• School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.445-468
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• 2012

This study is tried in order to link informal arithmetic reasoning to formal algebraic reasoning. In this study, we investigated elementary school student's non-formal algebraic reasoning used in algebraic problem solving. The result of we investigated algebraic reasoning of 839 students from grade 1 to 6 in two schools, Korea, we could recognize that they used various arithmetic reasoning and pre-formal algebraic reasoning which is the other than that is proposed in the text book in word problem solving related to the linear systems of equation. Reasoning strategies were diverse depending on structure of meaning and operational of problems. And we analyzed the cause of failure of reasoning in algebraic problem solving. Especially, 'quantitative reasoning', 'proportional reasoning' are turned into 'non-formal method of substitution' and 'non-formal method of addition and subtraction'. We discussed possibilities that we are able to connect these pre-formal algebraic reasoning to formal algebraic reasoning.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-58
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• 2015

The aim of this study is to look into the didactical background for teaching proportional reasoning in elementary school mathematics and offer suggestions to improve teaching proportional reasoning in the future. In order to attain these purposes, this study extracted and examined key ideas with respect to the didactical background on teaching proportional reasoning through a theoretical consideration regarding various studies on proportional reasoning. Based on such examination, this study compared and analyzed textbooks used in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. In the light of such theoretical consideration and analytical results, this study provided suggestions for improving teaching proportional reasoning in elementary schools in Korea as follows: giving much weight on proportional reasoning, emphasizing multiplicative comparison and discerning between additive comparison and multiplicative comparison, underlining the ratio concept as an equivalent relation, balancing between comparisons tasks and missing value tasks inclusive of quantitative and qualitative, algebraic and geometrical aspects, emphasizing informal strategies of students before teaching cross-product method, and utilizing informal and pre-formal models actively.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.457-484
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• 2015

This study aims to investigate an approach to teach proportional reasoning in elementary mathematics class by analyzing the proportional strategies the students use to solve the proportional reasoning tasks and their percentages of correct answers. For this research 174 sixth graders are examined. The instrument test consists of various questions types in reference to the previous study; the proportional reasoning tasks are divided into algebraic-geometric, quantitative-qualitative and missing value-comparisons tasks. Comparing the percentages of correct answers according to the task types, the algebraic tasks are higher than the geometric tasks, quantitative tasks are higher than the qualitative tasks, and missing value tasks are higher than the comparisons tasks. As to the strategies that students employed, the percentage of using the informal strategy such as factor strategy and unit rate strategy is relatively higher than that of using the formal strategy, even after learning the cross product strategy. As an insightful approach for teaching proportional reasoning, based on the study results, it is suggested to teach the informal strategy explicitly instead of the informal strategy, reinforce the qualitative reasoning while combining the qualitative with the quantitative reasoning, and balance the various task types in the mathematics classroom.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.291-318
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• 2002

We investigated on the primary school children's abilities of formal reasoning. Seventy students in grade 5 participated in the study. They responsed their best reactions on the problems constituted of three parts requiring the informal or formal reasoning and generalization. Their reactions are classified by some criteria depending the level of reasoning. About 10 students showed that they constructed a kind of scheme for solving the problems, similar to formal reasoning and beyond naive informal reasoning. And about 30 students did so partially. We concluded that the teaching and learning of reasoning by the progressive increasing the degree of rigor from grade 5 is possible.

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.53-74
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• 1999

This paper describes concept mapping techniques for eliciting and representing knowledge. Concept mapping techniques range from very informal to very formal. Informal concept mapping techniques are usually very easy to use and understand for humans, but not for computers. Formal concept mapping techniques are computational, but humans usually find them hard to understand and use. A knowledge acquisition and representation tools which handle both kinds, and the transition from informal to formal, would be very useful. It is proposed that concept maps be regarded as basic components of any knowledge-based system, complementing text and image with formal and informl active diagrams.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

