• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.493-511
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• 2009

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the characteristic methods of Mathematics Education. However, it is not simple to find the proper research method of Mathematics Education since Mathematics Education deals with the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, as well as the topics of scholarly research on the practice. Issues on Mathematics Education might vary with the epidemical aspects, which are basic attitudes toward the knowledge and understanding about Mathematics. Thus, this thesis will discuss two questions: First, What are the distinguishing characteristics of Mathematics Education as a field of study, when compared with ones of mathematics? Second, What are the characteristic methods of Mathematics Education, when compared with ones of other academic fields? For solving those questions, this thesis starts from meanings of science and education. And it also classifies Mathematics as formal science whereas Mathematics Education as social science by showing differences between Mathematics and Mathematics Education: research subject of Mathematics targets on mathematics itself and it uses the deductive method. On the other hand, Mathematics Education research handles the practice of mathematics of students and uses plausible reasoning. Also, it will also show why Mathematics Education shares lots of aspects with social science, not with natural science, which has many different characteristics from those of social science. Many researchers have agreed that Education should be categorized into the social science but misplaced Mathematics Education and Science Education into the natural science. It is true that physics and chemistry are natural science. And also it should be said that pure science is formal science. But it should be considered that just like Education, Mathematics Education and Science Education are in the category of social science.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.459-479
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of DGS(dynamic geometry software) for the assessment of reasoning ability and the influence of DGS on the process of assessing students' reasoning ability in middle school geometry. We developed items for assessing students' reasoning ability by using DGS in the connected form of 'construction - inductive reasoning - deductive reasoning'. And then, a case study was carried out with 5 students. We analyzed the results from 3 perspectives, that is, the assessment of students' construction ability, inductive reasoning ability, and justification types. Items can help students more precisely display reasoning ability Moreover, using of DGS will help teachers easily construct the assessment items of inductive reasoning, and widen range of constructing items.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.927-941
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• 2013

In this paper, we investigate and analysis high school students' generalization of cosine rule using analogy, and we study teaching and learning methods improving students' analogical thinking ability to improve mathematical thinking process. When students can reproduce what they have learned through inductive reasoning process or analogical thinking process and when they can justify their own mathematical knowledge through logical inference or deductive reasoning process, they can truly internalize what they learn and have an ability to use it in various situations.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.511-528
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• 2010

Students' intuition in formal proof should be expressed as symbols according to the deductive process. The symbol will play a role of the mediation between the intuition and the formal proof. This study examined the evolution process of intuition mediated by the symbol in geometry proof. According to the results first, symbol took the great roles when students had the non-formed intuition for the proposition. The signification of symbols could explain even the proof process of the proposition with the non-expectable intuition. And when students proved it by symbols, not by figure nor words, they could evolute the conclusive intuition about the proposition.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.599-615
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• 2015

Teachers' philosophies have not been emphasized enough in the current teacher education curriculum even though teacher's philosophy palys a critical role in schools and classrooms. The examination on pre-service teachers' teaching philosophies is necessary to improve teacher education curriculum so that teaching philosophies are often discussed in the courses of 'pedagogical content knowledge' as well as 'general education.' Therefore, the current study investigated 44 pre-service teachers' teaching philosophies, their sub domains, and relationships among the sub domains. The previous studies regarding mathematics teacher's teaching philosophy were more about 'teacher's belief' and employed deductive inference approach using surveys or questionnaires. These studies commonly pointed out that there were three major domains of 'belief on mathematics itself,' 'belief on teaching mathematics,' and 'belief on learning mathematics.' As these three domains of teacher's philosophy has been strengthened, there were very few studies examining the other potential domains of teacher's teaching philosophy. According to the findings of the present study, which employed inductive inference approach and pre-service teachers' free essay writing assignment, 'belief on teacher's role in mathematics classroom,' 'belief on the purpose of mathematics education,' and 'motivation to be a mathematics teacher' were additionally illuminated as sub domains of teacher's teaching philosophy. Moreover, the interrelationship among the sub-areas of teacher's teaching philosophy was disclosed. Specifically, 'belief on the purpose of mathematics education' and 'motivation to be a mathematics teacher' influenced the other sub domains. This implies that the relationships among the sub domains of teacher's teaching philosophy were more likely to be causal and vertical relationships rather than independent and parallel relationships. Finally, the findings from the current study provide implications indicating how pre-service teachers' teaching philosophies might be established in mathematics education courses for future research and education.

