• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.311-331
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze mathematical errors and the effects of reflective problem posing activities on students' mathematical problem solving abilities and attitudes toward mathematics. We chose two 5th grade groups (experimental and control groups) to conduct this research. From the results of this study, we obtained the following conclusions. First, reflective problem posing activities are effective in improving students' problem solving abilities. Students could use extended capability of selecting a condition to address the problem to others in the activities. Second, reflective problem posing activities can improve students' mathematical willpower and promotes reflective thinking. Reflective problem posing activities were conducted before and after the six areas of mathematics. Also, we examined students' mathematical attitudes of both the experimental group and the control group about self-confidence, flexibility, willpower, curiosity, mathematical reflection, and mathematical value. In the reflective problem posing group, students showed self check on their problems solving activities and participated in mathematical discussions to communicate with others while participating mathematical problem posing activities. We suggested that reflective problem posing activities should be included in the development of mathematics curriculum and textbooks.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.425-457
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this paper was to analyze a teacher's questioning in the learner-centered mathematics lessons and investigate its effects on the construction of learner's knowledge. For this study, it is analysed that the teacher's questioning in the 3 observed learner-centered lessons concerning elementary division topic. The study results showed that the characteristics of the teacher's questioning were respecting of learner's informal mathematical thinking, open-ended questioning for divergent thinking, appropriate questioning at every group, and respecting classroom norm. Teacher's questioning affects the quality of learner's mathematical thinking and his or her attitude toward mathematics.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.1-22
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using graphing calculators on students' understanding of the linear and quadratic function concepts. The populators of this study are tenth graders at high school in Seoul, one class for the treatment group and another class for the comparison group, and experiment period is 14 weeks including two weeks for school regular exams.Function tests used in the study was proposed which described a conceptual knowledge of functions in terms of the following components: a) Conceptual understanding, b) Interpreting a function in terms of a verbal experission, c) Translating between different representations of functions, and d) Mathematical modeling a real-world situation using functions. Even though the group test means of the individual components of conceptual understanding, interpreting, translating, mathematical modeling did not differ significantly, there is evidence that the two groups differed in their performance on conceptual understanding. It was shown that students learned algebra using graphing calculators view graphs more globally. The attitude survey assessed students' attitudes and perceptions about the value of mathematics, the usefulness of graphs in mathematics, mathematical confidence, mathematics anxiety, and their feelings about calculators. The overall t-test was not statistically significant, but the students in the treatment group showed significantly different levels of anxiety toward mathematics.

• The Mathematical Education
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.265-289
• /
• 2001

The elementary and middle school curriculum in Korea has been modified periodically to reach today's 7th national curriculum. Although the intent of each new curriculum was to improve education, lack of proper preparation for teachers and students has not made the new curriculums as effective as it could be. Goodlad et al.(1979) suggested that curriculum should encompass all practices including not only knowledge but all the elements of the curriculum and experiences of the student and teachers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the actual practices of the current curriculum with focus on the use of instructional media in mathematics teaching and learning. A nationwide curriculum survey was carried out with the Goodlad's curriculum inquiry model as the framework. The result shows that elementary and secondary mathematics teachers used textbook manual (for teachers) and practice books most frequently for their class preparation. In addition to these, mathematics teachers also used manipulatives, visual aids, computers, internet, and calculators in a decreasing order. In general, many mathematics teachers did not use much instructional media in their classes and said that there are not enough effective instructional media to use. However, the teachers have positive attitude toward the educational media that they have used. In this study, we analyzed the survey data regarding educational tools, their use and effects to support the development of a new curriculum model in mathematics for a knowledge-based society.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.41-58
• /
• 2002

This study examines effects of small group cooperative learning on areas of mathematics such as number and calculation, figure, and measurement, and changes of attitude-interest in math in elementary schools. Seventy eight second graders from Jinhae City were divided into the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group was subdivided into small groups of four students who belonged in different levels of math performance. The subdivision was renewed whenever each area was covered. An examination paper which had been developed by Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development and Kyeongsangnamdo Office of Education was given to the subjects. Also, a questionnaire was developed and given to the participants. The results show that, in general, the small group cooperative learning had good effects on the students' ability to solve math problems and, in articular, greater effects on the ability of low-level students. It is revealed that the interaction between the students in small groups affected their attitudes toward and interest in mathematics in a positive way, but did not make perceivable changes in self-confidence of the young Learners.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.789-806
• /
• 2010

As calls for more attention toward social minority group increases in our society recently, in the field of mathematics education more attention toward an issue about mathematics underachievers is being amplified. Thus, the present study is to examine the effects of teaching method considering students' cognitive characteristics on mathematical underachievers' problem solving and mathematical disposition. For this study, 10 fifth graders identified as mathematical underachievers based on the results of the national level diagnosis assessment and school based assessment were voluntarily selected from an elementary school in Seoul. The results of this study found out the fact that students participating in this program improved in terms of an ability both to solve problems in various ways and to explain an process of problem solving using spoken or written language and drawings. In addition, learning environment respecting students' own mathematical ideas seems to positively influence students' attitudes toward mathematics learning and mathematical dispositions. Furthermore, this study pointed out that mathematical underachievers tend to have difficulty in expressing their own mathematical thinking by reason of linguistic limitation. Finally, the findings of this study imply that for effective teaching of mathematics underachievers, these students' own informal experience and knowledge about mathematics as well as their characteristics regarding learning difficulties should be strongly considered.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.351-367
• /
• 1999

