• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.309-330
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• 2009

The article aims to present findings of a study which has examined the ability of elementary school mathematics teachers and of teacher-trainees in other disciplines to solve irregular challenging problems of sequences in general rather than numerical sequences only. The findings show that mathematics teachers succeed to cope with unusual assignments when the requirements of the problems presented to them are analogous to irregular problems. However, when the problems require a change in the thinking procedure in the direction of creative thinking, there is a considerable decrease in performance. Another finding shows that, although teacher-trainees succeed less in solving the presented problems, they give incorrect solutions which do indicate creative thinking. An inevitable conclusion based on the research findings is that teacher training institutions should enhance and reinforce multi-directional. branching out and creative thinking competences.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.299-308
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• 2010

The gender differences of mathematics achievement exists in many counties in the world. Some Chinese scholars think that the differences also exist in China. The researchers explain the gender differences of mathematics learning mainly from the individual psychology and education. This paper, firstly, introduces an investigation of the gender differences of mathematics achievement in grade 1-9 in three areas (Hefei urban area, Cuozhen area, and Chenji area) of Hefei in China. The investigation found that the gender differences of mathematics achievement exist but are different in these areas. Then, the results are explained from the theory of the gender socialization.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.153-170
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• 2009

Zoltan, P. Dienes is a famous researcher and practitioner who has tried to teach mathematical structures to children for about 50 years. Even though his ideas of teaching mathematics and materials including MAB have been well known in Korea, they are only a part of his achievement he has developed for his whole life. So this article is designed for taking an overview of his whole life and achievement and getting some implications for today's mathematics education. In this article, his life story could be divided by five periods in terms of a scholastic career and his research achievement could be reorganized with respect to five theses: psychology of learning mathematics, mathematical curriculum, teacher education, games and material for mathematical learning. As a result, it is found that there is a deep connection between his personal life and his scholastic career.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2002

This study explored teachers (n = 219) from northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan concerning their views about children's learning difficulties, mathematical instruction and school mathematics curricular. Results showed that teachers' mathematics knowledge or their instruction methods had no significant influence on their views of children's learning difficulties. Even though teachers indicated that understanding of abstract mathematical concepts was the most prominent difficulty for children, they tended to employ direct instruction rather than constructive and cooperative problem solving in their teaching. However, teachers' views of children's learning difficulties did influence their instructional practice. Results from in-dept interviews revealed that there were some obstacles that prevented teachers from putting constructiveism perspectives of instruction into teaching practice. Further investigation is needed to develop a better understanding of epistemology and teaming psychology as well as to help teachers create constructive learning situations.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.65-82
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• 2013

This study has to do with storytelling. In this study, analyzed the domestic and international academic literature and scientific papers. The purpose of this study is to provide the meaningful basic material on mathematics education for the development of storytelling lesson model and teaching material. First, we analyze the causes and background storytelling appeared. The psychologists found that the human cognition's structure consists of a narrative system. And, We realize that the problem 'How will attract the attention of the students in math class' will be solved by storytelling. Second, the means of storytelling about the educational value and benefits were discussed in Mathematics Education. The story has a powerful force in the delivery of mathematical content. And, the story has strong power, led to feelings of students receiving transfer mathematical content. Finally, examined the characteristics of the psychology of learning in mathematics education by storytelling. We were studied about internal and external story. And, we studies on storytelling as the mediator, story as the knowledge transfer, story as the problem-solving process, story as the script.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.125-143
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• 2002

The concept of "set" in school mathematics has undergone many changes according to the revision of curriculum and the transition of the paradigm in mathematics education. In the discipline-centered curriculum, a set was a representative concept which reflected the spirit of New Math. After the Back to Basics period, the significance of a set concept in school mathematics has been diminished. First, this paper elaborated several controversial aspects of the terms related to set, such as a collection and a set, a subset, and an empty set. In addition, the changes of the significance imposed to a set concept in school mathematics were investigated. Finally, this paper provided two alternative approaches to introduce and explain a set concept which emphasized both mathematical rigor and learner's psychology.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.173-187
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• 2002

