• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.1 s.116
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• pp.33-52
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• 2007

This study is based on the grade 3 National Diagnostic Assessment of Basic Competency(NDABC) in 2005. The purpose of this study is to analyze the results of NDABC by students' gender. It was 19,257 grade 3 students that participated in this study. The average scores are 89.41 and 88.34 for each male and female. The percentage of Below-Basic level for male students is 4.6% and for female 5.6%. The percentage of female students at Below-Basic level is increasing for 3 years. In particular, the percentage of females at Below-Basic level is higher than that of males in the content of measurement, the cognitive domain of reasoning and problem solving, and the situation of real life. The item difficulty for males is lower in fraction, polygon, and right triangle than for females. But female students need to improve the space sense and the problem solving ability in real life. As for the background of students, males think that mathematics is exciting and not difficult in comparison with what females think. And parents of mates are more concerned about children's learning than those of females.

• School Mathematics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.617-636
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• 1999

This study was executed with the intention of guiding ‘open education’ toward a desirable school innovation. The basic two directions of curriculum reconstruction essential for implementing ‘open education’ are one toward intra-subject (within a subject) and inter-subject (among subjects). This study showed an example of intra-subject curriculum reconstruction with a problem solving area included in elementary mathematics curriculum. In the curriculum, diverse strategies to enhance ability to solve problems are included at each grade level. In every elementary math textbook, those strategies are suggested in two chapters called ‘diverse problem solving’, in which problems only dealing with several strategies are introduced. Through this method, students begin to learn problem solving strategies not as something related to mathematical knowledge or contents but only as a skill or method for solving problems. Therefore, problems of ‘diverse problem solving’ chapter should not be dealt with separatedly but while students are learning the mathematical contents connected to those problems. Namely, students must have a chance to solve those problems while learning the contents related to the problem content(subject). By this reasoning, in the name of curriculum reconstruction toward intra-subject, this study showed such case with two ‘diverse problem solving’ chapters of the 4th grade second semester's math textbook.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 1997

Generally the traditional optimization methods have possibilities not only to give a different optimum value according to their starting point, but also to get to local optima. On the other hand, Genetic Algorithm (GA) has an ability of robust global search. In this paper, a new optimization method - the combination of traditional optimization method and genetic algorithm - is presented so as to overcome the above disadvantage of traditional methods. In order to increase the efficiency of the hybrid optimization method, a knowledge-based reasoning is adopted in the part of mathematical modeling, algorithm selection, and process control. The validation of the developed knowledge-based hybrid optimization method was examined and verified applying the method to nonlinear mathematical models.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.299-320
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• 2009

In mathematics, the education of the geometry proof has been playing an important role in promoting the ability for logical thinking by means of developing the deductive reasoning. However, despite of those importance mentioned above, considering the present condition for the education of the geometry proof in middle schools, it is still found that most of classes are led mainly by teachers, operating the cramming system of eduction, and students in those classes have many difficulties in learning the geometry proof course. Accordingly this thesis suggests the other method that is distinguished from previous proof educations. The thesis of Kai-Lin Yang and Fou-Lai Lin on 'A Model of Reading Comprehension of Geometry Proof (RCGP)', which was published in 2007, have various practical examples based on the model. After composing classes based on those examples and instructing the geometry proof, found out a problem. And then advance a new teaching model that amendment and supplementation However, it is considered to have limitation because subjects were minority and classes were operated by man-to-man method. Hopefully, the method of proof education will be more developed through performing more active researches on this in the nearest future.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2015

Recently in major industrial areas, there has been a rapidly increasing demand for 'Computational Thinking', which is integrated with a computer's ability to think as a human world. Developed countries in the last 20 years naturally have been improving students' computational thinking as a way to solve math problems with CAS in the areas of mathematical reasoning, problem solving and communication. Also, textbooks reflected in the 2009 curriculum contain the applications of various CAS tools and focus on the improvement of 'Computational Thinking'. In this paper, we analyze the cases of mathematics education based on 'Computational Thinking' and discuss the mathematical content that uses the CAS tools including Sage for improving 'Computational Thinking'. Also, we show examples of programs based on 'Computational Thinking' for teaching Calculus in university.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.169-186
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to find new material for developing teaching and learning materials for the gifted class of elementary school students by using the rotatable tangram made by modifying the traditional tangram. Rotatable tangram can be justified by gifted students through mathematical communication. However, even gifted class students have some limitations in finding and justifying triangles and rectangles of all sizes unless they go through the 'symbolization' stage at the elementary school level. Therefore, students who need an inquiry process for letters and symbols need to provide supplementary learning materials and additional questions. It is expected that the material of rotatable tangram for the development of teaching and learning materials for elementary school gifted students will contribute to the development of mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication ability.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.221-249
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate students decision-making progress through ill-structured problem solving process. For this study, 25 fifth graders in an elementary school were observed by applying ABCDE model (Analyze - Browse - Create - Decision making - Evaluate), and analyzed their decision-making progress analyzing framework which follows 3 steps - making their own decision, discussing/revising with peers, and lastly decision making/solving problem. Upper two groups with better performance in ill-structured problem solving model among 6 groups showed active discussion in group and decision making process with 3 steps (making their own decision, discussing/revising with peers). Even though their decisions are not good-fit to mathematical reasoning result, development and application of ill-structured problems would bring better ability of high level thinking and problem solving to students.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.159-219
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• 2016

