• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.109-128
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• 2009

This study aimed to investigate students' learning process by examining their perception process of problem structure and mathematization, and further to suggest an effective teaching and learning of mathematics to improve students' problem-solving ability. Using the qualitative research method, the researcher observed the collaborative learning of two middle school students by providing problem-posing activities of five lessons and interviewed the students during their performance. The results indicated the student with a high achievement tended to make a similar problem and a new problem where a problem structure should be found first, had a flexible approach in changing its variability of the problem because he had advanced algebraic thinking of quantitative reasoning and reversibility in dealing with making a formula, which related to developing creativity. In conclusion, it was observed that the process of problem posing required accurate understanding of problem structures, providing students an opportunity to understand elements and principles of the problem to find the relation of the problem. Teachers may use a strategy of simplifying external structure of the problem and analyzing algebraical thinking necessary to internal structure according to students' level so that students are able to recognize the problem.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.373-387
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• 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the roles of parents in science learning at the Everyday Science Classroom (ESC). Discourses of 20 parent-child dyads were analyzed to identify the roles of the parents and their significance. Data were also gathered through questionnaires that were made to survey the perception of parents and students of the Everyday Science Classroom (ESC) in Gwanak-gu. The results showed that parents played the role of Guide as well as Learner. Parents as the Guide showed roles of Process guide, Cognitive facilitator, Participation inducer, and Authoritative manager. Parents helped their children to accomplish the experiment successfully (34.5%) and offered cognitive scaffolds (21.3%) and affective scaffolds (8.7%) for children to reach a level of understanding that they could not reach by themselves. However, parents who helped their own children without considering their needs repressed children's autonomous learning (1.6%). The roles of parents as the Learner were categorized into Active learner (16.1%), Collaborative fellow learner (15.1%), and Authoritative leading learner (2.7%). The multiple roles of parents can influence the children's understanding of science in both positive and negative ways. This study can provide basic information on the roles of parents and their interaction with their children. Reflection on positive aspects of parent participation in program development will promote the understanding of science in both parents and children.