• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.197-213
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• 2005

There are not a few mathematical terms used as the undefined terms in school mathematics. The purpose of this study is to investigate critically the undefined mathematical terms in elementary school mathematics textbooks of Korea. As the result, the following suggestions are proposed. Firstly, It is not proper to use the terms which mathematics curriculum does not allow to use in elementary school math as the undefined terms in elementary school mathematics textbooks. Secondly, everyday-based undefined terms must be defined in elementary school mathematics textbook if their mathematical meanings are different from their everyday-based meanings. Thirdly, we need to consider the consistency when we use the undefined terms in elementary school mathematics. Fourthly, undefined terms should be define newly when the contexts in which they are used are changed or expanded. Finally, in elementary school mathematics textbooks, it is needed to define some purely mathematical undefined terms that there is no evidence which shows students grasp well their meaning.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.137-159
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• 2005

As what exactly understands a meaning of mathematics terms, is a starting point of mathematical thinking, it plays a very important role in the mathematics learning. What understood mathematics terms which were defined here, includes not only the terms of comprising its definition, but also all of the understanding in context, situation, intention and purpose, which came to give its definition. Due to this reason, it needs to be examined how much students are correctly understanding about mathematics terms which appear in the texts, and to seek for its cause for the terms which are felt to be difficult. Accordingly, this study investigated into mathematics terms which are used for the field of geometry in the elementary school mathematics textbooks, and tried to analyze students' understanding level about each term.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.335-353
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and types of errors in the conceptual image of Korean language learners according to the types of terms in mathematics that are the basis for solving mathematical word problems, and to prepare basic data for effective teaching and learning methods in solving the word problems of Korean language learners. To do this, a case study was conducted targeting four Korean language learners to analyze the specific conceptual images of terms registered in curriculum and terms that were not registered in curriculum but used in textbooks. As a result of this study, first, it is necessary to guide Korean language learners by using sufficient visualization material so that they can form appropriate conceptual definitions for terms in school mathematics. Second, it is necessary to understand the specific relationship between the language used in the home of Korean language learners and the conceptual image of terms in school mathematics. Third, it is necessary to pay attention to the passive term, which has difficulty in understanding the meaning rather than the active term. Fourth, even for Korean language learners who do not have difficulties in daily communication, it is necessary to instruct them on everyday language that are not registered in the curriculum but used in math textbooks. Fifth, terms in school mathematics should be taught in consideration of the types of errors that reflect the linguistic characteristics of Korean language learners shown in the explanation of terms. This recognition is expected to be helpful in teaching word problem solving for Korean language learners with different linguistic backgrounds.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.429-440
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• 2011

This paper analysed gifted middle students' conception of the definitions of point and line and the uses of definitions in proving. The findings of this paper suggest that the concept of mathematical definitions is very unnatural to students, therefore teachers and textbooks need to explain explicitly the characteristics of mathematical definitions which are different from dictionary definitions using common sense. Also introducing undefined terms in middle school geometry would give students a critical chance to deal with the transition from dictionary definitions to mathematical definitions.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.39-57
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• 2021

In this study, mathematical analysis is conducted by focusing to the 'size' of the 'point' and the 'line'. The textbook descriptions of the 'point' and the 'line' in the geometry content area of middle school mathematics 1 by the 2015 revised Korean mathematics curriculum and US geometry textbooks were compared and analyzed between. First, as a result of mathematical analysis of' 'the size of a point and a segment', it was found that the mathematical perspectives could be different according to 1) the size of a point is based on the recognition and exclusion of 'infinitesimal', and 2) the size of the segment is based on the 'measure theory' and 'set theory'. Second, as a result of analyzing textbook descriptions of the 'point' and the 'line', 1) in the geometry content area of middle school mathematics 1 by the 2015 revised Korean mathematics curriculum, after presenting a learning activity that draws a point with 'physical size' or line, it was developed in a way that describes the 'relationship' between points and lines, but 2) most of the US geometry textbooks introduce points and lines as 'undefined terms' and explicitly states that 'points have no size' and 'lines have no thickness'. Since the description of points and lines in the geometry content area of middle school mathematics 1 by the 2015 revised Korean mathematics curriculum may potentially generate mathematical intuitions that do not correspond to the perspective of Euclid geometry, this study suggest that attention is needed in the learning process about points and lines.