• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.353-370
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• 2015

This study was conducted as a qualitative case study that explored how gifted 3rd-grade elementary school children who had learned the primary concepts of division and fraction, when they studied contents about decimal, formed the transformed primary concept and transformed schema of decimal by the learning of accurate primary concepts and connecting the concepts. That is, this study investigated how the subjects attained relational understanding of decimal based on the primary concepts of division and fraction, and how they formed a transformed primary concept based on the primary concept of decimal and carried out vertical mathematizing. According to the findings of this study, transformed primary concepts formed through the learning of accurate primary concepts, and schemas and transformed schemas built through the connection of the concepts played as crucial factors for the children's relational understanding of decimal and their vertical mathematizing.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.251-278
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to obtain implications for mathematical education by analyzing how the multiplication and division of decimal numbers are presented in the elementary mathematics textbooks in Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Finland. Compared to the fact that students often have misconceptions about multiplication and division of decimal numbers, there have been not many comparative studies in recent elementary mathematics textbooks. For this study, we selected elementary mathematics textbooks those are widely used in Japan, Singapore, and Finland along with Korean elementary mathematics textbooks. We chose the textbooks because the students in the selected countries have scored high in international achievement studies such as TIMSS and PISA. The analysis was examined in terms of elementary mathematics curriculum related to multiplication and division of decimal numbers, introduction and content, real-life situations, use of visual models, and formalization methods of algorithms. As a result of the study, the mathematics curricula related to multiplication and division of decimal numbers includes estimation in Korea and Finland, while Japan and Singapore emphasize real-life connections more, and Finland completes the operations in secondary schools. The introduction and content are intensively provided in a short period of time or distributed in various grades and semesters. The real-life situations are presented in a simple sentence format in all countries, and the use of visual models or formalization of algorithms is linked to the operations of natural numbers in unit conversions. Suggestions were made for textbook development and teacher training programs.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify pre-service teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) about decimal calculation. A written questionnaire was developed dealing with decimal calculation. A total of 152 pre-service teachers from 3 universities were selected for this study; they had taken an elementary mathematics teaching method course and had no teaching experience. The results were as follows: First, with regard to the method of decimal calculation, most pre-service teachers were familiar with algorithms introduced in the textbook. But with regard to the meaning of decimal calculations, they had difficulties in understanding decimal multiplication or decimal division with decimal number. Second, pre-service teachers recognized reasons of errors as well as errors patterns that student might make. But this recognition was limited mainly to errors related to natural number calculation. Third, pre-service teachers frequently commented about decimals algorithms, picture models, the meanings of decimal calculations, and connections to natural number calculations. Many of them represented the meanings of decimal calculations through picture models as to help students' understanding, while they just mentioned algorithms or treated decimal calculation as natural number calculations with decimal point.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.205-224
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• 2017

A model method has been known as the main characteristic of Singaporean elementary mathematics textbooks. However, little research has been conducted on how the model method is employed in the textbooks. In this study, we extracted contents related to the model method in the Singaporean elementary mathematics curriculum and then analyzed the characteristics of the model method applied to the textbooks. Specifically, this study investigated the units and lessons where the model method was employed, and explored how it was addressed for what purpose according to the numbers and operations. The results of this study showed that the model method was applied to the units and lessons related to operations and word problems, starting from whole numbers through fractions to decimals. The model method was systematically applied to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tailored by the grade levels. It was also explicitly applied to all stages of the problem solving process. Based on these results, this study described the implications of using a main model in the textbooks to demonstrate the structure of the given problem consistently and systematically.