• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.239-256
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• 2001

The notion of metaphor has been increasingly popular in research of mathematics education. In particular, metaphor becomes a useful unit for analysis to provide a profound insight into mathematical reasoning and problem solving. In this context, this paper takes metaphor as an analytic unit to examine the relationship between objectivity and subjectivity in mathematical reasoning. Specifically, the discourse analysis focuses on the code switching between literal language and metaphor in mathematical discourse. It is shown that the linguistic code switching is parallel with the switching between two different kinds of mathematical knowledge, that is, factual knowledge and mathematical imagination, which constitute objectivity and subjectivity in mathematical reasoning. Furthermore, the pattern of the linguistic code switching reveals the dialectical relationship between the two poles of mathematical reasoning. Based on the understanding of the dialectical relationship, this paper provides some educational implications. First, the code-switching highlights diverse aspects of mathematics learning. Learning mathematics is concerned with developing not only technicality but also mathematical creativity. Second, the dialectical relationship between objectivity and subjectivity suggests that teaching and teaming mathematics is socioculturally constructed. Indeed, it is shown that not all metaphors are mathematically appropriated. They should be consistent with the cultural model of a mathematical concept under discussion. In general, this sociocultural perspective on mathematical metaphor highlights the sociocultural organization of teaching and loaming mathematics and provides a theoretical viewpoint to understand epistemological diversities in mathematics classroom.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.253-270
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• 2023

This study aims to investigate the extent to which Korean high school textbooks incorporate opportunities for students to engage in the mathematical modeling process through tasks related to exponential and logarithmic functions. The tasks in three textbooks were analyzed based on the actions required for each stage in the mathematical modeling process, which includes identifying essential variables, formulating models, performing operations, interpreting results, and validating the outcomes. The study identified 324 units across the three textbooks, and the reliability coefficient was 0.869, indicating a high level of agreement in the coding process. The analysis revealed that the distribution of tasks requiring engagement in each of the five stages was similar in all three textbooks, reflecting the 2015 revised curriculum and national curriculum system. Among the 324 analyzed tasks, the highest proportion of the units required performing operations found in the mathematical modeling process. The findings suggest a need to include high-quality tasks that allow students to experience the entire process of mathematical modeling and to acknowledge the limitations of textbooks in providing appropriate opportunities for mathematical modeling with a heavy emphasis on performing operations. These results provide implications for the development of mathematical modeling activities and the reconstruction of textbook tasks in school mathematics, emphasizing the need to enhance opportunities for students to engage in mathematical modeling tasks and for teachers to provide support for students in the tasks.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.381-389
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• 2011

The flexible mathematical thinking - the ability to generate and connect various representations of concepts - is useful in understanding mathematical structure and variation in problem solving. In particular, the flexible mathematical thinking with the inventive mathematical thinking, the original mathematical problem solving ability and the mathematical invention is a core concept, which must be emphasized in all branches of mathematical education. In this paper, the author considered a case of flexible mathematical thinking with an inventive problem solving ability shown by his student via real analysis courses. The case is on the proofs of the equivalences of three different definitions on the concept of limit superior shown in three different real analysis books. Proving the equivalences of the three definitions, the student tried to keep the flexible mathematical thinking steadily.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.501-522
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• 2010

In this study, 'Instruments of the achievement attribution in mathematical learning' was develop to investigate the reasons of mathematical learning achievement by reflecting Korean middle school and high school students' psychological characters and learning context in mathematical learning. To develop the appropriate items for the achievement attribution in mathematical learning, after reviewing attribution literature thoroughly, first version of the instrument was developed and Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted. Then, to reduce the effect of the gender difference and achievement level difference, Differential Item Functioning was performed. Also, using Multiple group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, this instrument was investigated to see whether this can be used for both middle school and high school. The final items for success attribution are 3 items for luck, 3 items for effort, 2 items for ability. The failure attribution were composed of 3 items for luck, 3 items for effort, 2 items for ability, and 2 items for other. The instrument was developed by using large samples and psychometric analysis. Therefore, mathematic teachers can use this instrument efficiently to make a foundation for better learning environment so students' cognitive area and affective area can be harmonized.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.545-562
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• 2009

