• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.323-345
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• 2019

This study examines the introduction of fractions in the third grade mathematics textbooks focusing on stages of units coordination and suggests alternative activities to help students develop their understanding of fractions. As results, the sessions of introduction units in textbooks was well organized to allow students to construct more extensive fraction schemes (i.e., Part-whole fraction scheme → Partitive unit fraction scheme → Partitive fraction scheme). However, most of the activities in textbooks were related to stages 1 and 2 of units coordination. In particular, the operations and partitioning schemes (i.e., equi-partitioning and splitting schemes), which are key to the development of students' fraction knowledge, were not explicitly revealed. Fraction schemes also did not extend to the Iterative fraction scheme, which is central to the construction of improper fractions. Based on these results, this study is expected to provide implications for the introduction of fractions in textbooks focusing on stages of units coordination to teachers and textbook developers.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.59-75
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• 2017

This study analyzed the $6^{th}$ graders' constructions about fraction operations and schemes and figured out the relationships quantitatively between operations and schemes through the written test of 432 students. The results of this study showed that most of students could do partitioning operation well, however, there were many students who had difficulties on iterating operation. There were more students who constructed partitioning operation prior to iterating operation than the opposite. The rate of students who constructed high schemes was lower than that of students who constructed low schemes according to the hierarchy of fraction schemes. Especially, there were many students who construct partitive unit fraction scheme but not partitive fraction scheme, because they could compose unit fraction but not do iterating it. And there were the high correlations between fraction operations and schemes. Given these result, this paper suggests implications about the teaching and learning of fraction.