• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.139-149
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• 2014

Much research has been conducted in educational robot, a new instructional technology, for K- 12 education. Several studies have shown that educational robot provides effective learning opportunities for students in both content areas of STEM(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and critical academic skills, such as collaboration, problem solving and communication skills. However, most studies to date on applications of educational robots have been conducted outside the formal education setting. This study analyzed the influence of using robots in an elementary school science class in Korea with regard to science learning motivation. A total of 121 students in fourth and fifth grades participated in the study. The experimental group was taught using robots in the science class, while the control group was taught using traditional methods. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to compare the between-group differences in learning motivation before and after the experiment; an interview was also conducted for the experimental group. The study results showed a significant improvement (p<.05) in both learning motivation in the experimental compared with the control group. There was also positive response to learning with a robot. This study will play an important role in research on the use of educational robot in formal education in the future.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.717-754
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• 2015

As a design research, this study aims to identify students' collaborative problems solving patterns using the Wiki and design factors triggering MKB(mathematical knowledge building) in virtual environment. For 70 days, 14 Korean secondary gifted students, who enrolled in calculus II courses in one of gifted institutions in Korea, solved 10 math problems together using the Wiki. In this study, I considered five design factors; motivation, practice of LaTeX, norms of participation, epistemic agency, and two types of educational settings. The primary pattern emergent in students' collaborative problem solving process is identified as 'solutions and refutations' along the double helix consisting of the constructive line and the critical line, which is very similar to the pattern of 'Conjectures and Refutations'(Lakatos, 1976). Despite that most participants had difficulty in using LaTeX for mathematical expressions, this study shows that Wikis are valuable tools for providing Korean secondary students opportunities to learn social virtue such as humility and courage (Lampert, 1990), which is considered to be have been neglected in Korean educational environment but is emphasized as precious for doing mathematics in the field of mathematics education.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.403-420
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• 2016

Some of the critical changes in the revised 2015 Korean Mathematics curriculum were that direct proportion and inverse proportion were moved from elementary school to middle school and that supplementary content related to correlation was included. These decisions were based on comparative studies of international curriculum. Therefore in this study, we selected countries for comparison; United States, England, France, Finland, Australia, Japan, Singapore, China and Taiwan. We looked into the timing and scope for direct/inverse proportion and correlation in curricula of these countries. Along with this, we established four criteria; vertical sequence, horizontal sequence, external connection, and internal connection for an analysis framework. Then we compared and analysed the direct/inverse proportion and correlation in each curriculum. As a result, in most of these curricula, the direct/inverse proportions are introduced at middle school or are introduced at elementary school and then developed further at middle school. Most of curriculums on direct/inverse proportion and correlation match the four criteria. Correlation is introduced in high school mathematics in all counties except Finland and it is dealt in diverse context introducing related concepts, for example, correlation coefficient, regression straight line, and least square. We suggested that it is necessary to refer these international trends for the next revision of curriculum.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.397-411
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• 2010

In this paper, definitions of biyoul and value of bi in elementary mathematics in Korea are critically analysed. And identity of halpunri is reviewed. Regarding biyoul, it is suggested that the use of term 'biyoul' is restricted to such cases when the quantity to be compared and the quantity to be a base have same measuring unit, without consider ing biyoul in terms of two numbers. it is suggested to use "the number which express how many times the quantity to be compared is contained by the quantity to be a base is called biyoul." as a definition of biyoul. It is suggested to use "value of bi A : B is A/B" as a definition of value of bi. Halpunri is a variation of halbunri, which is coined by putting hal, pun, and ri together in purpose of using in school mathematics. The tem1 corresponding halpunri is 'bohap', however, in this paper it is suggested to use halpunri after defining it instead of using bohap. In that halpunri is an acclimatized term of bohap, and considered as a biyoul not as a way to indicate biyoul, it is suggested to use "biyoul when the quantity to be a base is considered 10." as a definition of halpunri. It is suggested to see hal, pun, and ri are units for halpunri, and call decimal 0.1 expressing biyoul 1 hal, decimal 0.01 expressing biyoul 1 pun, decimal 0.001 expressing biyoul 1 ri respectively.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2014

Instructions for the commutative property of multiplication at elementary schools tend to be based on checking the equality between the quantities of 'a times b 'and b' times a, ' for example, $3{\times}4=12$ and $4{\times}3=12$. This article critically examined the approaches to teach the commutative property of multiplication from Kant's perspective of mathematical knowledge. According to Kant, mathematical knowledge is a priori. Yet, the numeric exploration by checking the equality between the amounts of 'a groups of b' and 'b groups of a' does not reflect the nature of apriority of mathematical knowledge. I suggest we teach the commutative property of multiplication in a way that it helps reveal the operational schema that is necessarily and generally involved in the transformation from the structure of 'a times b' to the structure of 'b times a.' Distributive reasoning is the mental operation that enables children to perform the structural transformation for the commutative property of multiplication by distributing a unit of one quantity across the other quantity. For example, 3 times 4 is transformed into 4 times 3 by distributing each unit of the quantity 3, which results in $3{\times}4=(1+1+1){\times}4=(1{\times}4)+(1{\times}4)+(1{\times}4)+(1{\times}4)=4+4+4=4{\times}3$. It is argued that the distributive reasoning is also critical in learning the subsequent mathematics concepts, such as (a whole number)${\times}10$ or 100 and fraction concept and fraction multiplication.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.189-206
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• 2015

