• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.453-475
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• 2007

School algebra starts with introducing algebraic expressions which have been one of the cognitive obstacles to the students in the transfer from arithmetic to algebra. In the recent studies on the teaching school algebra, algebraic thinking is getting much more attention together with algebraic expressions. In this paper, we examined the processes of the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and ways for teaching early algebra through algebraic thinking factors. Issues about algebraic thinking have continued since 1980's. But the theoretic foundations for algebraic thinking have not been founded in the previous studies. In this paper, we analyzed the algebraic thinking in school algebra from historico-genetic, epistemological, and symbolic-linguistic points of view, and identified algebraic thinking factors, i.e. the principle of permanence of formal laws, the concept of variable, quantitative reasoning, algebraic interpretation - constructing algebraic expressions, trans formational reasoning - changing algebraic expressions, operational senses - operating algebraic expressions, substitution, etc. We also identified these algebraic thinking factors through analyzing mathematics textbooks of elementary and middle school, and showed the middle school students' low achievement relating to these factors through the algebraic thinking ability test. Based upon these analyses, we argued that the readiness for algebra learning should be made through the processes including algebraic thinking factors in the elementary school and that the transfer from arithmetic to algebra should be accomplished naturally through the pre-algebra course. And we searched for alternative ways to improve algebra curriculums, emphasizing algebraic thinking factors. In summary, we identified the problems of school algebra relating to the transfer from arithmetic to algebra with the problem of teaching algebraic thinking and analyzed the algebraic thinking factors of school algebra, and searched for alternative ways for improving the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and the teaching of early algebra.

• School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.157-178
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of calculators as a cognitive tool rather than calculating tool in learning elementary school mathematics. The calculator activities on multiplying two numbers ending with 0s or two decimal fractions and mixed four operations were developed, and exploratory lessons with the activities were implemented to three 3rd graders and two 5th graders. The results were shown that calculators provided an alternative effective learning environment: students were able to use heuristic thinking, reason inductively and successfully investigate principles of mathematics through the pattern recognition. And finally, we discussed the heuristic method through utilizing calculators.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.161-171
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• 2012

Generally mathematics is regarded as a subtle subject to grasp their true meaning. And teacher's personal conceptions of mathematics influence greatly on the teaching and learning of mathematics. More over often teachers confess their difficulties in explaining the true nature of mathematics. In this paper, applying the theory of epistemology, we tried to search factors that must be counted important when trying to understand the true nature of mathematics. As results, we identified five characteristics of mathematical knowledge such as logical reasoning, abstractive concept, mathematical representation, systematical structure, and axiomatic validation. Next, we tried to investigate math education major students' conception of mathematics using these items. To proceed this research we asked 51 students from three Universities to answer their opinion on 'What do you think is mathematics?'. Analysing their answers in the light of the above five items, we got the following facts. 1. Only 38% of the students regarded mathematics as one of the five items, which can be considered to reveal students' low concern about the basic nature of mathematics. 2. The status of students' responses to the question were greatly different among the three Universities. This shows that mathematics professors need to lead students to have concern about the true nature of mathematics.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.157-182
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• 2008

TIMSS 2003 is the third and most recently round of IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. In this study, I considered the changes of the mathematics cognitive domain in TIMSS and got some facts for developing assessment framework. And I analyzed 7 countries' achievement in the view of our country Korea, i.e. Singapore, Hongkong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Netherlands, and Unites States. With the reliable and valid achievement scales for cognitive domains given by ISC, students' achievement scales were analyzed according to country, percentile, and sex in each cognitive domain.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.11
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• pp.107-126
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• 2001

우리는 흔히 21C를 정보화 시대라고 하며 우리에게 주어지는 정보들 또한 일기예보와 같은 일상적인 분야에서 여론 조사와 같은 전문적인 분야에 이르기까지 아주 다양하다. 이런 정보들은 통계영역과 아주 밀접하며 이런 정보들을 통계적으로 바르게 해석하고 추론하여 일반화하는 등 일련의 과정들을 요구한다. 이런 상황아래 본 연구에서는 6차 초등학교 수학 교과서에서 여러 통계학 영역 중 그래프 형태로 가장 먼저 도입되는 막대그래프에 중점을 두어 현행 교과서에서 학습 내용과 학습 과정의 문제점에는 어떤 것이 있으며 아울러 그래프 이해력에 필요한 요소나 인지적 사고 능력, 그래프 이해력의 수준을 알아보고, 이를 바탕으로 여러 문헌을 통해 본 연구자가 나름대로 구안한 통계적 기법을 사용한 교수 ${\cdot}$ 학습 과정을 실험반에 적용한 후 그래프 이해력 사전 ${\cdot}$ 사후 검사를 비교함으로써 통계적 기법을 사용한 교수 ${\cdot}$ 학습 과정이 그래프 이해력에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 알아보고자 한다.

