• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.85-99
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• 2003

In this paper, firstly examined various proofs types that cover informal empirical justifications by Balacheff, Miyazaki, and Harel ＆ Sowder and Tall. Using these theoretical frameworks, justification activities by 5th graders were analyzed and several conclusions were drawn as follow: 1) Children in 5th grade could justify using various proofs types and method ranged from external proofs schemes by Harel & Sowder to thought experiment by Balacheff This implies that children in elementary school can justify various mathematical statements of ideas for themselves. To improve children's proving abilities, rich experience for justifying should be provided. 2) Activities that make conjectures from cases then justify should be given to students in order to develop a sense of necessity of formal proof. 3) Children have to understand the meaning and usage of mathematical symbol to advance to formal deductive proofs. 4) New theoretical framework is needed to be established to provide a framework for research on elementary school children's justification activities. Research on proof mainly focused on the type of proof in terms of reasoning and activities involved. But proof types are also influenced by the tasks given. In elementary school, tasks that require physical activities or examples are provided. To develop students'various proof types, tasks that require various justification methods should be provided. 5) Children's justification type were influenced not only by development level but also by the concept they had. 6) Justification activities provide useful situation that assess students'mathematical understanding. 7) Teachers understanding toward role of proof(verification, explanation, communication, discovery, systematization) should be the starting point of proof activities.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.651-662
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• 1998

Mathematics is means for making sense of one's experiential world and products of human activities. A usefulness of mathematics is derived from this features of mathematics. Keeping the meaning of situations during the mathematizing of situations. However, theories about the development of mathematical concepts have turned mainly to an understanding of invariants. The purpose of this study is to show the possibility of computer in representing situation and phenomena. First, we consider situated cognition theory for looking for the relation between various representation and situation in problem. The mathematical concepts or model involves situations, invariants, representations. Thus, we should involve the meaning of situations and translations among various representations in the process of mathematization. Second, we show how the process of computational mathematization can serve as window on relating situations and representations, among various representations. When using computer software such as ALGEBRA ANIMATION in mathematics classrooms, we identified two benifits First, computer software can reduce the cognitive burden for understanding the translation among various mathematical representations. Further, computer softwares is able to connect mathematical representations and concepts to directly situations or phenomena. We propose the case study for the effect of computer software on practical mathematics classrooms.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.151-170
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• 2009

This study reports a research which was conducted on how frequently and where the students use the unit circle method while dealing with trigonometric functions in solving the trigonometry questions. Moreover, the reasons behind the choice of the methods, which could be the unit circle method, the ratio method, or the use of trigonometric identities, are also investigated to get an insight about their understanding. In this study, the relationship between the students' choices of methods in solving questions is examined in terms of instrumental or relational understanding. This is a multi-method research which involves a range of research strategies. The research techniques used in this study are test, verbal protocol (think aloud), and interview. The test has been applied to ten tenth grade students of a public school to get students' solution processes on the paper. Later on, verbal protocol has been performed with three students of these ten who were of the upper, middle and lower sets in terms of their performance in the test. The aim was to get much deeper data on the students' thinking and reasoning. Finally, interview questions have been asked both these three students and other three from the initial ten students to question the reasons behind their answers to the trigonometry questions. Findings in general suggest that students voluntarily choose to learn instrumentally whose reasons include teachers' and students' preference for the easier option and the anxiety resulting from the external exam pressure.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.81-97
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• 2004

This paper is a study on the understanding process of「Matrix and Graph」on discrete mathematics using TI-92 calculator. For this purpose, we investigated the understanding process of two middle school students learning the concepts of matrix and graph using TI-92 calculator. In this process, we collected qualitative data using recorder and video camera. Then we categorized these data as follows: students' attitude related to using technology, understanding process of meaning, expression and operation of matrix and graph, mathematical communication, etc. From this, we have the following conclusions: First, students inquired out the meaning and role of matrix by themselves using calculator. We could see that calculator can do the role of good learning partner to them. Second, students realized their own mistakes when they used calculator on the process of learning matrix. So we found that calculator could form the self-leading learning circumstance on learning matrix. Third, calculators reinforce the mathematical communication in learning matrix and graph. That is, calculator could be a good mediator to reinforce mathematical communication between teacher and students, among students on learning matrix and graph.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.51-65
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• 2010

