• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.137-156
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• 2001

IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study(TIMSS) from 1994-1995 has placed Korea as one of the top three countries among 45 countries that participated in the study in mathematics achievement for the 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade students. While the test scores were excellent, the study also showed that mathematics education in Korea needed improvements in student attitudes, technology incorporation, and gender difference in achievement. An analysis of the a survey conducted as part of the mathematics curriculum research program showed that very little progress has been made in these areas for the past 5 years. Moreover, the progressively declining attitudes towards mathematics for high school students is a problematic phenomena for educators as we believe that mathematics is becoming even more important in an information technology based society. A comparison between the top three TIMSS scoring countries (Korea, Singapore, and Japan) and low scored country (U.S.) was made In this paper. We also compare some of problematic results from TIMSS to those from EERI Curriculum Study implemented in 2000. The study shows that simply using technology and improving student attitudes do not necessarily guarantee improved performance. Most of educators agree that potential for technology is great for both changing the way students learn and improving the attitudes of students. However, improperly implemented technology can hinder rather than help the educational process. Therefore, as we begin to implement and use more and moore technology, it is critical to develop the proper curriculum, training for teachers and research programs to track the progress and to make the necessary adjustments to provide the best possible education for our students. Another TIMSS result shows for all four grade levels(3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th), Korea shows the highest gender difference among all the participating countries. TIMSS data such as this is valuable to benchmark all types of information to get a better understanding about what is happening for improvements in math curriculum in Korea. More research needs to be done in comparing the performance of Korean mathematics education to understand both the strengths and weaknesses of our curriculum so that improvements can be made.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.175-187
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of solving multi-strategic mathematics problems on mathematical creativity and attitudes of the 6th grade students. For this study, the researchers conducted a survey of forty nine (26 students in experimental group and 23 students in comparative group) 6th graders of S elementary school in Seoul with 19 lessons. The experimental group solved the multi-strategic mathematics problems after learning mathematics through mathematical strategies, whereas the group of comparative students were taught general mathematics problem solving. The researchers conducted pre- and post- isomorphic mathematical creativity and mathematical attitudes of students. They examined the t-test between the pre- and post- scores of sub-elements of fluency, flexibility and creativity and attitudes of the students by the i-STATistics. The researchers obtained the following conclusions. First, solving multi-strategic mathematics problems has a positive impact on mathematical creativity of the students. After learning solving the multi-strategic mathematics problems, the scores of mathematical creativity of the 6th grade elementary students were increased. Second, learning solving the multi-strategy mathematics problems impact the interest, value, will and efficacy factors in the mathematical attitudes of the students. However, no significant effect was found in the areas of desire for recognition and motivation. The researchers suggested that, by expanding the academic year and the number of people in the study, it is necessary to verify how mathematics learning through multi-strategic mathematics problem-solving affects mathematical creativity and mathematical attitudes, and to verify the effectiveness through long-term research, including qualitative research methods such as in-depth interviews and observations of students' solving problems.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.10 no.1 s.25
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• pp.79-87
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• 2006

In this paper we investigated the influence on school students when they use graphing calculator for exploration, including their experience of exploration, their ability and attitudes. After using graphing calculator based mathematics exploration course, two students were interviewed and 162 students who finished the course in these years were investigated. The results show that graphing calculator is a useful tool to develop students' explorative ability. Most of students had positive attitudes to and were interested in making use of graphing calculator.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.249-262
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• 2010

Large Midwest university faculty members proposed the Science and Technology Enhancement Program Project (STEP) to improve students' learning in the secondary mathematics classroom using modules of inquiry-based teaching. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the STEP Project on students' attitude toward mathematics. Hierarchical linear models (HLM) were used to evaluate the impact of the STEP Project. The sample group for the study was 130 ninth grade students enrolled in Integrated Algebra I in a large urban school district. The school was one of eight secondary schools that participated in the STEP Project. The classes in the treatment group were three of five classes ordered in terms of the highest, middle, and lowest mean GPA. The control group consisted of two other middle GPA classes. The classes had an average of 25 students. Teachers who previously had been involved in the STEP Project taught all treatment and control classes. The inquiry-based teaching activities provided by the project were confined to the treatment classes. The survey measuring students' attitudes toward mathematics were obtained for both groups of students. The inquiry-based teaching affected students' attitudes toward mathematics (p < 0.07, ES = 3.07). Especially, students who had preexisting low attitudes toward mathematics were significantly affected by treatment (p < 0.02, ES = 0.02), while the treatment positively affected African American students overall at p < 0.08 (ES = 0.58).

