• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.63-95
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• 2012

Since performance assessment was implemented for 10 years, a survey has been carried out from 212 elementary school teachers in Seoul area in terms of their perception and status about descriptive assessment. As results, most of teachers agreed strongly that using constructed-response items is necessary for assessment, and they showed that purpose of using constructed-response items in their mathematics classrooms was to evaluate accurately student achievement in accordance with learning objectives in mathematics and they referred mainly to items which they modified from problems or items in the textbook when they generate constructed-response items. In addition, they considered level of difficulty in creating constructed-response items mostly. Moreover, they indicated that the effects of assessment through constructed-response items would be improvement of students' problem solving and reasoning skills.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.335-352
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• 2008

The purpose of this research was to investigate the descriptive evaluation method that focuses on the problem solving process of the student. The goal was to evaluate the students' understanding of the subject rather than the students' ability to find the final answer. The descriptive evaluation is being suggested as a way of examining the thought process of the student by performing a structured analysis of the problem solving process. Today, there are not enough descriptive evaluation resources available for teachers to effectively carry out this alternative assessment method in the elementary school mathematics curriculum. This research is a case study on the development of resources for descriptive evaluation in grade 4 mathematics. We designed the development process for descriptive evaluation and its rubric for all 8 units of the 4-Na level of mathematics in the elementary school curriculum. Three descriptive problems were developed for each of the 8 units for a total of 24 problems. The rubric consisted of three areas of assessment, 1) understanding of the problem, 2) problem solving, and 3) mathematical communication. The problems were first pilot tested in two 4th grade classes. Modified problems were then tested in a different 4th grade classroom. The study showed that the three defined areas of evaluation framework (problem understanding, problem solving and mathematical communication) were measurable and analyzable using the developed grading rubric. We then conclude that he descriptive evaluation could be used as an effective tool for improving teacher performance in elementary school mathematics.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.63-80
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• 2009

In this study, we analyzed teachers' recognitions of the necessity of mathematical descriptive tests and their practices in the elementary schools. We then suggested several examples of improved formats of the mathematical descriptive evaluation. For analyzing teachers' recognitions and practices of mathematical descriptive assessment, we surveyed 104 elementary school teachers in Seoul. We collected the test items from the schools and analyzed them to find how they are practiced in the schools. The results were as follows. First, most elementary school teachers are basically recognizing the direction and the purpose of mathematical descriptive assessment. Second, the ratio of the descriptive test items was very low compared with the teachers' recognition of necessity of including descriptive items in the tests. Third, the teachers usually made the descriptive items with their colleagues using textbooks, test manuals for teachers, and the references that the office of education provided. Fourth, to enhance teachers' understanding of descriptive assessment, systematic training programs for teachers about the descriptive assessment should be continued. Finally, the office of education and research institutes should provide various types of test items and more teacher training programs on descriptive assessments.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.168-181
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to monitor evaluation in science education at primary and secondary school in Korea. In order to do this, the survey was administered. The subject was 518 teachers; 292 elementary school teachers, 110 middle school science teachers and 116 general high school science teachers. It was found that the ratio of paper examination increased while that of performance evaluation decreased according to the grade of school. In the science paper examination, the ratio of selection type item was higher than that of supply type item, and the ratio of item belonging to knowledge area was higher than that of item belonging to the inquiry area regardless of the grade of school, teaching career, and teacher's gender. The teachers recognized the necessity of supply type item, but they suffered from the reliability of the result of that item. And it was hard for them to do performance evaluation because it took much time and effort. This study suggested that the high-quality in-service teacher training be provided and laboratory assistants who help the science experiment and grading test papers be employed in order to fulfil the performance evaluation and increase the ratio of supply type item and items belonging to the inquiry area.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.670-690
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze paper and pencil test items of life science I in high school to diagnose problems of the test items developed by teachers, and to provide some implication for better assessment. 690 selection-type items and 162 supply-type items in life science I were collected from 10 general high schools. In the analysis of test items, the ratio of the selection-type item and the supply-type item was 81:19 in the number of items based on item type, while the ratio was 74.4:25.6 in the distribution of marks, indicating that the distribution of marks compared to the number of items was higher in the supply-type items. In the analysis by the Bloom's revised taxonomy of educational objectives, the items of 'conceptual knowledge' in the knowledge and those of 'understanding' in the cognition process were shown most in both the selection-type item and the supply-type item. In the analysis by the science assessment frameworks of NAEA, the items of 'knowledge' were shown 9 times more than those of 'inquiry'. When compared to the level of difficulty presented in the two-way specification table and the percentage of correct answers in the selection-type item, the concurrence was 41.5%. When compared to the ratio of number of items based on the item type of the supply-type items, the short-answer items were 34.0%, the descriptive items were 61.1%, and the drawing items were 4.9%. The drawing items were mainly developed in the unit of 'Cells and Continuity of Life'. When the descriptive items were classified by the acceptance of response, all the items were 'response restricted' type, and the items of 'restricted in content range' type among them were highest. When the items were classified by presentation of data, the items of 'presentation of data' type were highest(65.4%), and when classified by type of question, the items of 'knowledge description' type were highest(80.4%). In conclusion, it is needed to develop items belonging to 'inquiry' area more in the school, and to increase the ratio of the descriptive items, presenting various types of items.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze low-performing high school students' difficulties in constructed response (CR) mathematics assessments and explore ways to use writing activities to support student learning. The participants took CR assessments, engaged in guided writing activities across 15 lessons, and provided responses to our interviews. The study identified 20 types of student difficulties, which were sorted into two main categories: "mathematical difficulties" and "CR difficulties." The difficult nature of mathematics as a school subject included a lack of understanding of mathematical concepts, students' difficulty with mathematical symbols and notations, and struggles with word problems. Challenges specific to CR assessments included students' difficulties arising from the testing conditions unlike those of multiple-choice items, and included issues related to constructing appropriate responses and psychological barriers. To address these challenges in CR assessments, the study conducted guided writing activities as an intervention, through which six themes were identified: (1) internalization of mathematical concepts, (2) mathematical thinking through relational understanding, (3) diverse problem-solving methods, (4) use of mathematical symbols, (5) reflective thinking, and (6) strategies to overcome psychological barriers.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.543-567
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• 2008

