• School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-32
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of calculator use, which is drawing more attention in elementary mathematics, on students' learning of mathematics and to suggest effective ways of using calculators. The present study examined appropriate items commonly used in other papers in the areas of number sense and concepts, problem solving, pattern exploration and reasoning ability. The process of item selection about calculator use were investigated through preservice elementary school teachers' responses to the Questionnaire. The use of calculators In elementary school should be based on teachers' under-standing about why calculators are useful tools for learning mathematics. For more effective use of calculators, more sophisticated experimental studies need to be conducted about selected questions.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-71
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• 2010

Similarity between concept and concept, principle and principle, theory and theory is known as a strong motivation to mathematical knowledge construction. Metaphor and analogy are reasoning skills based on similarity. These two reasoning skills have been introduced as useful not only for mathematicians but also for students to make meaningful conjectures, by which mathematical knowledge is constructed. However, there has been lack of researches connecting the two reasoning skills. In particular, no research focused on the interplay between the two in didactic transposition. This study investigated the process of knowledge construction by metaphor and analogy and their roles in didactic transposition. In conclusion, three kinds of models using metaphor and analogy in didactic transposition were elaborated.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.165-185
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to confirm the effects of the learner-centered instruction based on constructivism on learners' reasoning ability and their achievements which is closely related to reflective abstracting ability. To do it, learner-centered instructions for division was implemented, recall test, generation test, content reasoning test I and II were carried out. The following conclusions were drawn from the data we got. Experimental group(EG) improved their reasoning ability, while comparison group(CG) did not. EG showed statistically significant difference in the achievements of the contents learned in comparing with CG, and the difference in the achievements of the contents unlearned in the treatment in comparing with CG was higher than the one. In addition, the comparisons of the subgroups(high, middle, and low) between EG and CG showed that the treatment had a positive influence on the achievement to all subgroups in EG. That is, the treatment was effective for unable learners. Finally, EG showed statistically significant difference in the sub-domain of simple calculation which might be considered as the benefits of the treatment of the CG as well as in the sub-domain of concept and principle.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.749-771
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to analyze mathematical tasks of Korea and the USA textbooks focused on conditions for parallelograms. In this study, structures of task, types of proof and reasoning, and levels of cognitive demand are investigated. The conclusion is as follows: First, with respect to structures of task, structures presented in the USA textbooks are more diverse. Second, with respect to types of proof and reasoning, Korea and the USA prefer IC task and DA task. And task types presented in the USA textbooks are more diverse. Third, with respect to levels of cognitive demand, in both Korea and the USA textbooks, PNC task and PWC task account most. And compared to the USA, Korea prefer algorithms. In addition, we find out implications for reconstruction of Korea textbook. It is as follows: First, with respect to structures of task and types of proof and reasoning, the diversity of composition needs to be raised. Second, with respect to levels of cognitive demand, the concentration in PNC task needs to be declined. And levels of cognitive demand on types of tasks need to be reconsidered. Third, with respect to tasks' topic and material, internal and external connectivities of mathematics need to be strengthened.

• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.563-584
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• 2010

This study is aimed at analysing the mathematical thinking processes based on image by the mathematically gifted. For this, the 'Splitting a Tetrahedron' Task was used and mathematical thinking of the two middle school students were investigated. One of them deduced how many tetrahedral and octahedral were there when a tetrahedra was splitted by the surfaces which were parallel to each face of the tetrahedra without using any physical material. The other one solved the task using physical material and invented new images. A concrete image, indexical image and symbolic image were founded and the various roles of images could be confirmed.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.189-206
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• 2015

There has been a recurring call for using visual representations in textbooks to improve the teaching and learning of proportional reasoning. However, the quantity as well as quality of visual representations used in textbooks is still very limited. In this article, we analyzed visual representations presented in a Grade 6 textbook from two perspectives of proportional reasoning, multiple-batches perspective and variable-parts perspective, and discussed the potential of the double number line and the double tape diagram to help develop the idea 'things covary while something stays the same', which is critical to reason proportionally. We also classified situations that require proportional reasoning into five categories and provided ways of using the double number line and the double tape diagram for each category.

• School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.447-466
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• 2007

Math education in schools have to enable students to understand the importance of math and nurture the capacity to resolve various problems in daily life with reasoning, which is therefore, always applicable to the actual world. Proportional reasoning capacity is being often used in daily life, and some kind of unit is not fixed. So students are considering it very difficult. This study looks into the difficulties that students have in proportional reasoning, what kind of problem solving strategy is being used, what the problems are in current textbooks, etc. Based on this, it tried to check the concept changes in students' proportional reasoning by developing the instruction program for 'proportional expression' unit in the 6th grade. Based on the results, this study analyzes the features of proportional reasoning instruction programs and the instruction results. Also it analyzes in-advance & after examination papers of the experimental class and comparison class to contribute to the instruction method and instruction contents improvement of 'proportional expression' unit.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.63-86
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• 2013

This study aimed to explore how middle school students perceive constructed-response items and how they solve those items and the patterns of the processes. For this purpose, data were collected from middle school students through survey, written responses on those items that were developed for this particular purpose, and interviews. The survey data were analyzed by using Excel and the written responses and interview data qualitatively. The findings about the students' perceptions about the constructed-response items suggested that the middle school students perceive the items primarily as involving writing solutions logically(17%) and being capable of explaining while solving them(7%). The most difficulties they encounter when solving the items were understanding(26%), applying(12%), mathematical writing(25%), computing(23%), and reasoning(14%). The findings about the students' mathematical proficiencies showed that they made an error most in reasoning (35%), then in understanding(31%), in applying(9%), and least in computing(3%).

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.591-614
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• 2023

For a long time, mathematics education institutions such as NCTM(National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) have emphasized the essential role of writing, and recent surveys by the Ministry of Education report a decline in foundational academic skills in the post-COVID19 period. The purpose of this study is to redefine the significance of mathematics writing in mathematics education, focusing on competencies highlighted in the field, particularly in the areas of problem-solving, communication, and reasoning. The research findings indicate that writing in problem-solving enhances cognitive organization, fostering the ability to grasp concepts and methods. Writing in communication builds confidence through the meta-cognitive process, and writing in inference allows self-awareness of step-by-step identification of areas lacking understanding. Particularly in the future society where artificial intelligence(AI) is utilized, changes in the learning environment necessitate research for the establishment of authenticity judgment through writing and the cultivation of a proper writing culture.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.55-73
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of cognitive activity on cognitive activities that students imagine and cope with continuously changing quantitative changes in functional tasks represented by linguistic expressions, table of value, and geometric patterns, We identified covariational reasoning levels and investigated the characteristics of students' reasoning process according to the levels of covariational reasoning in the elementary quantitative problem situations. Participants were seven 4th grade elementary students using the questionnaires. The selected students were given study materials. We observed the students' activity sheets and conducted in-depth interviews. As a result of the study, the students' covariational reasoning level for two quantities that are continuously covaried was found to be five, and different reasoning process was shown in quantitative problem situations according to students' covariational reasoning levels. In particular, students with low covariational level had difficulty in grasping the two variables and solved the problem mainly by using the table of value, while the students with the level of chunky and smooth continuous covariation were different from those who considered the flow of time variables. Based on the results of the study, we suggested that various problems related with continuous covariation should be provided and the meanings of the tasks should be analyzed by the teachers.