• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.237-255
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary school students' understanding the concept and operations of decimal fraction. The survey research was performed for this study. This survey was done by selecting 156 students. Questionnaire were made in five areas with reference to the 2007 revised mathematics curriculum. Five areas were the concept of decimal fraction, the addition, the subtraction, the multiplication and the division of decimal fraction. The results of such analysis are as follow: The analyzed result of understanding about concepts and operation of decimal fraction showed a high rate of correct answer, more than 85%. Students thought that multiplication and division of decimal fraction is more difficult than addition, subtraction, concept of decimal fraction. As the learning about concepts and operation of decimal fraction progress, the learning gap is bigger. Effort to reduce the learning deficits are needed in the lower grades. Mathematics is the study of the hierarchical. Learning deficits in low-level interfere with the learning in next-level. Therefore systematic supplementary guidance for a natural number and decimal fraction in low-level is needed. And understanding concepts and principles of calculations should be taught first.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.259-273
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• 2003

A fraction is one of the most important concepts that students have to learn in elementary school. But it is a challenge for students to understand fraction concept because of its conceptual complexity. The focus of fraction learning is understanding the concept. Then the problem is how we can facilitate the conceptual understanding and estimate it. In this study, Moore's concept understanding scheme(concept definition, concept image, concept usage) was adopted as an theoretical framework to investigate students' fraction understanding. The questions of this study were a) what concept image do students have\ulcorner b) How well do students solve fraction problems\ulcorner c) How do students use fraction concept to generate fraction word problem\ulcorner By analyzing the data gathered from three elementary school, several conclusion was drawn. 1) The students' concept image of fraction is restricted to part-whole sub-construct. So is students' fraction understanding. 2) Students can solve part-whole fraction problems well but others less. This also imply that students' fraction understanding is partial. 3) Half of the subject(N=98) cannot pose problems that involve fraction and fraction operation. And some succeeded applied the concept mistakenly. To understand fraction, various fraction subconstructs have to be integrated as whole one. To facilitate this integration, fraction program should focus on unit, partitioning and quantity. This may be achieved by following activities: * Building on informal knowledge of fraction * Focusing on meaning other than symbol * Various partitioning activities * Facing various representation * Emphasizing quantitative aspects of fraction * Understanding the meanings of fraction operation Through these activities, teacher must help students construct various faction concept image and apply it to meaningful situation. Especially, to help students to construct various concept image and to use fraction meaningfully to pose problems, much time should be spent to problem posing using fraction.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-62
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• 2014

In this thesis, we inquire into teaching method of decimal fraction concept in elementary mathematics education based on measurement activity. For this purpose, our research tasks are as follows: First, we design a experimental learning-teaching plan of 'decimal fraction' unit in 4th grade textbook and verify its effect. Second, after teaching experiment using experimental learning-teaching plan, we analyze the student's status of understanding about decimal fraction concept. As stated above, we have performed teaching experiment which is ruled by new lesson design and analysed the effects of teaching experiment. Through this study, we obtained the following results. First, introduction of decimal fraction based on measurement activity promotes student's understanding of measuring number and decimal notation. Second, operator concept of decimal fraction is widely used in daily life. Its usage is suitable for elementary mathematics education within the decimal notation system. Third, a teaching method of times concepts using place value expansion of decimal fraction is more meaningful and has less possibility of misunderstanding than mechanical shift of decimal point. Fourth, teaching decimal fraction through the decimal expansion helps students with understanding of digit 0 contained in decimal fraction, comparing of size and place value. Fifth, students have difficulties in understanding conversion process of decimal fraction into decimal notation system using measurement activity. It can be done easily when fraction is used. However, that is breach to curriculum. It is necessary to succeed research for this.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.199-219
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• 2011

