• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.747-764
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• 2017

Problems in mathematics textbooks are very important because there is a high reliance on textbooks in elementary school mathematics classes and there is a strong belief that mathematics is to find the solution to problems. Considering this importance, we analyzed problems in elementary mathematics textbooks quantitatively and qualitatively. Concretely, problems of addition and subtraction with carry on in the range of two digit numbers in the mathematics textbooks from the 1st to the 2015 national revised curriculum were analyzed. As a result, the problems in each textbook were found to reveal important features of the textbook reflecting changes in curriculum and educational background. And the problem of textbooks has changed in the direction of enhancing students' reasoning, communication, and problem solving ability. Based on these results, we suggested several implications for dealing with problems in elementary mathematics textbooks.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.135-160
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• 2017

Since mathematics textbooks for 6th graders based on the 2009 revised national curriculum were applied to the site, there has been a note pointing out that the unit of 'ratio and rate' causes some learning difficulties. This implies the necessity of search for desirable methods of organizing the unit of ratio and rate in mathematics textbooks. This study analyzed and compared Korean and foreign mathematics textbooks on ratio and rate longitudinally and horizontally, respectively. For longitudinal analysis, we selected the mathematics textbooks according to the national curriculum since the 5th one. For horizontal analysis, we took the mathematics textbooks of Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Finland. In each textbook, the contents and the order in relation to ratio and rate, the definitions of terminology, and the methods for introducing related concepts are set as the analysis framework. The results of analysis revealed many characteristics and the differences in ways of dealing contents about ratio and rate. Based on these results, we suggested some implications for writing the unit of ratio and rate in elementary mathematics textbooks.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.461-482
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the elementary pre-service teachers' perspectives on the use of the elementary mathematics textbooks by observing mathematics classes at the schools and to present suggestions on the use of textbooks in the mathematics classes. For this study, let 54 pre-service elementary school teachers observe a total of 54 classes (1,299 students) in the first through sixth grades at 15 areas in Seoul city. With the observations of the mathematics classes, the researcher analyzed the pre-service elementary teachers' perspectives on the use of resources including mathematics textbooks in the elementary mathematics classes. As a result of the study, the pre-service teachers recognized that mathematics textbooks are the main material for mathematics classes, but they think that they need to reconstruct the contents of the textbooks for effective teaching and learning mathematics. In addition, various additional materials need to be used in order to help students learn mathematics more effectively, including by differentiated materials. Also, instruments used in the classes were mainly consisted of TV and PPT data. Pre-service teachers were not much satisfied with the contents of the elementary mathematics textbooks. However, they did not feel the need for development of digital textbooks. The researcher suggested a long term research on how to use study materials such as textbooks within the overall mechanism of teaching and learning processes. Also, practical teacher education programs that include applications of textbooks at schools are necessary in order to improve the quality of mathematics teaching and learning.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.241-256
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• 2022

Practical Mathematics is one of the career elective subjects in the 2015 revised mathematics curriculum for high school. This study examined how well the practical mathematics textbooks reflect the recommendations and visions suggested by related professions and organizations with respect to career preparation, especially for students enrolling in engineering industry-focused specialized high schools. Also, this study looked more closely into the contents of practical mathematics in terms of the consistency among different textbooks and the advancement from middle school contents in similar domains.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 2000

There seems to be a public consensus that the content of Korean mathematics textbooks is extensive and of a high level of difficulty. However, such judgment is the result of a generalization based on individual experience or on the results from comparisons of the international levels of achievement. Therefore, a more objective and stricter approach to the determination of the quantity and level of difficulty of mathematics content is necessary. For this purpose, this study has compared the content of Koreas 6th and 7th junior high school curriculums, and the Korean mathematics curriculum to textbooks of the United States, which has a considerable influence on the making of Korean mathematics textbooks. First of all, a comparison of Koreas 6th and 7th junior high school mathematics curriculums showed a slight reduction in the total quantity of content, as more content was deleted than was added in the 7th curriculum. However, given the fact that the number of hours of mathematics classes has been reduced, the reduction in content cannot be regarded as anything more than a simple reflection of the reduction in hours, proving that the 7th curriculum has not met its revision objective of reducing the content by 30%. Meanwhile, the comparison of the United States junior high school mathematics textbooks to Korea's 7th curriculum showed that the 7th grade content in the United States was much broader, encompassing content which in Korea ranged from the 2nd grade of elementary school to the 2nd year of junior high school. Therefore, on the surface, it may appear that the overall level of content in the American mathematics textbook is lower than that of the Korean. However, there are several cafes, such as statistics and probability, where certain content was more difficult and introduced at an earlier grade in the United States than in Korea. In fact, it can be said that Korea students tend to find content of the mathematics textbooks to be harder than they actually are because they are delivered as a mere aggregate of algorithms, with little consideration to its application in their everyday lives. In this respect, there is much room for improvement on the mathematics textbooks of Korea.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.135-155
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• 2014