• School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.583-605
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• 2009

This research aims to examine the characteristics and main subjects of the mathematics class-criticism by elementary' teachers. In this aim, we analyzed the mathematics class-criticism by the 11 elementary teachers. As the results of this research, the elementary teachers criticized the mathematics class while understanding and describing the class as it is. And mathematics class-criticism by elementary teachers showed contextual and situational characteristics. Furthermore, the main subjects of mathematics class-criticism by elementary teachers were identified as mathematical communication, teacher's question to foster the students' mathematical thinking, appropriateness of task, motivation for students, concrete operational activity, appropriateness on teacher's mathematical behavior and teacher's use of mathematical term, experience of inductive reasoning. While, we identified the significance of mathematics class-criticism for elementary teachers. The elementary teachers pointed out the necessity and importance of the mathematics class-criticism on the mathematics class in usual context.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.569-590
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• 2023

The purpose of this case study is to compare and analyze the covariational reasoning levels of two middle school students revealed in the process of solving and generalizing algebra word problems. A class was conducted with two middle school students who had not learned quadratic equations in school mathematics. During the retrospective analysis after the class was over, a noticeable difference between the two students was revealed in solving algebra word problems, including situations where speed changes. Accordingly, this study compared and analyzed the level of covariational reasoning revealed in the process of solving or generalizing algebra word problems including situations where speed is constant or changing, based on the theoretical framework proposed by Thompson & Carlson(2017). As a result, this study confirmed that students' covariational reasoning levels may be different even if the problem-solving methods and results of algebra word problems are similar, and the similarity of problem-solving revealed in the process of solving and generalizing algebra word problems was analyzed from a covariation perspective. This study suggests that in the teaching and learning algebra word problems, rather than focusing on finding solutions by quickly converting problem situations into equations, activities of finding changing quantities and representing the relationships between them in various ways.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.63-80
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• 2006

Along with natural and algebraic languages, schema is a fundamental component of mathematical language. The principal purpose of this present study is to focus on this point in detail. Schema was already in use during Pythagoras' lifetime for making geometrical inferences. It was no different in the case of Oriental mathematics, where traces have been found from time to time in ancient Chinese documents. In schma an idea is transformed into something conceptual through the use of perceptive images. It's heuristic value lies in that it facilitates problem solution by appealing directly to intuition. Furthermore, introducing schema is very effective from an educational point of view. However we should keep in mind that proof is not replaceable by it. In this study, various schemata will be presented from a diachronic point of view, We will show with emaples from the theory of categories, Feynman's diagram, and argand's plane, that schema is an indispensable tool for constructing new knowledge.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.377-394
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the characteristics of a teacher's discursive competence on the basis of mathematical competencies. For this purpose, we observed all semester-long classes of a middle school teacher, who changed her own teaching methods for the last 20 years, collected video clips on them, and analyzed classroom discourse. Data analysis shows that in problem solving competency, she helped students focus on mathematically important components for problem understanding, and in reasoning competency, there was a discursive competence which articulated thinking processes for understanding the needs of mathematical justification. And in creativity and confluence competency, there was a discursive competence which developed class discussions by sharing peers' problem solving methods and encouraging students to apply alternative problem solving methods, whereas in communication competency, there was a discursive competency which explored mathematical relationships through the need for multiple mathematical representations and discussions about their differences. These results can provide concrete directions to developing curricula for future teacher education by suggesting ideas about how to combine practices with PCK needed for mathematics teaching.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.144-152
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• 2009

To provide intelligent service in mobile environment, it needs to estimate user's intention or requirement, through analyzing context information of end-users such as preference or behavior patterns. In this paper, we infer context information from uncertain log stored in mobile device. And we propose the inference method of end-user's behavior to match context information with service, and the proposed method is based on context-tree. We adopt bayesian probabilistic method to infer uncertain context information effectively, and the context-tree is constructed to utilize non-numerical context which is hard to handled with mathematical method. And we verify utility of proposed method by appling the method to intelligent phone book service.