This study examined the reasoning of gifted elementary science students in a socioscientific issues (SSI) classroom discussion on COVID-19-related trash disposal challenges. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of evidence use and decision-making difficulties in each type of SSI-related reasoning. To this end, the transcripts of 17 gifted students of elementary science discussing SSIs in a classroom were analyzed within the framework of informal reasoning. The analysis framework was categorized into three types according to the primary influence involved in reasoning: rational, emotional, and intuitive. The analysis showed that students exhibited four categories of evidence use in SSI reasoning. First, in the rational reasoning category, students deemed and recorded scientific knowledge, numbers, and statistics as objective evidence. However, students who experienced difficulty in investigating such scientific data were less likely to have factored them in subsequent decisions. Second, in the emotional reasoning category, students' solutions varied considerably depending on the perspective they empathized with and reasoned from. Differences in their views led to conflicting perspectives on SSIs and consequent disagreement. Third, in the intuitive reasoning category, students disagreed with the opinions of their peers but did not explain their positions precisely. Intuitive reasoning also created challenges as students avoided problem-solving in the discussion and did not critically examine their opinions. Fourth, a mixed category of reasoning emerged: intuition combined with rationality or emotion. When combined with emotion, intuitive reasoning was characterized by deep empathy arising from personal experience, and when combined with rationality, the result was only an impulsive reaction. These findings indicate that research on student understanding and faculty knowledge of SSIs discussed in classrooms should consider the difficulties in informal reasoning and decision-making.

• 한국과학교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.01a
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• pp.137-137
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• 2008

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.345-363
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze informal knowledge of students who do not learn the conception of proportion and to identify how the informal knowledge can be used for teaching the conception of proportion in order to present an effective method of teaching the conception. For doing this, proportion was classified into direct and inverse proportion, and 'What are the informal knowledge of students?' were researched. The subjects of this study were 117 sixth-graders who did not have prior learning on direct and inverse proportion. A total eleven problems including seven for direct proportion and four for inverse proportion, all of them related to daily life. The result are as follows; Even though students didn't learn about proportion, they solve the problems of proportion using informal knowledge such as multiplicative reasoning, proportion reasoning, single-unit strategy etc. This result implies mathematics education emphasizes student's informal knowledge for improving their mathematical ability.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.819-838
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• 2016

This research analyzed proportional reasoning abilities of the 5th grade students who learned only the basis of ratio and rate and 6th grade students who also learned proportion and cross product strategy. Data were collected through the proportional reasoning tests and the interviews, and then the achievement of the students and their proportional reasoning strategies were analyzed. In the light of such analytical results, the conclusions are as follows. Firstly, there is not much difference between 5th and 6th grade students in the achievement scores. Secondly, both 5th and 6th graders are less familiar with the geometric, qualitative and comparisons tasks than the other tasks. Thirdly, not only 5th graders but also 6th graders used informal strategies much more than the formal strategy. Fourthly, some students can't come up with other strategies than the cross product strategy. Finally, many students have difficulties in discerning proportional situation and non-proportional situations. This study provided suggestions for improving teaching proportional reasoning in elementary schools in Korea as follows: focusing on letting students use their informal strategies fluently in geometric, qualitative, and comparisons tasks as well as algebraic, quantitative, and missing value tasks focusing on the concept of ratio and proportion instead of enforcing the formal strategy.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.149-166
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyze the statistical literacy in elementary school students when they beginning inference. Picto-graphs provide statistical information and often data-related arguments they certainly qualify as objects for interpretation, for critical evaluation, and for discussion or communication of the conclusions presented. For research, the inference from pictograph task was designed and statistical literacy standards for evaluating the student's level was presented based on prior studies. Evaluating student's statistical literacy is meaningful in that it can check their current level. To know the student's current level can help them achieve a higher level of performance. The outcomes of this research indicate that pictograph can provide a basis for rich tasks displaying not only student's counting skills but also their appreciation of variation and uncertainty in prediction. Raising statistical thinking by students is an important goal in statistical education, and the experience of informal statistical reasoning can help with formal statistical reasoning that will be learned later. Therefore, the task about the inference from a pictograph, discussions on statistical learning of elementary school children are expected to present meaningful implications for statistical education.