• The Mathematical Education
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.337-354
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to investigate how students understand multiplication and division of fractions and how their understanding influences the solutions of fractional word problems. Thirteen students from 5th to 6th grades were involved in the study. Students' understanding of operations with fractions was categorized into "a part of the parts", "multiplicative comparison", "equal groups", "area of a rectangular", and "computational procedures of fractional multiplication (e.g., multiply the numerators and denominators separately)" for multiplications, and "sharing", "measuring", "multiplicative inverse", and "computational procedures of fractional division (e.g., multiply by the reciprocal)" for divisions. Most students understood multiplications as a situation of multiplicative comparison, and divisions as a situation of measuring. In addition, some students understood operations of fractions as computational procedures without associating these operations with the particular situations (e.g., equal groups, sharing). Most students tended to solve the word problems based on their semantic structure of these operations. Students with the same understanding of multiplication and division of fractions showed some commonalities during solving word problems. Particularly, some students who understood operations on fractions as computational procedures without assigning meanings could not solve word problems with fractions successfully compared to other students.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.219-233
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• 2012

Practicality and value of mathematics can be verified when different problems that we face in life are resolved through mathematical knowledge. This study intends to identify whether the fraction teaching is being taught and learned at current elementary schools for students to recognize practicality and value of mathematical knowledge and to have the ability to apply the concept when solving problems in the real world. Accordingly, contextual problems and noncontextual problems are proposed around fractional arithmetic area, and compared and analyze the achievement level and problem solving processes of them. Analysis showed that there was significant difference in achievement level and solving process between contextual problems and noncontextual problems. To instruct more meaningful learning for student, contextual problems including historical context or practical situation should be presented for students to experience mathematics of creating mathematical knowledge on their own.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.467-480
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• 2014

Concepts related to the fraction should be taught with formative thinking activities as well as concrete operational activities. Teaching improper fraction should follow the concept of fraction as a relation of two natural numbers. This concept is also important not to be skipped before teaching the fraction such as "4 is a third of 12". Mixed number should be taught as a sum of a natural number and a proper fraction. Fraction as a quotient of a division is a hard concept to be taught since it requires very high abstractive thinking process. Learning the transformation of division into multiplication of fractions should precede that of fraction as a quotient of a division.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-122
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• 2014

In this paper, fraction division algorithms in Korean elementary mathematics textbooks are analyzed as a part of the groundwork to improve teaching methods for fraction division algorithms. There are seemingly six fraction division algorithms in ${\ll}Math\;5-2{\gg}$, ${\ll}Math\;6-1{\gg}$ textbooks according to the 2006 curriculum. Four of them are standard algorithms which show the multiplication by the reciprocal of the divisors modally. Two non-standard algorithms are independent algorithms, and they have weakness in that the integration to the algorithms 8 is not easy. There is a need to reconsider the introduction of the algorithm 4 in that it is difficult to think algorithm 4 is more efficient than algorithm 3. Because (natural number)${\div}$(natural number)=(natural number)${\times}$(the reciprocal of a natural number) is dealt with in algorithm 2, it can be considered to change algorithm 7 to algorithm 2 alike. In textbooks, by converting fraction division expressions into fraction multiplication expressions through indirect methods, the principles of calculation which guarantee the algorithms are explained. Method of using the transitivity, method of using the models such as number bars or rectangles, method of using the equivalence are those. Direct conversion from fraction division expression to fraction multiplication expression by handling the expression is possible, too, but this is beyond the scope of the curriculum. In textbook, when dealing with (natural number)${\div}$(proper fraction) and converting natural numbers to improper fractions, converting natural numbers to proper fractions is used, but it has been never treated officially.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.303-327
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• 2019

This study proposed an integrated approach to multiplication as a way to help students understand multiplication in elementary mathematics. The integrated approach to multiplication is to give students a broad understanding of multiplication by solving a situation of multiplication in a variety of ways in mathematics classes, exploring and discussing each other's methods. The integrated approach to multiplication was derived from a number of previous studies that emphasized various approaches, a consistent approach, and a specific approach to multiplication. As results, the integrated approach of multiplication can be interpreted in four ways as a situation of multiplication, and each method is connected to important characteristics of multiplication emphasized in previous studies. In addition, this study has theoretically confirmed that the integrated approach to multiplication is important not only for multiplication but also for division, fraction and operation of fractions, ratios, rates, and proportions. This study is expected to provide some implications for teachers with regard to multiplication in elementary school mathematics.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2019

