• School Mathematics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.345-362
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• 2011

This paper addresses mathematics content knowledge required for teaching in secondary school. Three components of mathematical knowledge are needed for teaching: (i) knowing school mathematics, (ii) knowing process of school mathematics, (iii) making connections between school mathematics and advanced mathematics. We investigated mathematics content knowledge of secondary teachers. We found that secondary mathematics teachers have a lack of understanding in solving realistic problem, reasoning and proof, and making connections between school mathematics and advanced mathematics.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.153-170
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• 2017

This study conducted an analysis of types of reasoning shown in students' solving a problem and processes of students' reasoning according to type of problem by posing an open-ended problem where students' reasoning activity is expected to be vigorous and a multiple-choice problem with which students are familiar. And it examined teacher's role of promoting the reasoning in solving an open-ended problem. Students showed more various types of reasoning in solving an open-ended problem compared with multiple-choice problem, and showed a process of extending the reasoning as chains of reasoning are performed. Abduction, a type of students' probable reasoning, was active in the open-ended problem, accordingly teacher played a role of encouragement, prompt and guidance. Teachers posed a problem after varying it from previous problem type to open-ended problem in teaching and evaluation, and played a role of helping students' reasoning become more vigorous by proper questioning when students had difficulty reasoning.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.537-556
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• 2011

This paper focuses on proportional reasoning being emphasized in today's elementary math, and analyzes the way students use their proportional reasoning abilities and strategies according to their academic achievement levels in solving proportional problems. For this purpose, various types of proportional problems were presented to 173 sixth-grade elementary school students and they were asked to use a maximum of three types of proportional reasoning strategies to solve those problems. The experiment results showed that upper-ranking students had better ability to use, express and perceive more types of proportional reasoning than their lower-ranking counterparts. In addition, the proportional reasoning strategies preferred by students were shown to be independent of academic achievement. But there was a difference in the proportional reasoning strategy according to the types of the problems and the ratio of the numbers given in the problem. As a result of this study, we emphasize that there is necessity of the suitable proportional reasoning instruction which reflected on the difference of ability according to student's academic achievement.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.161-185
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• 2019

This study aims to examine pre- and in-service mathematics teachers' reasoning and how they justify their reasoning. For this purpose, we developed a set of mathematical tasks that are based on mathematical contents for middle grade students and conducted the survey to pre- and in-service teachers in Korea. Twenty-five pre-service teachers and 8 in-service teachers participated in the survey. The findings from the data analysis suggested as follows: a) the pre- and in-service mathematics teachers seemed to be very dependent of the manipulation of algebraic expressions so that they attempt to justify only by means of procedures such as known algorithms, rules, facts, etc., rather than trying to find out a mathematical structure in the first instance, b) the proof that teachers produced did not satisfy the generality when they attempted to justify using by other ways than the algebraic manipulation, c) the teachers appeared to rely on using formulas for finding patters and justifying their reasoning, d) a considerable number of the teachers seemed to stay at level 2 in terms of the proof production level, and e) more than 3/4 of the participating teachers appeared to have difficulty in mathematical reasoning and proof production particularly when faced completely new mathematical tasks.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.155-171
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• 2024

This study compared and analyzed students' reasoning processes and justification methods when introducing the concept of "the sum of angles in a triangle" in mathematics classes with a focus on both measurement and geometric aspects. To confirm this, the research was conducted in a 4th-grade class at H Elementary School in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The conclusions drawn from this study are as follows. First, there is a significant difference when introducing "the sum of angles in a triangle" in mathematics classes from a measurement perspective compared to a geometric perspective. Second, justifying the statement "the sum of angles in a triangle is 180°" is more effective when explained through a measurement approach, such as "adding the sizes of the three angles gives 180°," rather than a geometric approach, such as "the sum of the angles forms a straight angle." Since elementary students understand mathematical knowledge through manipulative activities, the level of activity is connected to the quality of mathematics learning. Research on this reasoning process will serve as foundational material for approaching the concept of "the sum of angles in a triangle" within the "Geometry and Measurement" domain of the Revised 2022 curriculum.

• School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.427-445
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• 2007

This study presents the results of a case study that investigated a seventh grader's fractional reasoning related to multiplicative reasoning. In addition, by employing domain analysis and taxonomic analysis for analyzing qualitative data, I show how a qualitative methodology was used for the data collected by teaching experiment methodology. The study identifies three distinct issues that emerged as the student engaged in solving fraction problems: a view of fractions as operations vs. results, the issue of units, and mixed numbers vs. improper fractions. These three issues have instructional implications in that each of them is critical in developing multiplicative reasoning and investigating how they relate to each other suggests a way to improve multiplicative reasoning in fractional contexts.

• School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.99-117
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• 2007

In this paper it is discussed how children develop their logical reasoning beyond difficulties in the process of making sense of division with decimals in the classroom setting. When we consider the gap between mathematics at elementary and secondary levels, and given the logical nature of mathematics at the latter levels, it can be seen as important that the aspects of children's logical development in the upper grades in elementary school should be clarified. This study focuses on the teaching and learning of division with decimals in a 5th grade classroom, because it is well known to be difficult for children to understand the meaning of division with decimals. It is suggested that children begin to conceive division as the relationship between the equivalent expressions at the hypothetical-deductive level detached from the concrete one, and that children's explanation based on a reversibility of reciprocity are effective in overcoming the difficulties related to division with decimals. It enables children to conceive multiplication and division as a system of operations.

• School Mathematics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.581-598
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• 2011

Given the growing agreement that algebra should be taught in the early stage of the curriculum, considerable studies have been conducted with regard to early algebra in the elementary school. However, there has been lack of research on how to organize mathematic lessons to develop of algebraic reasoning ability of the elementary school students. This research attempted to gain specific and practical information on effective algebraic teaching and learning in the elementary school. An exploratory qualitative case study was conducted to the fourth graders. This paper focused on the associative law of the multiplication. This paper showed what kinds of activities a teacher may organize following three steps: (a) focus on the properties of numbers and operations in specific situations, (b) discovery of the properties of numbers and operations with many examples, and (c) generalization of the properties of numbers and operations in arbitrary situations. Given the steps, this paper included an analysis on how the students developed their algebraic reasoning. This study provides implications on the important factors that lead to the development of algebraic reasoning ability for elementary students.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2010

Assessment provides valuable information for both teachers and students regarding how well each is doing. Assessment also defines what students must know and be able to do to succeed in a teacher's class. The purpose of this study is to analysis the mathematics assessment items based on strands of mathematical proficiency of National Research Council. According to the study results, the rate of right answers was high in adaptive reasoning and conceptual understanding(over 80%). On the other hand, the rate of right answers was lower in strategic competence(62%) than other strands.

• 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.