This study aims to study the discourses influencing high school students' concept and attitude toward mathematics, and to examine how gender differences concerning mathematical aptitude are created. This study is based on the results of previous two studies which suggested that mathematical competence differs not only according to gender, region and school year, but also even within the same gender. For this study, 12 students ranking in the top 10% at two co-ed high schools were interviewed to find out 1) what discourses are related to gender and mathematics, 2) in what way these discourses are formulated and gain currency, and 3) how they have affected students in general. Common notions concerning mathematics may be summed up as follows: 1) Most of the students believe that gender difference in mathematical aptitude results because biologically men tend to be strong in mathematics and analytical skills while women tend to have better linguistic ability. This concept can help male students' studying to have a greater learning toward mathematics. 2) A large number of the students believe that male students' studying method is based on comprehension whereas female students' method is based on retention, and hence the former group tends to be better at applying their learning than the latter group. This notion seres to encourage male students and discourage female students from tackling difficult mathematical problems. 3) Many students believe that, although female students may surpass their male counterparts in middle school or the first year of high school, they will eventually fall behind by the 3rd year. Despite research which shows that these common beliefs are not grounded in scientific proof, high-school girls, who may be strong in mathematics, lose self-confidence and feel a sense of crisis. The mechanisms which produce and reinforce such concepts as those mentioned above can be summarized as follows: 1) Regarding the choice of majors and future career paths, parents show different attitudes toward sons and daughters, and this tends to influence high-school girls and hinders them from entering mathematics-related fields. 2) Teachers with value systems based on stereo-typed gender roles affect students a great deal, and give different advice according to gender of their students, for selecting their major fields - for instance, whether to study the natural sciences as opposed to humanities. 3) This study indicates that peer-group behavior, of either support or exclusion, also reinforces the process of internalizing notions of gender difference related to mathematical aptitude. 4) The gender-based notion that men are naturally more inclined to have better mathematical ability has caused male students to choose the natural science subjects and female students to turn to the humanities. The discourses discussed above, propagated in schools and homes, and in the mass media, are continually reinforced along with general gender inequalities in the society at large.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.115-124
• /
• 2001

This research is focused on the development of Math teaching and/or learning materials in which the students are centered, not teachers, and which can, in turn, activate and reinforce the students' extra curricular Math activitie The findings I came to have through my research can be summarized as follows: 1. Math teaching and/or learning materials developed based on the students' interactions in the Math extra-curricular activities helped students to learn Math better and to be more interested in Math. 2. There was a positive attitude change toward Math on the side of the students after being introduced in and exposed to Math through the above mentioned Math teaching and/or learning materials. 3. There was a positive attitude change toward Math on the side of the students after being taught Math using the above mentioned Math teaching and/or learning materials. The suggestions I came to have through my research are as follows: 1. There need to be more consistent efforts in developing the Math teaching and/or learning materials which can be used in the Math extra-curricular activities. 2. There need to be more consistent efforts in developing Math teaching paradigms which can be used in Math extra-curricular activities. 3. There need to be more consistent efforts in developing the Math teaching and/or learning materials which can be used in the Math class as well as in Math extra-curricular activities. 4. There need to be more consistent efforts in developing the Math teaching and/or learning materials which are more grade-, unit-, and category-conscious.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.195-206
• /
• 2012

We adopt a spirit of Problem based learning to the class of Multivariable Calculus in a school of scientifically talented students and observed effects of our teaching-learning method in the Spring Semester of 2010. Twelve students who enrolled in this class participated in this research. We have proceeded with classroom experiment for the half of semester after midterm exam so that the students could compare our teaching-learning method with usual traditional one in the subject of multivariable calculus. Especially, we investigated changes in the learning attitude and cognitive development of the students toward definition and theorem of mathematics. Each group of 4 students worked on a sheet of our well-designed structured problems of several steps in each class and presented how they understood the way of constructing new definition and related theorems. Instructor's role in this research was to guide students' activities as questioner so that students could attain the clear meanings of definitions and theorems by themselves. We firstly analyzed students' process of mathematization of definition through observing their discussions and presentations as well as their achievements in the quizzes and final exams. Secondly, we analyzed students' class-diaries collected at the end of each class in addition to pre/post surveys.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-17
• /
• 2022

The goal of this study was to analyze students' views about statistical themes in Mongolian secondary schools in Ulaanbaatar. To this end, 129 9th grade students were stratified random sampling at two secondary schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and a survey was conducted on them. The attitude survey focused on six factors contributing to the attitude: affective, cognitive competency, value, difficulty, interest, and student effort. The results show that students believed their statistical knowledge and skills have increased compared to the beginning of the courses. Furthermore, the survey revealed that they perceived statistics as neither an easy nor a difficult subject. Students' interest in statistics was neutral in general. These results suggest a need to develop effective and innovative statistical teaching and learning methods that can attract attention to statistical topics.