In this thesis, we designed a experimental learning-teaching plan of 'decimal fraction concept' at the 4-th grade level. We rest our plan on two basic premises. One is the fact that a essential concept of decimal fraction is 'polynomial of which indeterminate is 10', and another is the fact that the origin of decimal fraction is successive measurement activities which improving accuracy through decimal partition of measuring unit. The main features of our experimental learning-teaching plan is as follows. Firstly, students can experience a operation which generate decimal unit system through decimal partitioning of measuring unit. Secondly, the decimal fraction expansion will be initially introduced and the complete representation of decimal fraction according to positional notation will follow. Thirdly, such various interpretations of decimal fraction as 3.751m, 3m+7dm+5cm+1mm, $(3+\frac{7}{10}+\frac{5}{100}+\frac{1}{1000})m$ and $\frac{3751}{1000}m$ will be handled. Fourthly, decimal fraction will not be introduced with 'unit decimal fraction' such as 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, ${\cdots}$ but with 'natural number+decimal fraction' such as 2.345. Fifthly, we arranged a numeration activity ruled by random unit system previous to formal representation ruled by decimal positional notation. A experimental learning-teaching plan which presented in this thesis must be examined through teaching experiment. It is necessary to successive research for this task.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.467-480
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• 2014

Concepts related to the fraction should be taught with formative thinking activities as well as concrete operational activities. Teaching improper fraction should follow the concept of fraction as a relation of two natural numbers. This concept is also important not to be skipped before teaching the fraction such as "4 is a third of 12". Mixed number should be taught as a sum of a natural number and a proper fraction. Fraction as a quotient of a division is a hard concept to be taught since it requires very high abstractive thinking process. Learning the transformation of division into multiplication of fractions should precede that of fraction as a quotient of a division.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.431-455
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• 2013

In this thesis, I classified various meanings of fraction into two categories, i.e concept(rate, operator, division) and model(whole-part, measurement, allotment), and surveyed appearances which is shown in Korea elementary mathematics textbook. Based on this results, I derived several implications on learning-teaching of fraction in elementary education. Firstly, we have to pursuit a unified formation of fraction concept through a complementary advantage of various concepts and models Secondly, by clarifying the time which concepts and models of fraction are imported, we have to overcome a ambiguity or tacit usage of that. Thirdly, the present Korea's textbook need to be improved in usage of measurement model. It must be defined more explicitly and must be used in explanation of multiplication and division algorithm of fraction.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.129-144
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• 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the use of RNP curriculum based on Lesh translation model on third grade students' understandings of fraction concepts and problem solving ability. Students' conceptual understandings of fractions and problem solving ability were improved by the use of the curriculum. Various manipulative experiences and translation processes between and among representations facilitated students' conceptual understandings of fractions and contributed to the development of problem solving strategies. Expecially, in problem situations including fraction ordering which was not covered during the study, mental images of fractions constructed by the experiences with manipulatives played a central role as a problem solving strategy.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.339-358
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• 2014

On the subjects of elementary 3-rd grade three child prodigies who learned primary concept of division, this study explored how they could compose schema and transformed schema through recognition of precise concepts and linking with the contents of division of fraction. That is to say, this study examined in depth what schema and transformed schema as primary concept of division they composed to get relational understanding of division of fraction, and how they used the schema and transformed schema composed by themselves to approach problem solving as well as how they transformed the schema in their concept composition and problem solving competence. As a result, it was found that learning of primary concept of division played a key role of composing schema and transformed schema needed for coping with division of fraction, and that at this time, composition of the transformed schema and transformed schema derived from the recognition of primary concept of division could play the inevitable role of problem solving for division of fraction.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.807-825
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• 2010

Educational interest has been paid to ADHD students. Because of being easily distracted, lacking concentration, and committing hyperactive acts, they lag much behind other students in academic grades and their teachers have many difficulties in teaching them. This study aims to provide a case of enhancing an ADHD student's fraction-related achievement. To do this, we investigated his mathematical abilities in a preliminary study, devised an individualized teaching for the fractions unit, and applied them to him. And analyzing the results from observations and interviews of the student we can induce the following results: First, the ADHD student showed such types of errors in relation to fraction as lack of the concept of dividing into equal parts, lack of the concept of numerator and denominator, and errors in adding or subtracting fractions anc mixed fractions whose denominators were the same. And secondly, the fraction-related achievements of the ADHD student have improved thanks to the systematic teaching plan based on the accurate understanding of his academic gap relative to other students, his learning attitude, and his time difference. In addition, this study suggests several implications for ADHD students' learning of fractions.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.295-320
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is searching students' cognitive structures before and after learning division of fraction. Also the researchers investigated how their structures are connected when they solve division of fraction problems through individual interviews. The researcher suggested the instruction of division of fraction from the results.