• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.239-261
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• 2008

This study presents results by the content areas in mathematics. Average performance is provided for five content areas: number, algebra, measurement, geometry, and data. Relative achievement is shown among the content areas for 4 countries in comparison to Korea. In number, Korea had lower average achievement than Singapore, especially for ratio proportion percent. Among 5 countries, Korea had the highest average achievement in algebra and geometry, but the lowest in attributes and units of measurement. In data, Korean students didn't learn the followings successfully: a) comparing characteristics of data sets and using mean, median, range, and shape of distribution, b) interpreting data sets (e.g., draw conclusions, make predictions, and estimate values between and beyond given data points), c) evaluating interpretations of data with respect to correctness and completeness of interpretation.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-47
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the types of errors that may occur in the four arithmetic operations of the fractions after classified according to the level of academic achievement for sixth-grade elementary school student who Learning of the four arithmetic operations of the fountain has been completed. The study was proceed to get the information how change teaching content and method in accordance with the level of academic achievement by looking at the types of errors that can occur in the four arithmetic operations of the fractions. The test paper for checking the type of errors caused by calculation of fractional was developed and gave it to students to test. And we saw the result by error rate and correct rate of fraction that is displayed in accordance with the level of academic achievement. We investigated the characteristics of the type of error in the calculation of the arithmetic operations of fractional that is displayed in accordance with the level of academic achievement. First, in the addition of the fractions, all levels of students showing the highest error rate in the calculation error. Specially, error rate in the calculation of different denominator was higher than the error rate in the calculation of same denominator Second, in the subtraction of the fractions, the high level of students have the highest rate in the calculation error and middle and low level of students have the highest rate in the conceptual error. Third, in the multiplication of the fractions, the high and middle level of students have the highest rate in the calculation error and low level of students have the highest rate in the a reciprocal error. Fourth, in the division of the fractions, all levels of students have the highest r rate in the calculation error.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.189-204
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• 2016

As compared with the gender differences in the achievement of mathematics of the PISA 2009, the results of this study on the PISA 2012 show that the achievement of male students sharply increased, while that of female students maintained the status quo. Based on the premise that this result is derived from the ratio differences between male and female students of high level, this study analyzed the educational context variable effects on the achievements of gender differences observed between male and female students of high level. In particular, this study inquired into the factors which influence the gender difference, by analyzing the identical variables regarding Singapore and Finland of which the achievement of female students registers high among other top high-ranking countries of the PISA 2012. Hence, the binominal logistic multi-level analysis was conducted in order to consider the characteristics of hierarchical structure of PISA, and to compare the features of the educational context variable effects between the high level (above level 5) by country and the highest level (above level 6) by group. The analysis results are as follows: in terms of after-school learning time realized either in private lessons and private institutes, no significant effects were shown in any of the students of these three countries. In terms of after-school homework time, the students of Korea and Singapore gave significant influences on the probability which would be included in the group of high level or the highest level. In particular, regarding the variables which influence the probability of inclusion of Korean female students in the group of high level or the highest level, they correspond to "Homework set by teacher", "Attitude toward school: learning activities", "ESCS of School" and "Teacher-student relations". And "Cultural possessions at home" gave main influences on the probability of inclusion of the female students of Korea, Singapore and Finland in the group of the highest level.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.101-120
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• 2013

International comparative studies of students' performance in mathematics have shown that Korean students possess very negative attitudes toward mathematics, while they are ranked as one of the highest in the cognitive achievement of mathematics. This has prompted mathematics educators to seek for a way to improve the quality of mathematics education. In this context, this research has been conducted to investigate the learning style of Korean middle school students under the assumption that it is of essence to understand the characteristics of our students as mathematics learners. For the purpose, in-depth interview had been conducted and sixteen middle students participated in the interview. The students were chosen to represent the average group of their age-cohorts based on their performance in mathematics and their SES. The interview was designed as a semi-structured clinical interview. In the interview, the students were given mathematical tasks dealing with central themes in the domain of function. Each student was given about 30 to 50 minutes to solve the tasks. After an interviewee finished the tasks, s/he was asked to explained how s/he solved the tasks. The researchers asked additional questions to clarify the students' understanding of the mathematical themes in the tasks and to identify their strategies for learning mathematics. The analysis of the in-depth interview has primarily identified the characteristics of the students' understanding of the main themes in function and then has been extended to investigate their characteristic styles for learning mathematics. The analysis of the interview identified the learning styles of the students as 'inductive learning based on prototypical cases', 'repeated practice of exemplar mathematics problems', 'disengaged learning', and 'double standards in learning mathematics'. Based on the results of the analysis, this research presents the implications for the improvement of mathematics education.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.9 no.3 s.23
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• pp.203-231
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• 2005

Students in East Asia have consistently out-performed their counterparts in the West in recent international studies of mathematics achievement. But some studies also show that East Asian students are more rigid in thought, and lack originality and creativity. While different theories have been proposed to account for these student performances, relatively few research studies have been done on classroom practices, potentially a major variable for explaining student performances. This paper will report on the results of two classroom studies: the TIMSS 1999 Video Study and the Learners' Perspective Study (LPS). Results the quantitative analysis of the TlMSS 1999 Video Study data show that the East Asian classrooms were dominated by teacher talk, and the mathematics content learned was abstract and unrelated to the real life. On the other hand, the characteristics of the instructional practices in Hong Kong as judged by an expert panel are that student learned relatively advanced mathematics content; the components of the lessons were more coherent, and the presentation of the lessons was more fully developed. Hong Kong students seemed to be more engaged in the mathematics lessons, and the. overall quality of the lessons was judged to be high. Results of the analysis of the LPS data also show that the classrooms in the East Asian city of Seoul were in general teacher dominated, but students were usually actively engaged in the mathematics learning. Emphasis on exploration of mathematics and practicing exercises with variation was common. It is argued that the quality teaching in the East Asian classrooms laid a firm foundation in mathematics for students, and that constitutes a necessary condition for the development of students' creativity. In order to fully develop the creativity of East Asian students, they need to be given the right environment and encouragement.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.243-260
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• 2009