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.751-774
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• 2017

Having mathematics for everyone in terms of students' mathematics achievement and attitudes toward mathematics is challenging in high school in South Korea. To gain such purpose, teachers are supposed to have a considerable amount of knowledge and develop mathematical and pedagogical reasoning and insight because equity can be fulfilled in mathematics classroom when any student share their ideas and have mathematical discussions. As a part of a large project aimed to develop and enact professional development for equity and examine its effects and, finally, to propose the direction of professional development to help students cognitively and affectively balanced grow in mathematics, the current study briefly introduces how such professional development was designed and implemented. This study reports its effect based on the statistical analysis of students' responses for the three different surveys, which are parts of the National Assessment of Educational Achievement study, TIMSS Advanced, and the survey about classroom interaction. The data collected in all students in school whose three mathematics teachers had participated in the professional development for two years. The findings consistently indicate the strong and impressive growths in students' attitudes toward mathematics, which are statistically significant. Furthermore, their attitudes toward mathematics are also related to interactions in a mathematics classroom. Based on such results, this study claims expansion of professional development for equity.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.23-45
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• 2019

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of storytelling teaching on the mathematical attitudes of Mathematics underachieved third-grade middle school students. 5 students with lower than 20% of math grades were selected and they were provided 36 hours of the storytelling teaching program in 18 weeks. The participant students took the mathematical attitudes questionnaires both before and after the storytelling teaching classes. As a result of the study, the mean score of the before and after questionnaires was increased, and t-test also had statistically significant results. In particular, the various details of mathematical attitudes revealed the greatest positive change in 'the application of learning technology', followed by 'interest' and 'self-study'. Therefore, we found that the storytelling teaching program has a positive effect on the mathematical attitudes of underachieved students.

• 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.5 no.2
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• pp.47-57
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a mathematics basis underachiever program on a mathematics achievement and mathematics attitudes. For this investigation, twenty eight-grade students as an experimental group were trained in a mathematics basis underachiever program by trained teachers in a middle school classroom for a period of 8 weeks. Twenty eight-grade students in another middle school, serving as a control group. Both groups were given a pretest and a posttest to check the mathematics achievement inspection tool(Likert-type Mathematics Attitude Survey; LTMAS) and a mathematics attitude inspection tool(KEDI, 2001). In the analysis of data Frequencies, percentiles, t-test were used. The results of the study are summarized as follows; First, the results showed that the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher differences than the control group in the mathematics achievement components of inequality equation, figure area and the whole in a mathematical achievement(p<.05). Second the results showed that the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher differences than the control group in the mathematics attitude components of positive mathematics attitude, negative mathematics attitude and the whole in a mathematical attitude(p<.05).

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.131-142
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• 2017

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of debate and discussion instruction in mathematics class on mathematics study achievements and attitudes in elementary school. To conduct the research, two classes were verified as the homogeneous groups by a preliminary examination on the fourth grade of J elementary school. After mathematics class, the subjects were conducted the same mathematics study achievement and attitude tests in two groups and were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, t-test. Accordingly, debate and discussion instruction in mathematics class is more effective than regular lecture method instruction. debate and discussion instruction in mathematics classes are believed students will participate in the question and understand the mathematical principles and concepts themselves through action to solve the problem and influenced I have a positive attitude towards mathematics.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.441-457
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to compare affective characteristics of mathematically gifted children and average students, by analying self-tests of self-efficacy and attitudes about mathematics. we survey 109 children from Mathematically Gifted Education Institutes located in Busan, and students from 6 elementary schools, each two graded A, B, and C, where schools graded A and B refer to so-called schools with concurrent and general classes and C schools with, semi-special and special classes ones. Those schools are determined through the consideration of geographical, cultural, and environmental conditions of 48 elementary schools under Seobu Educational Office, Busan Metropolitan City. From each of the six schools, a 5th-grade class is selected. That is, 205 students from 6 classes are finally selected. Results of the study can be described as follows. First, mathematically gifted children score higher on whole attitudes about mathematics and interest, preference, and confidence in each subarea than children from schools whose location is classified as A, B, and C. Irrespective of genders, mathematically gifted children are scored higher in the whole attitudes about mathematics than children from schools classified as A, B, and C. Second, mathematically gifted children are higher in score for self-efficacy than children from schools graded A, B, and C. Regardless of gender, mathematically gifted children are scored higher in self-efficacy than other groups of children. But mathematically gifted children's score is not significantly higher than that of children form schools graded A.