• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.435-455
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• 2015

This study is aimed at analyzing the level change and features of mathematical communication in elementary students' expository writing. 20 students of 5th graders of elementary school in Seoul were given expository writing activity for 14 lessons and their worksheets was analyzed through four categories; the accuracy of the mathematical language, logicality of process and results, specificity of content, achieving the reader-oriented. This study reached the following results. First, The level of expository writing about concepts and principles was gradually improved. But the level of expository writing about problem solving process is not same. Middle class level was lower than early class, and showed a high variation in end class again. Second, features of mathematical communication in expository writing were solidity of knowledge through a mathematical language, elaboration of logic based on the writing, value of the thinking process to reach a result, the clarification of the content to deliver himself and the reader. Therefore, this study has obtained the conclusion that expository writing is worth keeping the students' thinking process and can improve the mathematical communication skills.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.105-129
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• 2016

The elements of mathematical processes include mathematical reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, and mathematical communications. Proportion reasoning is a kind of mathematical reasoning which is closely related to the ratio and percent concepts. Proportion reasoning is the essence of primary mathematics, and a basic mathematical concept required for the following more-complicated concepts. Therefore, the study aims to analyze the proportion reasoning ability of sixth graders of primary school who have already learned the ratio and percent concepts. To allow teachers to quickly recognize and help students who have difficulty solving a proportion reasoning problem, this study analyzed the characteristics and patterns of proportion reasoning of sixth graders of primary school. The purpose of this study is to provide implications for learning and teaching of future proportion reasoning of higher levels. In order to solve these study tasks, proportion reasoning problems were developed, and a total of 22 sixth graders of primary school were asked to solve these questions for a total of twice, once before and after they learned the ratio and percent concepts included in the 2009 revised mathematical curricula. Students' strategies and levels of proportional reasoning were analyzed by setting up the four different sections and classifying and analyzing the patterns of correct and wrong answers to the questions of each section. The results are followings; First, the 6th graders of primary school were able to utilize various proportion reasoning strategies depending on the conditions and patterns of mathematical assignments given to them. Second, most of the sixth graders of primary school remained at three levels of multiplicative reasoning. The most frequently adopted strategies by these sixth graders were the fraction strategy, the between-comparison strategy, and the within-comparison strategy. Third, the sixth graders of primary school often showed difficulty doing relative comparison. Fourth, the sixth graders of primary school placed the greatest concentration on the numbers given in the mathematical questions.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.309-341
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• 2017

This study aims to investigate an approach to teach percentages in elementary mathematics class by analyzing calculating strategies with percentage the students use to solve the percentage tasks and their percentages of correct answers, as well as types of errors with percentages the students make. For this research 182 sixth graders were examined. The instrument test consists of various task types in reference to the previous study; the percentages tasks are divided into algebraic-geometric, part whole-comparison-change and find part-find whole-find percentage tasks. According to the analysis of this study, percentages of correct answers of students with percentage tasks were lower than we expected, approximately 50%. Comparing the percentages of correct answers according to the task types, the part-whole tasks are higher than the comparison and change tasks, the geometric tasks are approximately equal to the algebraic tasks, and the find percentage tasks are higher than the find whole and find part tasks. As to the strategies that students employed, the percentage of using the formal strategy is not much higher than that of using the informal strategy, even after learning the formal strategy. As an insightful approach for teaching percentages, based on the study results, it is suggested to reinforce the meaning of percentage, include various types of the comparison and change tasks, emphasize the informal strategy explicitly using models prior to the formal strategy, and understand the relations among part, whole and percentage throughly in various percentage situations before calculating.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.401-420
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• 2010

The purpose of this research is to find out effectiveness of geometry learning through spatial reasoning activities on mathematical problem solving ability and mathematical attitude. In order to proof this research problem, the controlled experiment was done on two groups of 6th graders in N elementary school; one group went through the geometry learning style through spatial reasoning activities, and the other group went through the general geometry learning style. As a result, the experimental group and the comparing group on mathematical problem solving ability have statistically meaningful difference. However, the experimental group and the comparing group have not statistically meaningful difference on mathematical attitude. But the mathematical attitude in the experimental group has improved clearly after all the process of experiment. With these results we came up with this conclusion. First, the geometry learning through spatial reasoning activities enhances the ability of analyzing, spatial sensibility and logical ability, which is effective in increasing the mathematical problem solving ability. Second, the geometry learning through spatial reasoning activities enhances confidence in problem solving and an interest in mathematics, which has a positive influence on the mathematical attitude.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.453-475
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• 2007