There has been a recurring call for using visual representations in textbooks to improve the teaching and learning of proportional reasoning. However, the quantity as well as quality of visual representations used in textbooks is still very limited. In this article, we analyzed visual representations presented in a Grade 6 textbook from two perspectives of proportional reasoning, multiple-batches perspective and variable-parts perspective, and discussed the potential of the double number line and the double tape diagram to help develop the idea 'things covary while something stays the same', which is critical to reason proportionally. We also classified situations that require proportional reasoning into five categories and provided ways of using the double number line and the double tape diagram for each category.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.239-257
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• 2020

This study analyzes the degree of freedom with three aspects: as academic knowledge, in the curriculum focused on textbooks, and students' understanding of the degree of freedom. The results provide five critical points. First, we need discussions on whether to include the degree of freedom in the curriculum. Second, we need to reconsider the current way textbooks are described. Third, there should be a didactical analysis to advance students' understanding of the concept of the degree of freedom. Fourth, there are limitations in learning the concept of the degree of freedom in the current textbook learning environment. Fifth, a didactical check of sampling distribution such as sample mean, sample variance, and sample standard deviation is required. The implications were drawn that the emphasis on statistical reasoning education in the curriculum and careful consideration of introducing the t-distribution curriculum was required.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.537-565
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• 2016

Australian railway networks possess a large amount of aging timber components and need to replace them in excess of 280 thousands $m^3$ per year. The relatively high turnover of timber sleepers (crossties in a plain track), bearers (skeleton ties in a turnout), and transoms (bridge cross beams) is responsible for producing greenhouse gas emissions 6 times greater than an equivalent reinforced concrete counterparts. This paper presents an innovative solution for the replacement of aging timber transoms installed on existing railway bridges along with the incorporation of a continuous walkway platform, which is proven to provide environmental, safety and financial benefits. Recent developments for alternative composite materials to replace timber components in railway infrastructure construction and maintenance demonstrate some compatibility issues with track stiffness as well as structural and geometrical track systems. Structural concrete are generally used for new railway bridges where the comparatively thicker and heavier fixed slab track systems can be accommodated. This study firstly demonstrates a novel and resilient alterative by incorporating steel-concrete composite slab theory and combines the capabilities of being precast and modulated, in order to reduce the depth, weight and required installation time relative to conventional concrete direct-fixation track slab systems. Clear benefits of the new steel-concrete composites are the maintainability and constructability, especially for existing railway bridges (or brown fields). Critical considerations in the design and finite element modelling for performance benchmarking of composite structures and their failure modes are highlighted in this paper, altogether with risks, compatibilities and compliances.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.459-476
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to suggest a new direction in using LOGO as a gifted education program and to seek an effective approach for LOGO teaching and learning, by analyzing the strategic thinking of mathematically gifted elementary students. This research is exploratory and inquisitive qualitative inquiry, involving observations and analyses of the LOGO Project learning process. Four elementary students were selected and over 12 periods utilizing LOGO programming, data were collected, including screen captures from real learning situations, audio recordings, observation data from lessons involving experiments, and interviews with students. The findings from this research are as follows: First, in LOGO Project Learning, the mathematically gifted elementary students were found to utilize such strategic ways of thinking as inferential thinking in use of prior knowledge and thinking procedures, generalization in use of variables, integrated thinking in use of the integration of various commands, critical thinking involving evaluation of prior commands for problem-solving, progressive thinking involving understanding, and applying the current situation with new viewpoints, and flexible thinking involving the devising of various problem solving skills. Second, the students' debugging in LOGO programming included comparing and constrasting grammatical information of commands, graphic and procedures according to programming types and students' abilities, analytical thinking by breaking down procedures, geometry-analysis reasoning involving analyzing diagrams with errors, visualizing diagrams drawn following procedures, and the empirical reasoning on the relationships between the whole and specifics. In conclusion, the LOGO Project Learning was found to be a program for gifted students set apart from other programs, and an effective way to promote gifted students' higher-level thinking abilities.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate a structural relationship among elementary students' self-determinant learning motivation, teaching-presence and learning outcomes (learning satisfaction, persistence) in blended learning environment. Participants were 5th and 6th grade students who enrolled in a mathematics learning service. The results showed that self-determinant learning motivation had direct effect on teaching presence, learning satisfaction and learning persistence. Teaching Presence had an direct effect on learning satisfaction and learning satisfaction had an direct effect on learning persistence. Based on the results, proper strategies were recommended to facilitate self-determinant learning motivation and teaching presence before and during learning since they play critical roles for the success of elementary students learning outcomes in a blended learning environment.