emphasizing it through a regular curriculum. The results of this study showed that Korean students solved many items correctly as compatible to Blanton et al. (2015). However, our students tended to use 'computational' strategies rather than 'structural' ones in the process of solving items related to equation. When it comes to making algebraic expressions, they tended to assign a particular value to the unknown quantity followed by the equal sign. This paper is expected to explore the algebraic thinking by elementary school students and to provide implications of how to promote students' algebraic thinking.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.211-230
• /
• 2016

The study aimed to investigate the characteristics of algebraic thinking of the mathematically gifted students and search for how to teach algebraic thinking. Research subjects in this study included 93 students who applied for a science gifted education center affiliated with a university in 2015 and previously experienced gifted education. Students' responses on an algebraic item of a creative thinking test in mathematics, which was given as screening process for admission were collected as data. A framework of algebraic thinking factors were extracted from literature review and utilized for data analysis. It was found that students showed difficulty in quantitative reasoning between two quantities and tendency to find solutions regarding equations as problem solving tools. In this process, students tended to concentrate variables on unknown place holders and to had difficulty understanding various meanings of variables. Some of students generated errors about algebraic concepts. In conclusions, it is recommended that functional thinking including such as generalizing and reasoning the relation among changing quantities is extended, procedural as well as structural aspects of algebraic expressions are emphasized, various situations to learn variables are given, and activities constructing variables on their own are strengthened for improving gifted students' learning and teaching algebra.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.409-426
• /
• 2007

The relevance of secondary school algebra focused on paper and pencil manipulation has been reconsidered along with the expansion of universal education and the development of ICT such as computer or calculators. This study was designed to investigate the issues and trends of the recent algebra so as to provide implementations for algebra curriculum in Korea. The focus of algebra education has being shifted from paper pencil manipulation to algebraic thinking. The early algebra or informal algebra is one of the important traits of revolution, and the role of ICT is integrated in newly developed curricula. In Korea, algebra education has been retaining the traditional line even though the national curriculum documents allows ICT for instruction. The reasons of these discrepancies were analyzed and the tasks for the new curriculum in accordance with the current trends were suggested in this paper.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.137-164
• /
• 2008

Given the importance of early experience in algebraic thinking, we designed six consecutive lessons in which $4^{th}$ graders were encouraged to recognize patterns in the process of finding the relationships between two quantities and to represent a given problem with various mathematical models. The results showed that students were able to recognize patterns through concrete activities with manipulative materials and employ various mathematical models to represent a given problem situation. While students were able to represent a problem situation with algebraic expressions, they had difficulties in using the equal sign and letters for the unknown value while they attempted to generalize a pattern. This paper concludes with some implications on how to connect algebraic thinking with students' arithmetic or informal thinking in a meaningful way, and how to approach algebra at the elementary school level.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.153-171
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate characteristics of students' problem solving processes based on their mathematical thinking styles and thus to provide implications for teachers regarding how to employ multiple representations. In order to analyze these characteristics, 202 university freshmen were recruited for a paper-and-pencil survey. The participants were divided into four groups on a mathematical-thinking-style basis. There were two students in each group with a total of eight students being interviewed. Results show that mathematical thinking styles are related to defining a mathematical concept, problem solving in relation to representation, and translating between mathematical representations. These results imply methods of utilizing multiple representations in learning and teaching mathematics by embodying Dienes' perceptual variability principle.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.507-539
• /
• 2014

The algebra is an important tool influencing on a mathematics in general. To make good use of the algebra, it is necessary to transfer from a given situation to a proper algebraic representation. But some research in related to algebraic word problems have reported the difficulty changing to a proper algebraic representation. Our study have focused on transformation and elaboration of algebraic representation. We investigated in detail the responses and perceptions of 29 Grade 7 students while transforming to algebraic representation, only concentrating on the literature expression form the problematic situations given. Most of students showed difficulties in transforming both descriptive and geometric problems to algebraic representation. 10% of them responded wrong answers except only a problem. Four of them were interviewed individually to show their thinking and find the factor influencing on a positive elaboration. As results, we could find some characteristics of their thinking including the misconception that regard the problem finding a functional formula because there are the variables x and y in the problematic situation. In addition, we could find the their fixation which student have to set up the equation. Furthermore we could check that making student explain own algebraic representation was able to become the factor influencing on a positive elaboration. From these, we also discussed about several didactical implications.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.359-374
• /
• 2014

Students' difficulties and errors in relation to mathematical proofs are worth while to say one of the dilemmas in mathematics education. The potential elements of their difficulty are scattered over the process of proving in geometry as well as algebra. This study aims to investigate whether middle school students understand the context of algebraic proof including literal expressions. We applied 24 third-grade middle school students a test item which shows a proof including a literal expression and missing the conclusion. Over the half of them responded wrong answers based on only the literal expression without considering its context. Three of them were interviewed individually to show their thinking. As a result, we could find some characteristics of their thinking including the perspective on proof as checking the validity of algebraic expression and the gap between proving and understanding of proof etc. From these, we also discussed about several didactical implications.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.51-67
• /
• 2017

Analogical reasoning is a mathematically useful way of thinking. By analogy reasoning, students can improve problem solving, inductive reasoning, heuristic methods and creativity. The purpose of this study is to analyze the analogical reasoning of preservice mathematics teachers while constructing quadratic curves defined by eccentricity. To do this, we produced tasks and 28 preservice mathematics teachers solved. The result findings are as follows. First, students could not solve a target problem because of the absence of the mathematical knowledge of the base problem. Second, although student could solve a base problem, students could not solve a target problem because of the absence of the mathematical knowledge of the target problem which corresponded the mathematical knowledge of the base problem. Third, the various solutions of the base problem helped the students solve the target problem. Fourth, students used an algebraic method to construct a quadratic curve. Fifth, the analysis method and potential similarity helped the students solve the target problem.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.19-36
• /
• 2011

This study provides middle school students with an opportunity to construct elementary functions with dynamic geometry based on the proportion between lengths of triangle to activate students' intuition in handling elementary algebraic functions and their geometric properties. In addition, this study emphasizes the process of justification about the choice of students' construction method to improve students' deductive reasoning ability. As a result of the pilot lesson study, this paper shows the characteristics of the students' construction process of elementary functions and the roles the teacher plays in the process.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.67-90
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to understand students' thinking process in the algebra problem solving, on the base of the works of Vinner(1997a, 1997b). Thus, two middle school students were evaluated in this case study to examine how they think to solve algebra word problems. The following question was considered to analyze the thinking process from the similarity-based perspective by focusing on the process of solving algebra word problems; What is the relationship between similarity and the characteristics of thinking process at the time of successful and unsuccessful problem solving? The following results were obtained by analyzing the success or failure in problem solving based on the characteristics of thinking process and similarity composition. Successful problem solving can be based on pseudo-analytical thought and analytical thought. The former is the rule applied in the process of applying closed formulas that is constructed structural similarity not related with the situations described in the text. The latter means that control and correction occurred in all stages of problem solution. The knowledge needed for solutions was applied with the formulation of open-end formulas that is constructed structural similarity in which memory and modification with the related principles or concepts. In conclusion, the student's perception on the principles involved in a solution is very important in solving algebraic word problems.