School algebra starts with introducing algebraic expressions which have been one of the cognitive obstacles to the students in the transfer from arithmetic to algebra. In the recent studies on the teaching school algebra, algebraic thinking is getting much more attention together with algebraic expressions. In this paper, we examined the processes of the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and ways for teaching early algebra through algebraic thinking factors. Issues about algebraic thinking have continued since 1980's. But the theoretic foundations for algebraic thinking have not been founded in the previous studies. In this paper, we analyzed the algebraic thinking in school algebra from historico-genetic, epistemological, and symbolic-linguistic points of view, and identified algebraic thinking factors, i.e. the principle of permanence of formal laws, the concept of variable, quantitative reasoning, algebraic interpretation - constructing algebraic expressions, trans formational reasoning - changing algebraic expressions, operational senses - operating algebraic expressions, substitution, etc. We also identified these algebraic thinking factors through analyzing mathematics textbooks of elementary and middle school, and showed the middle school students' low achievement relating to these factors through the algebraic thinking ability test. Based upon these analyses, we argued that the readiness for algebra learning should be made through the processes including algebraic thinking factors in the elementary school and that the transfer from arithmetic to algebra should be accomplished naturally through the pre-algebra course. And we searched for alternative ways to improve algebra curriculums, emphasizing algebraic thinking factors. In summary, we identified the problems of school algebra relating to the transfer from arithmetic to algebra with the problem of teaching algebraic thinking and analyzed the algebraic thinking factors of school algebra, and searched for alternative ways for improving the transfer from arithmetic to algebra and the teaching of early algebra.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 1992

The primary purpose of the present study is to provide the sources to improve the mathematical problem solving performance by analyzing the effects of the belief systems and the misconceptions of the middle school students in solving the problems. To attain the purpose of this study, the reserch is designed to find out the belief systems of the middle school students in solving the mathematical problems, to analyze the effects of the belief systems and the attitude on the process of the problem solving, and to identify the misconceptions which are observed in the problem solving. The sample of 295 students (boys 145, girls 150) was drawn out of 9th grade students from three middle schools selected in the Kangdong district of Seoul. Three kinds of tests were administered in the present study: the tests to investigate (1) the belief systems, (2) the mathematical problem solving performance, and (3) the attitude in solving mathematical problems. The frequencies of each of the test items on belief systems and attitude, and the scores on the problem solving performance test were collected for statistical analyses. The protocals written by all subjects on the paper sheets to investigate the misconceptions were analyzed. The statistical analysis has been tabulated on the scale of 100. On the analysis of written protocals, misconception patterns has been identified. The conclusions drawn from the results obtained in the present study are as follows; First, the belief systems in solving problems is splited almost equally, 52.95% students with the belief vs 47.05% students with lack of the belief in their efforts to tackle the problems. Almost half of them lose their belief in solving the problems as soon as they given. Therefore, it is suggested that they should be motivated with the mathematical problems derived from the daily life which drew their interests, and the individual difference should be taken into account in teaching mathematical problem solving. Second. the students who readily approach the problems are full of confidence. About 56% students of all subjects told that they enjoyed them and studied hard, while about 26% students answered that they studied bard because of the importance of the mathematics. In total, 81.5% students built their confidence by studying hard. Meanwhile, the students who are poor in mathematics are lack of belief. Among are the students accounting for 59.4% who didn't remember how to solve the problems and 21.4% lost their interest in mathematics because of lack of belief. Consequently, the internal factor accounts for 80.8%. Thus, this suggests both of the cognitive and the affective objectives should be emphasized to help them build the belief on mathematical problem solving. Third, the effects of the belief systems in problem solving ability show that the students with high belief demonstrate higher ability despite the lack of the memory of the problem solving than the students who depend upon their memory. This suggests that we develop the mathematical problems which require the diverse problem solving strategies rather than depend upon the simple memory. Fourth, the analysis of the misconceptions shows that the students tend to depend upon the formula or technical computation rather than to approach the problems with efforts to fully understand them This tendency was generally observed in the processes of the problem solving. In conclusion, the students should be taught to clearly understand the mathematical concepts and the problems requiring the diverse strategies should be developed to improve the mathematical abilities.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.393-419
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• 2020