This study is trying to analyze characteristics of mathematical thinking processes of the mathematical gifted students in an objective and a systematic way, by using "Protocol Analysis Method"and "Problem Behavior Graph" which is suggested by Newell and Simon as a qualitative analysis. In this study, four middle school students with high achievement in math were selected as subjects-two students for mathematical gifted group and the other two for control group also with high scores in math. The thinking characteristics of the four subjects, shown in the course of solving problems, were elicited, analyzed and compared, through the use of the creative test questionnaires which were supposed to clearly reveal the characteristics of mathematical gifted students' thinking processes. The results showed that there were several differences between the two groups-the mathematical gifted student group and their control group in their mathematical talents. From these case studies, we could say that it is significant to find out the characteristics of mathematical thinking processes of the mathematical gifted students in a more scientific way, in the sense that this result can be very useful to provide them with the chances to get more proper education by making clear the nature of thinking processes of the mathematical gifted students.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.265-273
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• 2022

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the object ability, basic movement ability, and mathematical ability of young children. Next, through this study, the influence of young children's object manipulation ability and basic movement ability on mathematical ability was investigated. The subjects of this study were 80 children aged 5 years old. As a research tool, the non-mobile movement and mobile movement, the basic movement development test scale, and the young children's picture-mathematical ability test scale were used. This survey was conducted from October 2018 to January 2019. For data analysis, correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed using the spss program. As a result of the study, it was found that there was a significant positive correlation between the non-mobile ability, movement ability, object manipulation ability and mathematical ability of young children. It was found that young children's ability to manipulate objects and non-movement abilities had positive effect on their mathematical abilities. The movement ability of young children had both negative and positive effects on mathematical ability, but it was not found to be statistically significant. This study is meaningful in that it investigated the effects of non-mobile movement, mobile movement ability, and object manipulation ability, which are sub-capabilities of basic movement ability, which had not been investigated so far, on the mathematical ability of young children.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.193-202
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• 2003

In this paper, we analysis 226 papers in the journal of the Korea Society of Mathematical Education Series A for recent 10 years. We classified the papers by the contents, method and the level of schools. In particular, we analysis the contents of concerns focused on the paper about geometry education.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.45 no.2 s.113
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• pp.155-163
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• 2006

In this paper, we focus on the analysis of the results of CAS-K (Creative Attitude Scale-Korea) including 33 items of 7 factors. Using the analysis gives us the information about students' creative attitude for each factor. We introduce three methods of the analysis about the results of CAS-K; total scores analysis, mean value of each factor analysis, and CAS-K map analysis. We develop the CAS-K map based on the mean value of each factor and three categories of factors. These categories are divergent attitude (fluency, appropriateness), problem solving attitude (positiveness, independency, concentration), and convergent attitude (convergency, accuracy). This analysis of the results of CAS-K can be a source of creative attitude to foster mathematical creativity.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.465-482
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to explore how pre-service elementary school teachers participate in a course specifically designed to help them learn how to analyze instruction in terms of the levels of cognitive demand of mathematical tasks. This paper describes what prospective teachers learned while reading the cases of "implementing standards-based mathematics instruction", analyzing all tasks of one unit in one elementary mathematics textbook, observing master teachers' mathematics instruction as well as their colleagues during the practicum period, and developing their own cases on the basis of the design and implementation of instruction focused on mathematical tasks. This paper includes various reflections of the prospective teachers.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.365-384
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• 2010

This paper is an analysis study where we surveyed how well pre-service teachers understand the mathematical concepts taught in elementary school. We analyzed the results focusing on the following: First, what are the pre-service teachers' understandings of the equal sign and variables? Secondly, how exact are their understandings of other elementary school mathematical concepts? The survey was done on the students in Teachers College of Jeju National University. We hope that the results of this study will help the improvement of mathematical education for elementary pre-service teachers.