Mathematical ability is important for academic achievement and technological renovations in the STEM disciplines. This study concentrated on the relationship between neural basis of mathematical cognition and its mechanisms. These cognitive functions include domain specific abilities such as numerical skills and visuospatial abilities, as well as domain general abilities which include language, long term memory, and working memory capacity. Individuals can perform higher cognitive functions such as abstract thinking and reasoning based on these basic cognitive functions. The next topic covered in this study is about individual differences in mathematical abilities. Neural efficiency theory was incorporated in this study to view mathematical talent. According to the theory, a person with mathematical talent uses his or her brain more efficiently than the effortful endeavour of the average human being. Mathematically gifted students show different brain activities when compared to average students. Interhemispheric and intrahemispheric connectivities are enhanced in those students, particularly in the right brain along fronto-parietal longitudinal fasciculus. The third topic deals with growth and development in mathematical capacity. As individuals mature, practice mathematical skills, and gain knowledge, such changes are reflected in cortical activation, which include changes in the activation level, redistribution, and reorganization in the supporting cortex. Among these, reorganization can be related to neural plasticity. Neural plasticity was observed in professional mathematicians and children with mathematical learning disabilities. Last topic is about mathematical creativity viewed from Neural Darwinism. When the brain is faced with a novel problem, it needs to collect all of the necessary concepts(knowledge) from long term memory, make multitudes of connections, and test which ones have the highest probability in helping solve the unusual problem. Having followed the above brain modifying steps, once the brain finally finds the correct response to the novel problem, the final response comes as a form of inspiration. For a novice, the first step of acquisition of knowledge structure is the most important. However, as expertise increases, the latter two stages of making connections and selection become more important.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.121-149
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• 2022

Descriptive assessment is a meaningful assessment method in relation to problem solving ability, reasoning ability, and communication ability as emphasized in mathematics curriculum. In Korea, as performance assessment has been emphasized since the 7th mathematics curriculum, descriptive assessment is being conducted as a method of performance assessment in schools. However, descriptive assessment has not been introduced in the university scholastic ability test for various reasons. Considering that descriptive assessment is emphasized in the mathematics classroom and has sufficient educational value, a serious discussion on the implementation of descriptive assessment in the university scholastic ability test will be necessary. In this study, we analyzed the descriptive assessment of Russia's unified state examination (USE) in the mathematics, which corresponds to Korea's university scholastic ability test. Through a literature review, we investigated how mathematics examination problems were structured in the USE and which mathematical abilities were required for the examination. In particular, the outer structure of the problems was analyzed focusing on the mathematics problems of the USE 2021, and the scoring method of the descriptive problems was also analyzed. The results of this study are expected to provide a variety of information on the possibility of introducing descriptive assessment in the Korean university scholastic ability tests.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.105-116
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• 1986

For any thought and knowledge, its growth and development has close relation with the society where it is developed and grow. As Feuerbach says, the birth of spirit needs an existence of two human beings, i. e. the social background, as well as the birth of body does. But, at the educational viewpoint, the spread and the growth of such a thought or knowledge that influence favorably the development of a society must be also considered. We would discuss the goal and the function of mathematics education in relation with the prosperity of a technological civilization. But, the goal and the function are not unrelated with the spiritual culture which is basis of the technological civilization. Most societies of today can be called open democratic societies or societies which are at least standing such. The concept of rationality in such societies is a methodological principle which completes the democratic society. At the same time, it is asserted as an educational value concept which explains comprehensively the standpoint and the attitude of one who is educated in such a society. Especially, we can considered the cultivation of a mathematical thinking or a logical thinking in the goal of mathematics education as a concept which is included in such an educational value concept. The use of the concept of rationality depends on various viewpoints and criterions. We can analyze the concept of rationality at two aspects, one is the aspect of human behavior and the other is that of human belief or knowledge. Generally speaking, the rationality in human behavior means a problem solving power or a reasoning power as an instrument, i. e. the human economical cast of mind. But, the conceptual condition like this cannot include value concept. On the other hand, the rationality in human knowledge is related with the problem of rationality in human belief. For any statement which represents a certain sort of knowledge, its universal validity cannot be assured. The statements of value judgment which represent the philosophical knowledge cannot but relate to the argument on the rationality in human belief, because their finality do not easily turn out to be true or false. The positive statements in science also relate to the argument on the rationality in human belief, because there are no necessary relations between the proposition which states the all-pervasive rule and the proposition which is induced from the results of observation. Especially, the logical statement in logic or mathematics resolves itself into a question of the rationality in human belief after all, because all the logical proposition have their logical propriety in a certain deductive system which must start from some axioms, and the selection and construction of an axiomatic system cannot but depend on the belief of a man himself. Thus, we can conclude that a question of the rationality in knowledge or belief is a question of the rationality both in the content of belief or knowledge and in the process where one holds his own belief. And the rationality of both the content and the process is namely an deal form of a human ability and attitude in one's rational behavior. Considering the advancement of mathematical knowledge, we can say that mathematics is a good example which reflects such a human rationality, i. e. the human ability and attitude. By this property of mathematics itself, mathematics is deeply rooted as a good. subject which as needed in moulding the ability and attitude of a rational person who contributes to the development of the open democratic society he belongs to. But, it is needed to analyze the practicing and pursuing the rationality especially in mathematics education. Mathematics teacher must aim the rationality of process where the mathematical belief is maintained. In fact, there is no problem in the rationality of content as long the mathematics teacher does not draw mathematical conclusions without bases. But, in the mathematical activities he presents in his class, mathematics teacher must be able to show hem together with what even his own belief on the efficiency and propriety of mathematical activites can be altered and advanced by a new thinking or new experiences.