• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.247-268
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the mathematical components of word problems and the structure of the components, to examine the characteristics of the understanding of mathematics high achievers about word problems, and ultimately to devise a teaching method geared toward facilitating learner understanding of the word problems. Given the findings of the study, the following conclusion was reached: First, word problems could be categorized according to their mathematical components, namely the mathematical structure of multiple variables provided to learners for their problem solving. And learner's reaction might hinge on the type of word problems. Second, the mathematics high achievers relied on diverse strategies to understand the mathematical components of word problems to solve the problems. The use of diverse strategies made it possible for them to succeed in problem solving. Third, identifying the characteristics of the understanding of the mathematics high achievers about word problems made it possible to layout successful lesson plans that stressed understanding of the mathematical structure of word problems. And the teaching plans enabled the learners to get a better understanding of the given word problems.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.171-182
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• 2002

Students approach mathematical problem solving in fundamentally different ways, particularly problems requiring conceptual understanding and complicated strategies such as mathematical word problems. The main objective of this study is to compare students' performance with different cognitive styles (Field-dependent vs. Field-independent) on mathematics problem solving, particularly, in word problems. A sample of 180 school girls (13-years-old) were tested on the Witkin's cognitive style (Group Embedded Figures Test) and two mathematics exams. Results obtained support the hypothesis that students with field-independent cognitive style achieved much better results than Field-dependent ones in word problems. The implications of these results on teaching and setting problems emphasizes that word problems and cognitive predictor variables (Field-dependent/Field- independent) could be challenging and rather distinctive factors on the part of school learners.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.107-134
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of two teaching methods of word problems, one based on mathematical modeling learning(ML) and the other on traditional learning(TL). Additionally, the influence of mathematical modeling learning in word problem solving behavior, application ability of real world experiences in word problem solving and the beliefs of word problem solving will be examined. The results of this study were as follows: First, as to word problem solving behavior, there was a significant difference between the two groups. This mean that the ML was effective for word problem solving behavior. Second, all of the students in the ML group and the TL group had a strong tendency to exclude real world knowledge and sense-making when solving word problems during the pre-test. but A significant difference appeared between the two groups during post-test. classroom culture improvement efforts. Third, mathematical modeling learning(ML) was effective for improvement of traditional beliefs about word problems. Fourth, mathematical modeling learning(ML) exerted more influence on mathematically strong and average students and a positive effect to mathematically weak students. High and average-level students tended to benefit from mathematical modeling learning(ML) more than their low-level peers. This difference was caused by less involvement from low-level students in group assignments and whole-class discussions. While using the mathematical modeling learning method, elementary students were able to build various models about problem situations, justify, and elaborate models by discussions and comparisons from each other. This proves that elementary students could participate in mathematical modeling activities via word problems, it results form the use of more authentic tasks, small group activities and whole-class discussions, exclusion of teacher's direct intervention, and classroom culture improvement efforts. The conclusions drawn from the results obtained in this study are as follows: First, mathematical modeling learning(ML) can become an effective method, guiding word problem solving behavior from the direct translation approach(DTA) based on numbers and key words without understanding about problem situations to the meaningful based approach(MBA) building rich models for problem situations. Second, mathematical modeling learning(ML) will contribute attitudes considering real world situations in solving word problems. Mathematical modeling activities for word problems can help elementary students to understand relations between word problems and the real world. It will be also help them to develop the ability to look at the real world mathematically. Third, mathematical modeling learning(ML) will contribute to the development of positive beliefs for mathematics and word problem solving. Word problem teaching focused on just mathematical operations can't develop proper beliefs for mathematics and word problem solving. Mathematical modeling learning(ML) for word problems provide elementary students the opportunity to understand the real world mathematically, and it increases students' modeling abilities. Futhermore, it is a very useful method of reforming the current problems of word problem teaching and learning. Therefore, word problems in school mathematics should be replaced by more authentic ones and modeling activities should be introduced early in elementary school eduction, which would help change the perceptions about word problem teaching.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.395-410
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• 2022

Nominalization is one of the grammatical metaphors, and it is the representation of verbal meaning through noun equivalent phrases. In mathematical word problems, texts using nominalization have both the advantage of clarifying the object to be noted in the mathematization stage, and the disadvantage of complicating sentence structure, making it difficult to understand the sentences and hindering the experience of the full steps in mathematical modelling. The purpose of this study is to analyze word problems in the textbooks from the perspective of nominalization, a linguistic element, and to derive implications in relation to students' difficulties during solving the word problems. To this end, the types of nominalization of 341 word problems from the content domain of 'Numbers and Operations' of elementary math textbooks according to the 2015 revised national curriculum were analyzed in four aspects: grade-band group, main class and unit assessment, specialized class, and mathematical expression required word problems. Based on the analysis results, didactical implications related to the linguistic expression of the mathematical word problems were derived.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.69-86
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• 2017