Because of the various concepts and meanings of fractions and the difficulty of learning, studies to improve the teaching methods of fraction have been carried out. Particularly, because there are various methods of teaching depending on the type of fractions or the models or methods used for problem solving in fraction operations, many researches have been implemented. In this study, I analyzed the fractional operations of CCSSM-CA and its U.S. textbooks. It was CCSSM-CA revised and presented in California and the textbooks of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., which reflect the content and direction of CCSSM-CA. As a result of the analysis, although the grades presented in CCSSM-CA and Korean textbooks were consistent in the addition and subtraction of fractions, there are the features of expressing fractions by the sum of fractions with the same denominator or unit fraction and the evaluation of the appropriateness of the answer. In the multiplication and division of fractions, there is a difference in the presentation according to the grades. There are the features of the comparison the results of products based on the number of factor, presenting the division including the unit fractions at first, and suggesting the solving of division problems using various ways.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.53-68
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• 2012

This paper investigated the conceptual schemes four children constructed as they related division number sentences to various types of fraction: Proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers in both contextual and abstract symbolic forms. Methods followed those of the constructivist teaching experiment. Four fifth-grade students from an inner city school in the southwest United States were interviewed eight times: Pre-test clinical interview, six teaching / semi-structured interviews, and a final post-test clinical interview. Results showed that for equal sharing situations, children conceptualized division in two ways: For mixed numbers, division generated a whole number portion of quotient and a fractional portion of quotient. This provided the conceptual basis to see improper fractions as quotients. For proper fractions, they tended to see the quotient as an instance of the multiplicative structure: $a{\times}b=c$ ; $a{\div}c=\frac{1}{b}$ ; $b{\div}c=\frac{1}{a}$. Results suggest that first, facility in recall of multiplication and division fact families and understanding the multiplicative structure must be emphasized before learning fraction division. Second, to facilitate understanding of the multiplicative structure children must be fluent in representing division in the form of number sentences for equal sharing word problems. If not, their reliance on long division hampers their use of syntax and their understanding of divisor and dividend and their relation to the concepts of numerator and denominator.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-47
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the types of errors that may occur in the four arithmetic operations of the fractions after classified according to the level of academic achievement for sixth-grade elementary school student who Learning of the four arithmetic operations of the fountain has been completed. The study was proceed to get the information how change teaching content and method in accordance with the level of academic achievement by looking at the types of errors that can occur in the four arithmetic operations of the fractions. The test paper for checking the type of errors caused by calculation of fractional was developed and gave it to students to test. And we saw the result by error rate and correct rate of fraction that is displayed in accordance with the level of academic achievement. We investigated the characteristics of the type of error in the calculation of the arithmetic operations of fractional that is displayed in accordance with the level of academic achievement. First, in the addition of the fractions, all levels of students showing the highest error rate in the calculation error. Specially, error rate in the calculation of different denominator was higher than the error rate in the calculation of same denominator Second, in the subtraction of the fractions, the high level of students have the highest rate in the calculation error and middle and low level of students have the highest rate in the conceptual error. Third, in the multiplication of the fractions, the high and middle level of students have the highest rate in the calculation error and low level of students have the highest rate in the a reciprocal error. Fourth, in the division of the fractions, all levels of students have the highest r rate in the calculation error.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.157-177
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• 2006

The concepts of ratio and proportion do not develop in isolation. Rather, they are part of the individual's multiplicative conceptual field, which includes other concepts such as multiplication, division, and rational numbers. The current study attempted to clarify the beginning of this development process. One fourth student, Kyungsu, was encourage to schematize his trial-and-error-based method, which was effective in solving so-called missing-value tasks. This study describes several advancements Kyungsu made during the teaching experiment and analyzes the challenges Kyungsu faced in attempting to schematize his method. Finally, the mathematical knowledge Kyungsu needed to further develop his ratio and proportion concepts is identified. The findings provide additional support for the view that the development of ratio and proportion concepts is embedded within the development of the multiplicative conceptual field.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.21-45
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to investigate how students understand each operations with whole numbers and fractions, and the relationship between their knowledge of operations with whole numbers and conceptual understanding of operations on fractions. Researchers categorized students' understanding of operations with whole numbers and fractions based on their semantic structure of these operations, and analyzed the relationship between students' understanding of operations with whole numbers and fractions. As the results, some students who understood multiplications with whole numbers as only situations of "equal groups" did not properly conceptualize multiplications of fractions as they interpreted wrongly multiplying two fractions as adding two fractions. On the other hand, some students who understood multiplications with whole numbers as situations of "multiplicative comparison" appropriately conceptualize multiplications of fractions. They naturally constructed knowledge of fractions as they build on their prior knowledge of whole numbers compared to other students. In the case of division, we found that some students who understood divisions with whole numbers as only situations of "sharing" had difficulty in constructing division knowledge of fractions from previous division knowledge of whole numbers.