• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.181-195
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• 2009

Students' approaches to mathematical problem solving vary greatly with each other. The main objective of the current study was to compare students' performance with different thinking styles (divergent vs. convergent) and working memory capacity upon mathematical problem solving. A sample of 150 high school girls, ages 15 to 16, was studied based on Hudson's test and Digit Span Backwards test as well as a math exam. The results indicated that the effect of thinking styles and working memory on students' performance in problem solving was significant. Moreover, students with divergent thinking style and high working memory capacity showed higher performance than ones with convergent thinking style. The implications of these results on math teaching and problem solving emphasizes that cognitive predictor variable (Convergent/Divergent) and working memory, in particular could be challenging and a rather distinctive factor for students.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.153-171
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate characteristics of students' problem solving processes based on their mathematical thinking styles and thus to provide implications for teachers regarding how to employ multiple representations. In order to analyze these characteristics, 202 university freshmen were recruited for a paper-and-pencil survey. The participants were divided into four groups on a mathematical-thinking-style basis. There were two students in each group with a total of eight students being interviewed. Results show that mathematical thinking styles are related to defining a mathematical concept, problem solving in relation to representation, and translating between mathematical representations. These results imply methods of utilizing multiple representations in learning and teaching mathematics by embodying Dienes' perceptual variability principle.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.77-93
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between thinking styles and the components of mathematical ability of elementary math gifted children. The results of this study were as follows: First, there were differences in thinking styles: The gifted students prefer legislative, judical, hierarchic, global, internal and liberal thinking styles. General students prefer oligarchic and conservative thinking styles. Second, there were differences in components of mathematical ability: The gifted students scored high in all sections. And if when they scored high in one section, then they most likely scored high in the other sections as well. But the spacial related lowly to the generalization and memorization. There is no significant relationship between memorization and calculation Third, there was a correlation between thinking styles and components of mathematical ability: Some thinking styles were related to components of mathematical ability. In functions of thinking styles, legislative style have higher effect on calculation. And executive, judical styles related negatively to the inference ability. In forms of thinking styles monarchic style had higher effect on space ability, hierarchic style had higher effect on calculation. Monarchic, hierarchic styles related negatively to inference ability. In level of thinking styles global, local styles have higher effect on calculation. Local styles related negatively to the inference ability. In the scope of thinking styles, internal style had a higher effect on generalization, and external style had a higher effect on calculation. And there is no significant relationship leaning of thinking styles.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.137-154
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• 2012

Comparative studies on mathematical modeling cognition feature were carried out between 15 excellent high school third-grade science students (excellent students for short) and 15 normal ones (normal students for short) in China by utilizing protocol analysis and expert-novice comparison methods and our conclusions have been drawn as below. 1. In the style, span and method of mathematical modeling problem representation, both excellent and normal students adopted symbolic and methodological representation style. However, excellent students use mechanical representation style more often. Excellent students tend to utilize multiple-representation while normal students tend to utilize simplicity representation. Excellent students incline to make use of circular representation while normal students incline to make use of one-way representation. 2. In mathematical modeling strategy use, excellent students tend to tend to use equilibrium assumption strategy while normal students tend to use accurate assumption strategy. Excellent students tend to use sample analog construction strategy while normal students tend to use real-time generation construction strategy. Excellent students tend to use immediate self-monitoring strategy while normal students tend to use review-monitoring strategy. Excellent students tend to use theoretical deduction and intuitive judgment testing strategy while normal students tend to use data testing strategy. Excellent students tend to use assumption adjustment and modeling adjustment strategy while normal students tend to use model solving adjustment strategy. 3. In the thinking, result and efficiency of mathematical modeling, excellent students give brief oral presentations of mathematical modeling, express themselves more logically, analyze problems deeply and thoroughly, have multiple, quick and flexible thinking and the utilization of mathematical modeling method is shown by inspiring inquiry, more correct results and high thinking efficiency while normal students give complicated protocol material, express themselves illogically, analyze problems superficially and obscurely, have simple, slow and rigid thinking and the utilization of mathematical modeling method is shown by blind inquiry, more fixed and inaccurate thinking and low thinking efficiency.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.257-276
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• 2023

Mathematical modeling can be described as a series of processes in which real-world problem situations are understood, interpreted using mathematical methods, and solved based on mathematical models. The effectiveness of mathematics instruction using mathematical modeling has been demonstrated through prior research. This study aims to explore insights for mathematical modeling instruction by analyzing the metacognitive characteristics shown in the mathematical modeling cycle, according to the mathematical thinking styles of elementary math gifted students. To achieve this, a mathematical thinking style assessment was conducted with 39 elementary math gifted students from University-affiliated Science Gifted Education Center, and based on the assessment results, they were classified into visual, analytical, and mixed groups. The metacognition manifested during the process of mathematical modeling for each group was analyzed. The analysis results revealed that metacognitive elements varied depending on the phases of modeling cycle and their mathematical thinking styles. Based on these findings, didactical implications for mathematical modeling instruction were derived.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.243-262
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• 2013