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of small-group arithmetic word problem activities with concrete materials on 5 year old children's mathematical ability and attitude. Methods: A total of 34 five-year-old children (control group 16 children, experimental group18 children) attending two kindergartens in P city participated in this study. Fifteen small-group arithmetic word problem activities with concrete materials were conducted in the classroom of the experimental group twice a week for eight weeks. Before and after the activities, all the participants individually took a basic arithmetic test, mathematical word problem solving test, and mathematical attitudes test. Results: First, we observed that the children in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores on the mathematical ability tests, including the basic arithmetic test and mathematical word problems solving test when compared to the children in the control group. Second, we also found that children in the experimental group showed higher improvement in the mathematical attitudes test than their counterparts. Conclusion/Implications: The results of this study suggest that small-group arithmetic word problem activities with concrete materials are effective in improving children's mathematical ability and attitudes.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2007

It is undeniably important to bring up a solution capability of arithmetic word problems in the elementary mathematical education. The goal of this study is to acquire the implication for remedial instruction on arithmetic word problems solving through surveying elementary school students' difficulties in the solving of arithmetic word problems. In order to do it, this study was intended to analyze the following two aspects. First, it was analyzed that they generally felt more difficulties in which field among addition, subtraction, multiplication and division word problems. Second, with the result of the first analysis, it was examined that they solved it by imagining as which sphere of the other word problems. Also, the cause of their error on the word problem solving was analyzed by the interview. From the foregoing analyses, the following implications for remedial instruction on arithmetic word problems solving are acquired. First, the accumulation of learning deficiency must be diminished through the remedial instruction. Second, it must help students to understand the given problem and to make of what the goal of problem is. Third, it must help students to form a good habit for reading the problem and to understand the context of problem. forth, the teacher must help students to review and reflect their problem-solving processes.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.509-527
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• 2021

We investigated whether and how pre-service teachers took the realistic contexts seriously in the course of solving word problems; additionally, we investigated how pre-service teachers evaluated students' realistic and non-realistic answers to word problems. Many pre-service teachers, similar to students, solved some of the realistic problems unrealistically without taking the realistic contexts seriously. Besides, they evaluated students' non-realistic answers higher than the realistic answers. Whether the pre-service teachers could solve problems realistically or not, they did not appreciate students' realistic considerations for the reasons that those were not fitted to the intentions of the word problems, or those were evidence of the flaws of the problem. Furthermore, the analysis of premises implied in the pre-service teachers' evaluation comments showed the implicit didactic contracts about realistic word problem solving that they accepted and also anticipated students to follow. Our analysis of the pre-service teachers' conceptions of realistic word problems can help teacher educators design the teacher program to challenge and revise pre-service teachers' folk pedagogy.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.77-85
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• 1999

In this paper, we analyze strategies and error patterns in solving word problems of linear equation for middle school students. From a test conducted to the sampled 106 second grade middle school students, we obtain the following results: (1)The most difficult types of word problem are velosity and density related problems. The second one is length related problems and the easist one is number related problems. (2)Regardless of the types of word problem, the most familiar strategy is the constructing algebraic equations. However, the most successful strategy is the trial and error. (3)Most likely error patterns are the use of inadequate formulas and wrong trial and errors. Based on these results, a teaching program with various schema is developed and shown to be effective for mid level students in classroom.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.301-316
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• 2012

Ball, Thames & Phelps(2008) introduced the idea of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching(MKT) teacher. Specialized Content Knowledge(SCK) is one of six categories in MKT. SCK is a knowledge base, useful especially for math teachers to analyze errors, evaluate alternative ideas, give mathematical explanations and use mathematical representation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the elementary teacher's SCK. 29 six graders made word problems with respect to division fraction $9/10{\div}2/5$. These word problems were classified four sentence types based on Sinicrope, Mick & Kolb(2002) and then representative four sentence types were given to 10 teachers who have taught six graders. Data analysis was conducted through the teachers' evaluation of the answers(word problems) and revision of students' mathematical errors. This study showed how to know meanings of fraction division for effective teaching. Moreover, it suggested several implications to develop SCK for teaching and learning.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.337-354
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to investigate how students understand multiplication and division of fractions and how their understanding influences the solutions of fractional word problems. Thirteen students from 5th to 6th grades were involved in the study. Students' understanding of operations with fractions was categorized into "a part of the parts", "multiplicative comparison", "equal groups", "area of a rectangular", and "computational procedures of fractional multiplication (e.g., multiply the numerators and denominators separately)" for multiplications, and "sharing", "measuring", "multiplicative inverse", and "computational procedures of fractional division (e.g., multiply by the reciprocal)" for divisions. Most students understood multiplications as a situation of multiplicative comparison, and divisions as a situation of measuring. In addition, some students understood operations of fractions as computational procedures without associating these operations with the particular situations (e.g., equal groups, sharing). Most students tended to solve the word problems based on their semantic structure of these operations. Students with the same understanding of multiplication and division of fractions showed some commonalities during solving word problems. Particularly, some students who understood operations on fractions as computational procedures without assigning meanings could not solve word problems with fractions successfully compared to other students.