• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.403-430
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to investigate how the use of graphing calculators influence on forming students' mathematical concept of algebra, students' mathematical connection, and attitude toward mathematics. First, graphing calculators give instant feedback to students as they make students compare their written answers with the results, which helps students learn equations and linear inequalities for themselves. In respect of quadratic inequalities they help students to correct wrong concepts and understand fundamental concepts, and with regard to functions students can draw graphs more easily using graphing calculators, which means that the difficulty of drawing graphs can not be hindrance to student's learning functions. Moreover students could understand functions intuitively by using graphing calculators and explored math problems volunteerly. As a result, students were able to perceive faster the concepts of functions that they considered difficult and remain the concepts in their mind for a long time. Second, most of students could not think of connection among equations, equalities and functions. However, they could understand the connection among equations, equalities and functions more easily. Additionally students could focus on changing the real life into the algebraic expression by modeling without the fear of calculating, which made students relieve the burden of calculating and realize the usefulness of mathematics through the experience of solving the real-life problems. Third, we identified the change of six students' attitude through preliminary and an ex post facto attitude test. Five of six students came to have positive attitude toward mathematics, but only one student came to have negative attitude. However, all of the students showed positive attitude toward using graphing calculators in math class. That's because they could have more interest in mathematics by the strengthened and visualization of graphing calculators which helped them understand difficult algebraic concepts, which gave them a sense of achievement. Also, students could relieve the burden of calculating and have confidence. In a conclusion, using graphing calculators in algebra and function class has many advantages : formulating mathematics concepts, mathematical connection, and enhancing positive attitude toward mathematics. Therefore we need more research of the effect of using calculators, practical classroom materials, instruction models and assessment tools for graphing calculators. Lastly We need to make the classroom environment more adequate for using graphing calculators in math classes.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

The purpose of this study came to start to be helpful in that the teachers in field produced evaluation subject about the mathematics and applied by analyzing the performance capacity for the students about the subject developed through the application of subject about the teaching-learning model that can utilize the learners' learning experience and the development of items that can evaluate it by utilizing various and concrete operational materials as an object of the first year at the middle schools. The concrete purpose of realizing it is as follows. 1. This study is to develop the teaching-learning model centered on activities adequate to utilize various and concrete operational materials. 2. This study is to develop evaluation data for utilizing the concrete operational materials by making construction through the application of developed teaching-learning model as possible. 3. This study is to present standards initiative for reliable and fair marking about the evaluation data and to analyze the students' practice capacity by using it effectively. For accomplishing the purpose of this research, this study is the work-oriented teaching and learning model using learning data that can be easily found around the surroundings and 8 evaluation programs in order that the experience-oriented learning based on circumstances learning among the learning models of constructivism. Also, it is to examine the result after applying that on a basis of 25 students, consisted of only on class in a year, in the first year at the small size of agricultural middle schools. The result of this study from this research is as follows. First, as a result of frequency survey, of response about the developed evaluation data it showed positive response more than 80% of all the items. The atmosphere of self-directed learning was produced because the developed evaluation data could induce activity-based learning naturally by stimulating the students' curiosity and promoting interest. Second, this study executed t-test for the result of questionnaire about the mathematics propensity, and there were significant differences in 19 items among 25 items. It presented that the application of data about the teaching-learning and evaluation directly using concrete operational materials to the constructional learning by level might have desirable affect on the students' mathematical propensity. It came to be a motive that could increase value recognition and interest on the subject of mathematics by investigating a mathematical principle rule and confirming it through activity learning using the concrete operational materials.