The current 2007 Mathematics Curriculum in Korea emphasizes mathematical problem solving, advanced mathematical thinking and effective mathematical communicating. Therefore, in order to assess and evaluate these important thinking attributes, performance evaluation using descriptive and essay type of assessments are emphasized. In this paper, analysis of the elementary mathematics curriculum is used to develop descriptive assessment problems and grading rubrics that could be used objectively and consistently by teachers of the grade 6 school mathematics. The assessment problems were developed, pilot tested, revised, implemented and analyzed in detail to understand the overall effectiveness of the descriptive evaluation method in school mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.389-406
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze eighth grade students' errors in the constructed-response items to improve teaching and learning of mathematics in schools. By analyzing 99 students' responses to nine constructed-response items, we found several types of students' errors in their responses to the assessment items involving with mathematical reasoning and representations, problems within realistic contexts, and mathematical connections. Not only a single error but also multiple errors (a combination of two or more types of errors) were discovered. In particular, high achieving students showed more simple errors than multiple errors while low achieving students had more multiple errors in various kinds.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.519-531
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• 2004

In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on performance assessment to evaluate students' abilities. Our nation has introduced a change in testing and assessment. Additional work on the efficacy, reliability, and comparability in order to develop the performance assessment item has been needed in the enforcement of the 7th National Science Curriculum. Also, criteria for professional and technical standards has been needed to be developed. The purpose of this study was to draw out various key concepts and to develop achievement standards, assessment standards and performance assessment items based on the 7th National Science Curriculum on the subject matter of reproduction(chapter 13) and biological accumulation(chapter 17). And also, this study examined the validity of completed performance assessment items based on classical test theory and polytomous item response theory. Twelve key concepts in chapter 13(reproduction) and four from chapter 17(biological accumulation) were abstracted. Twenty-six achievement standards in chapter 13(reproduction), and nine in chapter 17(biological accumulation) were developed. The achievement standards were determined in terms of knowledge(K), process skill(P) and attitude(A). Twenty-five assessment standards in chapter 13(reproduction) and nine in chapter 17(biological accumulation) were developed. Based on the developed achievement standards and assessment standards, twenty-two performance assessment items(seventeen open-ended questions, three essays, and two portfolios) with concrete grading criteria were developed. Eight open-ended items were applied to 240 10th graders to evaluate reliabilities of the test which consisted of four items per each chapter. The results would be suggested that the applied items were valid for performance assessment because item difficulties and item discriminations were proper. There was not much differences in item discrimination between interpretation from classical test theory and that from polytomous item response theory. However, there were some differences in item difficulties between the interpretations of two theories because the characteristics of examinees were reflected in classical test theory.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.885-905
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• 2010

This study questions that mathematical evaluations strive to memorize fragmentary knowledge and have an objective test. To solve these problems on mathematical education We did descriptive test. Through the descriptive test, students think and express their ideas freely using mathematical terms. We want to know if that procedure is correct or not, and, if they understand what was being presented. We studied this because We want to analyze where and what kinds of faults they committed, and be able to correct an error so as to establish a correct mathematical concept. The result from this study can be summarized as the following; First, the mistakes students make when solving the descriptive tests can be divided into six things: error of question understanding, error of concept principle, error of data using, error of solving procedure, error of recording procedure, and solving procedure omissions. Second, students had difficulty with the part of the descriptive test that used logical thinking defined by mathematical terms. Third, errors pattern varied as did students' ability level. For high level students, there were a lot of cases of the solving procedure being correct, but simple calculations were not correct. There were also some mistakes due to some students' lack of concept understanding. For middle level students, they couldn't understand questions well, and they analyzed questions arbitrarily. They also have a tendency to solve questions using a wrong strategy with data that only they can understand. Low level students generally had difficulty understanding questions. Even when they understood questions, they couldn't derive the answers because they have a shortage of related knowledge as well as low enthusiasm on the subject.