Open-ended problems can foster deeper understanding of mathematical ideas, generating creative thinking and communication in students. High-order thinking tasks such as open-ended problems involve more ambiguity and higher level of personal risks for students than they are normally exposed to in routine problems. To explore the classroom-based factors that could support or inhibit such higher-order processes, this paper also describes two cases of Singapore primary school teachers who have successfully or unsuccessfully implemented an open-ended problem in their mathematics lessons.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.49-66
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• 2008

In this paper we present a cognitive developmental analysis of the arithmetic mean concept. This analysis leads us to a hierarchical classification at different levels of understanding of the responses of 227 students to a questionnaire which combines open-ended and multiple-choice questions. The SOLO theoretical framework is used for this analysis and we find five levels of students' responses. These responses confirm different types of difficulties encountered by students regarding their conceptualization of the arithmetic mean. Also we have observed that there are no significant differences between secondary school and university students' responses.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.95-114
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• 2012

This study examines the use of ill-structured problem to help the 4th graders' problem solving and reasoning. It appears that children with good understanding of problem situation tend to accept the situation as itself rather than just as texts and produce various results with extraction of meaningful variables from situation. In addition, children with better understanding of problem situation show AR (algorithmic reasoning) and CR (creative reasoning) while children with poor understanding of problem situation show just AR (algorithmic reasoning) on their reasoning type.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.119-139
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• 2023

Most of calculus and real analysis are concerned with the study on continuous functions. Because of self-sustaining concept caused by everyday language, continuity has difficulties. This kind of viewpoint is strengthened with that teacher explains continuity by graph drawn ceaselessly and so finally confused with mathematics concept which is continuity and connection. Thus such a concept image of continuity becomes to include components which create conflicts. Therefore, we try to analyze understanding of continuity on university students by using the concept image as an analytic tool. We survey centering on problems which create conflicts with concept definition and image. And we investigate that difference of definition in continuous function which handles in calculus and analysis exists and so try to present various results on university students' understanding of continuity concept.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.381-389
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• 2011

The flexible mathematical thinking - the ability to generate and connect various representations of concepts - is useful in understanding mathematical structure and variation in problem solving. In particular, the flexible mathematical thinking with the inventive mathematical thinking, the original mathematical problem solving ability and the mathematical invention is a core concept, which must be emphasized in all branches of mathematical education. In this paper, the author considered a case of flexible mathematical thinking with an inventive problem solving ability shown by his student via real analysis courses. The case is on the proofs of the equivalences of three different definitions on the concept of limit superior shown in three different real analysis books. Proving the equivalences of the three definitions, the student tried to keep the flexible mathematical thinking steadily.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.111-131
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate how secondary mathematics teachers understand and intend to use textbooks for their mathematics instruction. For this purpose, we developed a set of survey items in order to unpack what the teachers understand the mathematical tasks suggested in the textbooks in terms of the levels of cognitive demand and how they intended to use the tasks in the textbooks for their teaching. Twenty-five teachers participated in the survey. The data from the survey were analyzed. The findings from the data analysis suggested as follows: a) the teachers seemed to closely follow textbooks without attempting to modify the tasks, even when the teachers consider it is necessary to modify textbook tasks to high-level tasks, b) the teachers seemed to be unstable in regards that they admitted themselves very competent for modifying tasks for developing students' mathematical thinking but, at the same time, they were uncomfortable with transforming tasks into cognitively demanding tasks that promote students' mathematical understanding, and c) the teachers appeared to consider textbooks as significant criteria in conducting tests including midterm and final exam. In conclusion, the teachers seemed to intend to follow closely the contents and sequence of mathematics textbooks in their mathematics classrooms.