The purpose of this study through ethnographic inquiry is to describe how an elementary teacher teaches mathematics with understanding. The ways that teachers'beliefs affect instructional activities, what means understanding from the view of cognitive psychology, and ethnographic research tradition were reviewed to anchor theoretical background of this study. A third-grade teacher and his 45 students were selected in order to capture vivid and thick descriptions of the teaching and learning activities of mathematics. Three major sources of data, that is, participant-observation with video taping, formal and informal interviews with the teacher and his students, and a variety of official documents were collected. These data were analyzed through two phases: data analysis in the field and after the fieldwork. According to data analysis, ‘teaching mathematics with understanding’ was identified as the teachers central belief of teaching mathematics. In order to implement his belief in teaching practices, the teacher made use of three strategies: ⑴ valuing individual student's own way of understanding, ⑵ bring students' everyday experiences into mathematics classroom, and ⑶ lesson objectivies stated by students. It is suggested for future research that concrete and specific norms of mathematics classroom for the improvement of mathematics understanding are needed to be identified and that experienced and skillful teachers' practical knowledge should be incorporated with theories of teaching mathematics and necessarily paid more attention by mathematics educators.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.495-508
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• 2005

This study focused on what philosophy of education based on theory of Dewey has to be involved in teacher professional development program. In this view, an attempt was made to identify characteristics and ultimate goal of professional development program. Finally, this paper also discussed the design and the process of the professional development program based on the principles of reflective thinking and psychological observation by Dewey in order to connect theory with practice as a model which is for conducting professional development program for a group of mathematics teachers.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.523-542
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• 2002

The matter of understanding mathematical concepts in learning mathematics is one of the most important issues in mathematics education. There have been so many studies about it but the more practical study has been asked. When we Think using intuitional models such as examples, figures of speech, situations and activities, it is supposed that the major elements of cognitive mechanism are prototypes, analogies, metaphors and metonymies. In this paper, we tried to examine Rosch's prototype theory, the studies about analogies in congnitive psychology, Lakoff and Johnson's metaphor theory from the viewpoint of teaching mathematics, and then tried to analyze examples, analogies, analogical transfers, metaphorical expressions, metonymies in middle school mathematics text books used in Korea now.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.203-218
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to see what the essential characteristics are in teaching probability and statistics among various mathematical fields. we also tried to connect the study of probability and statistics education with what is needed for a science be synthetic to have its own identity as a unique research field. Since we searched for the future direction of the pedagogic study in the probability and statistics we first selected papers on probability and statistics published in (Series A), the Journal of Korea Society of Mathematical Education, and establish the following research questions. What kinds of characteristics can be found when papers on probability and statistics published in (Series A) are classified into low categories; contents of probability and statistics education, research method of the mathematics education, methods of teaming and teaching, and finally measurements and evaluation\ulcorner We classified papers into two kinds. One is related to the educational contents, consisting of the methods of learning and teaching, and of the measurement and evaluation. The other is reined to the methods of research, which is not a part of the educational curriculum but is essential for establishing the identity of mathematics education. According to the periods, papers on the curricular contents in 1960s were influenced by the New Mathematics, and papers on the curricular contents in 1980s were influenced by 'back to basic'. In 1990s, papers on methods of learning and teaching, and measurement md evaluation were increasing in number. Besides, (series A) from the Journal of Korea Society of Mathematical Education covers contents, methods of Loaming and teaching, and measurement and evaluation. And when I examined the papers on the contents of textbook of a junior high school related to the probability and statistics education and on methods of learning and teaching, 1 found that those papers occupy 1.84% in . When it comes to the methods of loaming and teaching, most of studies in (series A) are about application of concrete implement like experiment and practical application of computer programs, Through this study, I found that over-all and more active researches on probability and statistics are required and that the studies about methods of loaming and teaching must be made in diverse directions. It is needed that how students recognize probability and statistics, connection, communication and representation in probability and statistics context, too. (series A) does not have papers on methods of study. Mathematics pedagogy is a mixture of various studies - mathematical psychology, mathematical philosophy, the history of mathematics and Mathematics. So If there doesn't exist a proper method of study adequate in the situation for the mathematics education the issue of mathematics pedagogy might be taken its own place by that of other studies'. We must search for the unique method of study fur mathematics education so that mathematics pedagogy has its own identity as a study. The study concerning this aspect is needed.