Many students have difficulty studying mathematics because of its unique characteristics and the numbers of underachievers in mathematics are increasing, not decreasing, even though great teaching-learning methods have been provided. The purpose of this research is to examine if instruction using mind-map in mathematical studies has positive effects on achievement and attitudes of underachievers in mathematics. For this, mathematics learning ability test before instruction, survey of attitudes toward mathematics before and after instruction and mathematics learning ability test before and after instruction were performed for 32 underachievers in two classes of first grade in C high school in South Chung cheong Province. The positive effects of instruction using mind-map in mathematical studies on academic achievements and attitudes of underachievers were expected, but results indicate that there is no significant effect. However, results indicate that the use of mind-map in mathematics instruction has positive effects partially on the changes of learning attitudes. Therefore, the characteristics of underachievers in mathematics should be understood first, mind-map according to them should be applied and students should have time to properly perceive and draw mind-map skillfully. In teachers' professional knowledge of mind-map and consideration for students, when follow-up researches and systematic instruction proceed together for a long period time, the desired results can be realized.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2006

This thesis analyzed the effects of cooperative learning blended with TAI(Team Assisted Individualization) and STAD(Student Team Achievement Division) models on the students' ability of problem solving in mathematics in order to discover what kind of effects would give to their ability of that, and would promote their disposition and attitude to learn mathematics. The results of this study were as follows : First, the learning method blended with TAI and STAD models was more effective in the students' ability of problem solving in mathematics than traditional learning method because of the blended model's characteristics; positive interdependence, individual accountability, team recognition, curriculum materials. Second, the learning method blended with TAI and STAD models was more effective in sub-elements - self-confidence, adaptability, will, curiosity and value - of mathematical disposition than traditional learning method. And the learning method blended with TAI and STAD models was more effective in sub-elements - self-consciousness of mathematics and interests - of mathematical attitude than traditional learning method. In conclusion, the learning method blended with TAI and STAD models could affect to not only the students' ability of problem solving in mathematics but also the students' several affective factors.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.195-221
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• 2019

This study explored middle and high school students' learning experiences using e-textbooks in online learning courses. Data were collected from in-depth interviews. The interviewees for this study were 19 students who enrolled voluntarily in an online mathematics and science inquiry program, actively participated in the online learning. The students generally have high academic achievement and motivation for learning in science and mathematics. Data were analyzed based on a grounded theory approach. As a result, the characteristics of the online learning environment using e-textbooks were conceptualized via three different categories including temporal, spatial, and technical. Such characteristics of the learning environment were able to provoke self-directed learning, extended learning, interactive learning, in-depth learning, improved ICT literacy, and formation of positive emotions and learning habits. Most of the learners showed positive feedback towards the use of e-textbooks, while some mentioned the technical limitations compared to conventional paper-based learning. This study suggested that e-textbooks are likely to induce positive experiences for learners in the context of online learning, so it is necessary to design contents that utilize various functions and advantages of electronic teaching materials in order to use e-textbooks effectively.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.201-227
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument measuring mathematics anxiety suitable for Korean High school students. In order to achieve this study purpose, the study was conducted according to the procedure of setting components of mathematics anxiety, developing questions, and verifying validity and reliability. First, in order to set the components of mathematic anxiety, previous studies on mathematic anxiety. Through this, six factors of mathematic anxiety were derived. Next, new questions were developed for each of the six constituent factors. The 122 questions were revised and supplemented through two content validity tests, and the final instrument for mathematics anxiety consisted of 49 questions of 6 factors. Finally, to verify the validity and reliability of the measurement instrument for mathematics anxiety, a survey was conducted on 1,848 students from 16 universities in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Next, a validity analysis was conducted with the 1,645 responses, excluding students who answered that there was no mathematics anxiety. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, 15 out of 49 questions were removed. Six factors were named individual characteristics, pressure on achievement, abstraction in mathematics, teaching and learning style, parental attitudes, and cumulative mathematics subjects. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the model fit was found to be appropriate, and the convergence validity and discriminant validity were found to be good.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.451-466
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• 2021

The interaction between student and school levels should be considered to understand and examine equity in education. For this reason, we included the socioeconomic composition of schools to scrutinize the equity related to students' socioeconomic status and mathematical literacy in Korea. We applied the hierarchical linear modeling approach to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 data for binational comparison between Korea (5,548 students from 168 schools) and the U.S. (5,217 students from 161 schools). The findings show that school-level achievement and the socioeconomic composition of schools cannot be ignored to understand Korean students' achievement gap between high and low socioeconomic status. In addition, U.S. students from low socioeconomic status were likely to have similar mathematics literacy scores. These findings indicated that inequity in Korean mathematics education could be intertwined with the characteristics of Korean students like high demands for supplementary private education and school characteristics like curriculum selection. This research also reminds mathematics educators that people should not simply mimic other education systems to resolve education issues in their own system.