Trigonometry allows us to recognize the usefulness of mathematics through connection with real life and other disciplines, and lays the foundation for the concept of higher mathematics through connection with trigonometric functions. Since international comparisons on the trigonometry area of textbooks can give implications to trigonometry teaching and learning in Korea, this study attempted to compare trigonometry in textbooks in Korea, Australia and Finland. In this study, through the horizontal and vertical analysis presented by Charalambous et al.(2010), the objectives of the curriculum, content system, achievement standards, learning timing of trigonometry content, learning paths, and context of problems were analyzed. The order of learning in which the three countries expanded size of angle was similar, and there was a difference in the introduction of trigonometric functions and the continuity of grades dealing with trigonometry. In the learning path of textbooks on the definition method of trigonometric ratios, the unit circle method was developed from the triangle method to the trigonometric function. However, in Korea, after the explanation using the quadrant in middle school, the general angle and trigonometric functions were studied without expanding the angle. As a result of analyzing the context of the problem, the proportion of problems without context was the highest in all three countries, and the rate of camouflage context problem was twice as high in Korea as in Australia or Finland. Through this, the author suggest to include the unit circle method in the learning path in Korea, to present a problem that can emphasize the real-life context, to utilize technological tools, and to reconsider the ways and areas of the curriculum that deal with trigonometry.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.283-308
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• 2021

This study aims to analyze statistical tasks in Korean and Singaporean textbooks with the mathematical modeling perspective and compare the learning contents and experiences of students from both countries. I analyzed mathematical modeling tasks in the textbooks based on five aspects: (1) the mathematical modeling process, (2) the data type, (3) the expression type, (4) the context, and (5) the mathematical activity. The results of this study show that Korean and Singaporean textbooks provide the highest percentage of the "working-with-mathematics" task, the highest percentage of the "matching task," and the highest percentage of the "picture" task. The real-world context and mathematical activities used in Korean and Singaporean textbooks differed in percentage. This study provides implications for the development of textbook tasks to support future mathematical modeling activities. This includes providing a balanced experience in mathematical modeling processes and presenting tasks in various forms of expression to raise students' cognitive level and expand the opportunity to experience meaningful mathematizing. In addition, it is necessary to present a contextually realistic task for students' interest in mathematical modeling activities or motivation for learning.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.369-390
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• 2021

It would be reasonable as a teacher to make efforts not only to reflect on the class on their own but also to improve the teacher' teaching e pertise by reflecting on the class with fellow teachers through lesson reflection sharing. This paper attempted to develop a lesson reflective framework that can provide standards and focus for lesson reflection and lesson sharing. First, based on the class evaluation criteria of previous studies, class reflection elements and a draft of lesson reflection were prepared. In a class conducted on 27 third graders at C High School where the co-researcher worked as a teacher, four peer teachers at the same high school were required to write personal opinions on the class based on the draft of lesson reflection. Based on this, lesson sharing was conducted, and modifications of the lesson reflection framework were developed by analyzing the case of class sharing. The implications of this paper indicate the need to clarify the perspective of viewing the lesson by sharing the intention of each question in advance. In addition to writing lesson reflections, it is necessary to share classes simultaneously.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.279-295
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• 2022

This study was conducted to present implications for mathematics education by identifying the structural relationship among personality, negative emotion, motivation, and career maturity that affects elementary school student's mathematical academic achievement. The participants conveniently sampled 179 students, from 4th to 6th graders enrolled in the same elementary school, and data on their psychological variables were collected in the form of secondary data. The hypothetical structural equation model established based on prior studies was verified with a two-stage approach based on the collected data. It was confirmed that construct validity and construct reliability were secured through assessing the measurement model. In addition, as a result of analyzing the path coefficient of the final structural equation model, five paths were found to be significant: 'personality→motivation', 'personality→career maturity', 'negative emotion→motivation', and 'negative motivation→mathematical academic achievement'. In particular, the path of 'negative emotion→negative motivation→mathematics academic achievement' that can be confirmed through the results needs to moderate negative emotions to improve mathematical academic achievement, and at this time, negative motivation should be considered together.