This study attempts to create an analytical framework of the transformation and transmission of knowledge by teachers to students. I focuses on the assertion that the cognitive thinking of a teacher is reflected in his use of mathematical language. Mathematical language is one of the critical elements of communicating mathematical knowledge to students. I examined the cognitive teaching style of different teachers as expressed in their use of mathematical language. An analytical framework of Mathematics Teaching styles was created integrating thinking factors of each visual and analytic style into 5 categories. After that, I regarding the teaching style of mathmatics teachers places its significance not on which teaching style is right or wrong but on identifying the strong and weak points of the teaching styles through actual analysis. With the help of this analytical framework, I conducted an analysis on the videotaped classes and found that the teachers were not biased to one side but in fact there were teachers who demonstrated visual, analytic or mixed teaching style. Therefore, I concludes that math teachers can analyze their teaching styles and improve them through the analytical framework provided in these findings.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.373-386
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• 2011

Students approach mathematical problem solving in fundamentally different ways, particularly problems requiring conceptual understanding and complicated strategies. The main objective of this study is to compare students' performance with different thinking styles (Field-dependent vs. Field independent) in mathematical problem solving. A sample of 242 high school males and females (17-18 years old) were tested based on the Witkin's cognitive style (Group Embedded Figure Test) and by a math exam designed in accordance with Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive level. The results obtained indicated that the effect of field dependency on student's mathematical performance was significant. Moreover, field-independent (FI) students showed more effective performance than field-dependent (FD) ones in math tasks. Male students with FI styles achieved higher results compared to female students with FD cognitive style. Moreover, FI students experienced few difficulties than FD students in Bloom's Cognitive Levels. The implications of these results emphasize that cognitive predictor variables (FI vs. FD) could be challenging and rather distinctive factor for students' achievement.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.25-40
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• 2014

Mathematical concept exists in the structural form, not in the independent form. The purpose of this study is to consider the network which students actually have for the mathematical concept structure related to the properties of derivatives. First, we analyzed the properties of derivatives in 'Mathematics II' and showed the mathematical concept structure of the relations among derivatives, functions, and primitive functions as a network. Also, we investigated the understanding of high school students for the mathematical concept structure between derivatives and functions, and the structure between functions and second order derivatives when the functional formula is not given, and only the graph is given. The results showed that students mainly focus on the relation of 'function-derivatives', the thinking process for direction of derivative and the thinking style for algebra. On this basis, we suggest the educational implication that is necessary for students to build the network properly.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1989

This study compared the effects of open and directed teaching styles on creativity and mathematical achievement. The subjects were 32 three- and four-year-old children enrolled in the Home Economics Laboratory Nursery School at the University of Arkansas during the fall semester of 1987. In this study, the open teaching style was a child-oriented method of teaching with the help or guidance rather than the actual instruction of teacher, while the directed teaching style was a teacher-oriented method of teaching with actual instruction of the teacher. Forty-eight activities and materials relevant to mathematical concepts appropriately designed for the subjects were used. The nursery school children were divided into morning and afternoon groups. Utilizing a Latin square design, the children in the morning group were taught by the directed teaching style for four weeks followed by a three week period of no planned mathematical activities, then taught by the open teaching style for four weeks. The children in the afternoon group followed the same schedule except the open teaching style was first. At the end of the two four-week sessions of mathematics experiences Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement and selected items of Tests of Basic Experiences 2: Mathematics were administered. The scores of each of the two tests were analyzed using a t-test of dependent measures for the two teaching styles, the sex, and the age of the children. Children taught using the directed teaching style showed a significantly higher originality and mathematical achievement scores than those taught using the open teaching style. Differences for sex and age revealed that the directed teaching style was a significantly better method of instruction to foster the originality for boys and the mathematical achievement for four-year-old children.

• School Mathematics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2000

In the past half century little effort has been made for the improvement of teaching and learning statistics compared with other parts of school mathematics. But recently data analysis has begun to play a prominant role in the national reform efforts of mathematics curricula in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In this paper we overview modern statistical thinking differed from mathematical thinking and examine the problems of current old-style teaching of statistics. And, we discuss the current data handling(or data analysis) emphasis in the national curriculum of mathematics in the countries mentioned above. We explore the reform direction of statistics teaching; changing the philosophy of teaching statistics, teaching real data analysis, emphasis of using computer, and teaching statistical inference not as mathematics but as intuitive data-centered approach.