• The Mathematical Education
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.389-403
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• 2020

This study aims to examine how information processing competency as one of the mathematical competencies has been interpreted and applied in mathematics education by analyzing tasks in middle school mathematics textbooks under the 2015 revised national curriculum. Based on the sub-elements of information processing competency organized by Park et al.(2015), we analyzed 191 tasks in 30 different middle school mathematics textbooks using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Also, we investigated the meaning of information processing competency embedded in the tasks by distinguishing the characteristics of several different types of tasks. The results from this study showed that the number of tasks related to information processing competency in mathematics textbooks was too small and there was a huge difference across the textbooks in terms of the sub-elements. Even though there were four sub-elements of information processing competency, 'the use of manipulative and technological tools' was extremely dominant in the tasks in general. Even many of them used technology and manipulatives superficially. Furthermore, any textbook did not provide tasks dealing with all the four sub-elements. Such an unbalanced and fragmented approach to information processing competency could produce biased knowledge and insufficient experiences for information processing competency. It calls for further investigation and discussion about how to improve information processing competency in school mathematics.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.629-639
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• 2011

Currently science and technology are changing so fast and college mathematics becomes more and more important. But the downturn of freshmen's scholastic performance has been intensified and this phenomenon leads to serious problems in managing college curriculums. During the recent years at a middle level engineering college, many freshmen had a lot of difficulties in their mathematics courses. In consequence, many of them had hard time to survive at their major curriculums. In this point of view, we analyse the situation of mathematical scholastic ability among engineering majored freshmen through the research on the actual state of mathematical background, mathematical scholastic ability test, college mathematics scores, and scholastic aptitude test scores. We study the relation between the mathematics score of scholastic aptitude test for the college entrance and mathematical scholastic ability of freshmen of a middle level engineering college. From this study we conclude that the essential reasons for the above situations are the curriculum of middle school mathematics and the system of scholastic aptitude test and the entrance examination of university. In order for improving mathematical accomplishment. we give suggestions such as a learning ability improvement program in mathematics.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.44 no.1 s.108
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• pp.1-14
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• 2005

This study analyzed the differences in the contents as well as in the methods of development and presentation of learning contents in Korean and German mathematics textbooks for middle school students. For the research we investigated only the area of geometry, and in particular this study performed in-depth analysis concerning 4 subjects; namely congruences of triangles, special points in a triangle, similarity of figures and the theorem of Pythagoras.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.265-274
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• 2007

The middle school mathematics teachers of the countryside in western China have little chance to further their education and strengthen their research abilities. In this program, we should offer them chance to learn new educational ideas and teaching methods. There will be demonstration lectures and video teaching of course standards followed by group discussion and personalized instructions. These activities prepare the teachers to give their own demonstration lectures. This again is followed by additional personalized instructions. The teachers come to the program with very limited knowledge of these techniques but will leave with the ability to write educational scientific research papers.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.923-951
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• 2009

In this paper, we have analyzed the term examinations on quadratic equations and functions in middle schools based on the object of evaluations given by the ministry of education, science and technology of Korea.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.325-354
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• 2020

This study utilized longitudinal data from the 2013 year (Secondary Middle School) to 2017 year (Secondary High School) of the Seoul Education Termination Study. Using the latent growth model and the piecewise growth model, we investigated the changes in mathematics academic achievement, internal factors(self-concept, self-control, self-assessment of life satisfaction), and external factors(school climate, guardians) as students' grades increased, and examined whether internal factors and external factors influence the changes in mathematics academic achievement. We examined whether internal and external factors influence the change in academic achievement. As a result of analysis, it was found that mathematics academic achievement remained unchanged from the first grade of middle school to the second grade of middle school, and steadily increased from the second grade of middle school to the first grade of high school, and then decreased slightly in the second grade of high school. The internal and external factors had little change. It has been found that self-concept, self-control as internal factors, and school climate as external factors influence changes in mathematics academic achievement.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to examine the mathematical creativity problem-solving ability of middle school students gifted in mathematics. For this research, we examined and analyzed the responses to two multiple solution problems of the gifted students with classifying the four categories; fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration which are the factors of the creativity, and comparing with responses of usual students.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.295-310
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• 2011

Teachers' attitudes and beliefs are related to teaching practices and are dependent upon their teaching domain. The present study compares conceptual models of creative student oriented teaching practices of mathematics teachers in two OECD countries, South Korea and Turkey to provide an insight for teacher educators and policy makers. Teaching and Learning International Survey 2008 (TALIS 2008) data are used to test the fit of a path analysis model with a subsample of l337 middle school mathematics teachers ($N_{Korea}$ = 562 vs. $N_{Turkey}$ = 775). The study showed that Turkish teachers were younger and less experienced, whereas Korean teachers were better educated. Despite the statistical differences in attitudes, beliefs and practices between countries, it was found that the teaching practices of mathematics teachers in both countries were more complex than to be explained only through attitudes and beliefs.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.77-89
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• 2017

Although it is not necessary to have much mathematical knowledge in Major Courses of Animal Resources curriculums in agricultural high school, the function of mathematics class has a much effect on Major Courses. Therefore, we extracted the mathematics contents included in Major Courses of Animal Resources curriculums in agricultural high school, and also evaluated students' understanding according to the description method in textbooks of Major Courses. Furthermore, we analyzed students' preference about the description method in textbooks related to the Major Courses. As a result, it turns out that the level of mathematics contents of Animal Resources major curriculums does not break bounds of middle school level. Furthermore, many students are not able to solve the middle school level of problems. It is also shown that the most preferred description method in textbooks of Animal Resources major curriculums is the sentence-equation mixed type. In this study, we propose to reconstruct the mathematics contents with basic knowledge needed to complete the Major Courses in order that students can complete them more easily, and furthermore, to choose the description method in textbooks of Major Courses as sentence-equation mixed type and detailed explanation about terms should be included into the bargain.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-59
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• 2016

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate differences among two gifted middle school students emerging through the process of algebra word problem solving from the covariational perspective. We collected the data from four middle school students participating in the mentorship program for gifted students of mathematics and found out differences between Junghee and Donghee in solving problems involving varying rates of change. This study focuses on their actions to solve and to generalize the problems situations involving constant and varying rates of change. The results indicate that their covariational reasoning played a significant role in their algebra word problem solving.