In this paper, we adapted the frame by Lee et al (2013) to investigate to what extent the Korean mathematics textbooks for the 7th graders adapt the principles of Yungbokhap education. The analysis suggests that the textbooks mostly adapt the competence to use language, symbols and texts interactively, and to use knowledge and information interactively. Among the competencies for interacting in heterogeneous groups, the textbooks included the competences to related well to others and to cooperatively work in teams. The competence for acting autonomously was least adapted in the textbooks. The most tasks in the textbooks adapted the monodisciplinary integration and the personal contexts for integration. The results of this research show that Korean mathematics textbooks are limited in implementing the principal dimensions of Yungbokhap education. In the future development of mathematics textbooks, it is necessary to consider how to further reflect the various dimensions of Yungbokhap education to promote students' creativity and autonomy in mathematics class.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.143-161
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• 2010

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the example spaces related with the concepts of triangles in the 2nd grade Korean elementary mathematics textbooks, investigate the meaning of example spaces, and suggest the implications to teaching and learning geometrical concepts in the elementary schools. Mathematics textbooks are usually major materials in teaching and learning mathematics in Korea, and the content of the textbooks affects the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. The results of the study showed that the Korean elementary textbooks provided examples with limited example spaces concerning the concepts of triangles. The researcher suggested that we should provide rich examples spaces, encourage learner-generated example spaces, and strengthen the connections of examples between in textbooks and in the classroom.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.263-289
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• 2017

New mathematics textbooks for elementary school students are under development according to the 2015 national revised curriculum. Not only contents but also framework of textbooks may be interesting to the mathematics educators and researchers. Considering the high dependency on textbooks in elementary classrooms, the influence of the framework of textbooks in mathematics learning cannot be overlooked. The unit and lesson frameworks of the textbook are important because they are directly related to the quality of mathematic lessons, especially when teachers make a lesson plan based on the unit and lesson frameworks of the textbook. This study is to analyse the unit and lesson frameworks of elementary school mathematics textbooks and to find out elementary school teachers' preference about its analysed key points. For longitudinal analysis, we selected 3rd-grade mathematics textbooks of 5th, 6th, 7th, the 2007, and the 2009 national revised curriculums. For horizontal analysis, we selected 3rd-grade mathematics textbooks of Korea, Japan, United States and Finland. We compared unit and lesson frameworks of various textbooks, and abstracted key elements of the textbook frameworks, and constructed survey questions. Looking at results from survey questions based on analysed key points, we were able to grasp the teachers' preference for unit and lesson frameworks for mathematics textbook. Based on the results of this study, some implications for the development of framework for new mathematics textbooks are suggested.

• School Mathematics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2002

The purpose of this thesis is, through analysing the characteristics of the definitions in Korean school mathematics textbooks, to explore the levels of them. Definitions use din academic mathematics are rigorous. But they should be transformed into various types, which are presented in school mathematics textbooks, with didactical purposes. In this thesis we investigated such types of transformation. With the result of this investigation we tried to identify the levels of the definitions in school mathematics textbooks. We tried to construct, with consideration about methods of definition, frame for analysing the types of the definitions in school mathematics. Methods of definition are classified as connotative method, denotative method, and synonymous method. Especially we identified that connotative method contains logical definition, genetic definition, relational definition, operational definition, and axiomatic definition. With these analyses we made a frame for investigating the characteristics of the definitions in school mathematics textbooks. With this frame we identified concrete types of transformations of methods of definition. We tried to analyse this result with van Hieles' theory about let·els of geometry learning and the mathematical language levels described by Freudenthal, and identify the levels of definitions in school mathematics. We showed the levels of definitions in the geometry area of the Korean school mathematics.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate elementary school teachers' interest in mathematics textbooks following the new change in the publication system for elementary mathematics textbooks. To achieve this, an online survey platform was used to conduct a survey of elementary school teachers in teaching grade 3-4 across the country, and the responses of 199 participants were analyzed to determine their interest in mathematics textbooks. The research results showed that elementary school teachers had high levels of interest in mathematics textbooks, particularly in informational and personal interest. Moreover, the stages at which teachers showed the highest level of interest were reinforcement interest and operational interest. Analysis of the differences in interest in mathematics textbooks based on personal variables showed significant differences depending on the teacher's experience in mathematics education training, satisfaction with mathematics textbooks, and whether they majored in mathematics education. Based on these findings, it can be inferred that elementary school teachers have a high level of informational interest in the characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and materials related to authorized and approved mathematics textbooks, and their high level of personal interest in mathematics textbooks can have a positive effect in line with the goal of the new textbook system. Additionally, since many teachers showed a high level of interest in reinforcement interest, it is necessary to devise various ways to support teachers' creative use and reconstruction of mathematics textbooks.