• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.99-115
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• 2022

This study examined difficulties middle school students have in learning mathematics and proposed a flipped classroom consisting of Khan Academy activities, small-group problem solving, and mathematical modeling to help improve their learning. A mixed-method approach was used to identify difficulties students have in learning mathematics, explore how the flipped classroom helped them reduce the learning difficulties identified, and examine if there were differences in students' mathematics achievement and their affective characteristics after participating in the flipped classroom. Qualitative analyses showed that students had difficulties in understanding mathematical concepts and finding effective ways to learn as well as negative views towards learning mathematics. This study also found that each activity of the flipped classroom had a different impact on student learning. Before class, the Khan Academy activities were most likely to help students understand mathematical concepts. In class, small-group problem solving activities were most helpful for students who had trouble finding effective learning methods and environments. Mathematical modeling activities were most likely effective in changing students' negative views towards mathematics. A quantitative analysis showed that the flipped classroom not only significantly improved the students' mathematics achievement, but also positively affected their confidence and motivation and how much they valued learning mathematics.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-64
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the progress of children's abstraction and to investigate how elementary students understand through mathematical modeling approach in the sixth grader's learning of surface area. Each small group showed their own level on abstraction in mathematical modeling progress. The participants showed improvements in understanding regarding to surface area context.

• 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.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.317-332
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• 2023

Mathematical modeling activities hold the potential for diverse applications, involving the transformation of real-life situations into mathematical models to facilitate problem-solving. In order to assess the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of students' engagement in mathematical modeling activities, this study conducted sessions with ten groups of fifth-grade elementary school students. The ensuing processes and outcomes were thoroughly analyzed. As a result, each group effectively applied mathematical concepts and principles in creating mathematical models and gathering essential information to address real-world tasks. This led to notable shifts in interest, enhanced mathematical proficiency, and altered attitudes towards mathematics, all while promoting increased collaboration and communication among group members. Based on these analytical findings, the study offers valuable pedagogical insights and practical guidance for effectively implementing mathematical modeling activities.

• School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.467-486
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• 2007

In mathematical modeling activity modeling process is usually an iterative process. When model can not be solved, the model needs to be simplified by treating some variables as constants, or by ignoring some variables. On the other hand, when the results from the model are not precise enough, the model needs to be refined by considering additional conditions. In this study we investigate the role of spreadsheet model in model refinement and modeling process. In detail, we observed that by using spreadsheet model students can solve model which can not be solved in paper-pencil environment. And so they need not go back to model simplification process but continue model refinement. By transforming mathematical model to spreadsheet model, the students can predict or explain the real word situations directly without passing the mathematical conclusions step in modeling process.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.95-116
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• 2013

Though the term "mathematical modeling" has no single definition or perspective, it is pursued commonly by groups from various perspectives who emphasize the activities of understanding and representing real phenomenon mathematically, building models to solve problems, and reinterpreting real phenomenon to make an attempt to understand the real world and related mathematical models more deeply. The purpose of this study is to identify how mathematization arises and find difficulties of mathematization in mathematical modeling process that share common features with the mathematical modeling activities as presented here. As a result of this research, we confirmed that the students mathematized real phenomena by building various representations, and interpreting them with regard to relationships and contexts inherent real phenomena. The students' communication fostered interplay between iconic representations and indexical representations. We also identified difficulties of mathematization in mathematical modeling process.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.349-368
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore ways for students to connect conceptual and procedural knowledge in mathematical modeling lessons. Accordingly, we selected the greatest common divisor among the learning contents in which elementary school students have difficulties connecting conceptual and procedural knowledge. A mathematical modeling lesson was designed and implemented to solve problems related to the greatest common divisor while connecting conceptual and procedural knowledge. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the mathematical modeling lesson had positive effects on students solving problems by connecting conceptual and procedural knowledge. In addition, through actual class application, a teaching and learning plan was derived to meaningfully connect conceptual and procedural knowledge in mathematical modeling lessons.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.403-419
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• 2004

The perspective on this study assumes that the mathematical modeling activity provides students with the environment which promotes metacognitive thinking. The purposes of this paper are to investigate metacognitive thinking on the mathematical modeling with the result of case study. The study revealed that development of students' model was accompanied with the control and monitoring of modeling activities. Also students refined the model by self-assessment and peer-assessment in small group modeling activities and developed generalizable model.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.263-280
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• 2016

This study aims to examine the impact of RUBRIC writing on students' mathematical modeling. By analyzing 23 tenth grade students' responses to seven problems related to mathematical modeling, we found that the students who used RUBRIC writing could not only get more correct answers but also could use more various representations and mathematical models than the students who did not use it. The students with RUBRIC writing also could translate between reality and mathematics more appropriately, and better explain the process to solve the problem than the counterpart. It implies that RUBRIC writing can help improve students' mathematical modeling and problem solving as an alternative instruction and assessment.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.123-132
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• 2004

In this paper, we reviewed the history of mathematical problem solving since 1900 and investigated problem solving in modeling perspective which is focused on the 21th century. In modeling perspective, problem solvers solve the realistic problem which includes contextualized situations in which mathematics is useful. In this case, the problem is different from the traditional problems which are routine, close, and words problem, etc. Problem solving in modeling perspective emphasizes mathematizing. Most of all, what is important enables students to use mathematics in everyday problem solving situation.