• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.353-367
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine what errors students made in solving word problems with figures and to compare the problem-solving abilities of boys and girls for each type of word problems with figures. It's basically meant to provide information on effective teaching-learning methods about world problems with figures that were given the greatest weight among different sorts of word problems. The findings of the study were as fellows: First, there was no difference between the boys and girls in the types of error they made. Both groups made the most errors due to a poor understanding of sentences, and they made the least errors of making the wrong expression. And the students who gave no answers outnumbered those who made errors. Second, as for problem-solving ability, the boys outperformed the girls in problem solving except variable problems. There was the greatest gap between the two in solving combining problems. Third, they made the average or higher achievement in solving the types of problems that were included much in the textbooks, and made the least achievement in relation to the types of problems that were handled least often in the textbooks.

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

• School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-43
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• 2012

This paper investigated the conceptual schemes in which four children constructed a strategy representing the situation as a figure and partitioning it related to the work which they quantify the result of partitioning to various types of fractions when an equal sharing situation was given to them in contextual or an abstract symbolic form of division. Also, the paper researched how the relationship of factors and multiples between the numerator and denominator, or between the divisor and dividend affected the construction. The children's partitioning strategies were developed such as: repeated halving stage ${\rightarrow}$ consuming all quantity stage ${\rightarrow}$ whole number objects leftover stage ${\rightarrow}$ singleton object analysis/multiple objects analysis ${\rightarrow}$ direct mapping stage. When children connected the singleton object analysis with multiple object analysis, they finally became able to conceptualize division as fractions and fractions as division.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.103-119
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• 2010

This study aims to figure out the characteristics of the mathematical ability of multicultural Korean elementary school learners. This was done by analyzing the results of a mathematics diagnostic test given to multicultural Korean first and second year elementary school students. The findings of this study mainly support the following three. First, it was indicated that, regardless of whether the students are multicultural or not, more second-year students had difficulty in understanding mathematics than the first-year students. Specifically, a higher percentage of second-year students were below the reference point (cut-off point) than was the case in the first-year learners, which pattern of the overall Korean students was consistent with that of multicultural Koreans. Second, concerning the sub-fields of mathematics, higher proportion of the students fell below the cut-off point in 'numbers and arithmetics' area than in 'measure and geometry,' which pattern was again the same with the multicultural students. Third, it was implied that, in addition to mathematically more complex questions, linguistically complex sentential representations contributed to increasing the difficulty of the test items. It is suggested that care be taken to enhance linguistic processing and to employ well-defined terms.