• School Mathematics
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.363-384
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• 2011

This study is based on the recognition that the school mathematics education should reinforce the heuristic and constructional aspects related with discoveries of mathematical rules and understanding of mathematical concepts from real world situations as well as the deductive and formal aspects emphasizing on mathematical contents precisely. The 11th grade students of one class from a city high school with average were chosen. They were given time to learn various functions of Excel in regular classes of "Information Society and Computer" subject. They don't have difficulty using cells, mathematical functions and statistical functions in spreadsheet. Experiment was performed for six weeks and there were two hours of classes in a week. Considering the results of this research, teaching materials using spreadsheets play an important role in helping students to experience probabilistic and statistical reasoning and construct mathematical thinking. This implies that teaching materials using spreadsheet provide students with an opportunity to interact with probabilistic and statistical situations by adopting engineering which can encourage students to observe and experience various aspects of real world in authentic situations.

• 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.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.123-148
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to figure out the perceptional characteristics of mathematically gifted elementary students by comparing the mathematical reasoning ability and errors between mathematically gifted elementary students and non-gifted students. This research has been targeted at 63 gifted students from 5 elementary schools and 63 non-gifted students from 4 elementary schools. The result of this research is as follows. First, mathematically gifted elementary students have higher inductive reasoning ability compared to non-gifted students. Mathematically gifted elementary students collected proper, accurate, systematic data. Second, mathematically gifted elementary students have higher inductive analogical ability compared to non-gifted students. Mathematically gifted elementary students figure out structural similarity and background better than non-gifted students. Third, mathematically gifted elementary students have higher deductive reasoning ability compared to non-gifted students. Zero error ratio was significantly low for both mathematically gifted elementary students and non-gifted students in deductive reasoning, however, mathematically gifted elementary students presented more general and appropriate data compared to non-gifted students and less reasoning step was achieved. Also, thinking process was well delivered compared to non-gifted students. Fourth, mathematically gifted elementary students committed fewer errors in comparison with non-gifted students. Both mathematically gifted elementary students and non-gifted students made the most mistakes in solving process, however, the number of the errors was less in mathematically gifted elementary students.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2012

In this paper, we developed teaching learning models using a numeral operation for the mathematical gifted focused on the design of a circle using GSP and investigated effects of this models. This model gave gifted-students to be able to produce creative outputs with mathematical principles and practicality and beauty of mathematics. We found following facts. Firstly, a developed teaching-learning model improves a mathematical gifted student's mathematical creativity as analytic thinking and deductive inference. Secondly, a circular design using GSP helps gifted students to understand the abstract rules because mathematical patterns was represented visually by a circular design. Lastly, a circular design using a numeral operation is helpful to gifted students revealing to creativity and beauty of mathematics.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.69-89
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to develop a test which can be used in identification of the gifted students in the area of mathematics. This study was carried out for two years from 1996. Mathematical giftedness is, in this study, regarded as a result of interaction of mathematical thinking ability, mathematical creativity, mathematical task committment, background knowledge. This study presumed that mathematical thinking ability is composed of seven thinking abilities: intuitive insights, ability for information organization, ability for visualization, ability for mathematical abstraction, inferential thinking ability(both inductive and deductive thinking abilities), generalization and application ability, and reflective thinking. This study also presupposed that mathematical creativity is composed of 3 characteristics: fluency, flexibility, originality. The test for mathematical creative problem solving ability was developed for primary, middle, and high school students. The test is composed of two parts: the first part is concentrated more on divergent thinking, while the second part is more on convergent thinking. The major targets of the test were the students whose achievement level in mathematics belong to top 15~20% in each school. The goodness of the test was examined in the aspects of reliability, validity, difficulty, and discrimination power. Cronbach $\alpha$ was in the range of .60~.75, suggesting that the test is fairly reliable. The validity of the test was examined through the correlation among the test results for mathematical creative problem solving ability, I. Q., and academic achievement scores in mathematics and through the correlation between the scores in the first part and the scores in the second part of the test for mathematical creative problem solving ability. The test was found to be very difficult for the subjects. However, the discrimination power of the test was at the acceptable level.