• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.443-464
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• 2016

The purpose of ths study is to compare and analyze the sequence of teaching multiplication facts in the elementary school mathematics. Generally, the multiplication in the elementary school mathematics is composed of the followings; concepts of multiplication, situations involving multiplication, didactical models for multiplication, and multiplication strategies for teaching multiplication facts. This study is focusing to multiplication facts, especially to the sequence of teaching and multiplication strategies. The method of this study is a comparative and analytic method. In order to compare textbooks, we select the Korean elementary mathematics textbooks(1st curriculum~2009 revised curriculum) and the 9 foreign elementary mathematics textbooks(Japan, China, Germany, Finland, Hongkong etc.). As results of comparative investigation, the sequence of teaching multiplication facts is reconsidered on a basis of elementary students' mathematical thinking. And the connectivity of multiplication facts is strengthened in comparison with the foreign elementary mathematics textbooks. Finally multiplication strategies for teaching multiplication facts are discussed for more understanding and reasoning the principles of multiplication facts in the elementary school mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.67-87
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• 2001

Variable concept plays a crucial role in understanding not only algebra itself but also school mathematics which is algebra-oriented. It solves as an essential means in applying mathematics to the real world because il enables us to describe varying phenomena in the real world. In this study, we examined some matters related to the learning of variable concept in school mathematics. In Particular, we discussed on the teaching of variable concept in the [7-first] stage of the 7th Mathematics Curriculum. We analysed the textbooks in the [7-first] stage and attempted to explain concretely the contents and teaching methods of variable concept which be taught in school mathematics. After reconsidering the practices on variable concept teaching, we pointed out the problems of formalistic teaching method and then proposed the direction in which variable concept teaching should go.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Mathematical Education Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.21-28
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• 2010

It is common that whoever is having a very low achievement level in mathematics has a poor attitude toward mathematics. However, it is totally opposite when we look at the case of Korean students. On several studies on international comparisons in mathematics and science achievement, Korean students recorded a top ranks among the nations. However, their attitudes toward mathematics are very poor; almost at the bottom in international assessment among other countries compared to international peers. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between students' attitudes toward mathematics and teaching methods and to analyze findings of research articles published within the last 15 years. These findings will contribute not only to understanding a relationship between students' attitudes toward mathematics and teaching methods, but to provide guidelines for how students' attitudes toward mathematics can be improved.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine contents and activities of patterns and functions in the 7th national curriculum for elementary school mathematics and textbooks developed based on it. Through examination, several conclusions were drawn as follow. First, pattern need to be introduced as a way of doing mathematics not as a subject of mathematics. Finding patterns is one of the most important mean to do mathematics. Second, activities for patterns and functions must be organized coherently. Coherent means that mathematical ideas are linked to and build on one another so that students' understanding and knowledge deepens and their ability to apply mathematics expands. Third, independent lessons for patterns and functions are needed. In these lessons, various activities need finding patterns can be introduced to help students understand mathematics. Fourth, the linkage between patterns and functions should be strengthened.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.803-825
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• 2014

From the early stages of learning algebra, literal symbols are used to represent algebraic objects such as variables and parameters. The concept of parameters contains both indeterminacy and fixity resulting in confusion and errors in understanding. The purpose of this research is to compare the beginners of algebra and pre-service teachers who completed secondary mathematics education in terms of understanding this paradoxical nature of parameters. We recruited 35 middle school students in eight grade and 73 pre-service teachers enrolled in a undergraduate course at one university. Using them we conducted a survey on the perception of the nature of parameters asking if one considers parameters suggested in a problem as variables or constants. We analyzed the collected data using the mixed method of qualitative and quantitative approaches. From the analysis results, we identified several difficulties in understanding of parameters from both groups. Especially, our statistical analysis revealed that the proportions of subjects with limited understanding of the concept of parameters do not differ much in two groups. This suggests that learning algebra in secondary mathematics education does not improve the understanding of the nature of parameters significantly.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.237-256
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• 2014

This paper reports findings from a written assessment which was designed to investigate Chinese primary school students' understanding of the equal sign and equation structure. The investigation included a sample of 110 Grade 3, 112 Grade 4, and 110 Grade 5 students from four schools in China. Significant differences were identified among the three grades and no gender differences were found. The majority of Grades 3 and 4 students were found to view the equal sign as a place indicator meaning "write the answer here" or "do something like computation", that is, holding an operational view of the equal sign. A part of Grade 5 students were found to be able to interpret the equal sign as meaning "the same as", that is, holding a relational view of the equal sign. In addition, even though it was difficult for Grade 3 students to recognize the underlying structure in arithmetic equation, quite a number of Grades 4 and 5 students were able to recognize the underlying structure on some tasks. Findings in this study suggest that Chinese primary school students demonstrate a relational understanding of the equal sign and a strong structural sense of equations in an earlier grade. Moreover, what found in the study support the argument that students' understanding of the equal sign is influenced by the context in which the equal sign is presented.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.37-54
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• 2018

Despite the significance of fraction in elementary mathematics education, it is not easy to teach it meaningfully in connection with real life in Korea. This study aims to investigate and analyze 3rd grade students' understanding on unit fraction concepts and on comparison of unit fractions and to identify the parts which need to be supplemented in relation to unit fraction. For these purposes, I reviewed previous studies and extracted chapters which cover unit fractions in elementary mathematics textbooks based on 2009 revised curriculums and analyzed teaching contexts and visual representations of unit fractions. From this point of view, I constructed a test which consists of three problems based on Chval et al(2013) to investigate students' understanding on unit fraction. To apply this test, I selected forty-one 3rd grade students and examined that students' aspects of understanding on unit fraction. The results were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. In this study, I present the analysis results and provide implications and some didactical suggestions for teaching contexts and visual representations of unit fraction based on the discussion.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.123-135
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• 2008

This study analysed the schemata which are requisite to understand and prove examples of mathematical induction, and examined students' construction of the schemata. We verified that the construction of implication-valued function schema and modus ponens schema needs function schema and proposition-valued function schema, and needs synthetic coordination for successive mathematical induction schema. Given this background, we establish $1{\sim}4$ levels for students' understanding of the mathematical induction. Further, we analysed cognitive difficulties of students who studying mathematical induction in connection with these understanding levels.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.291-319
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate students' thinking and understanding through working on Worked-out Examples on numbers and operations, specifically, radical and real numbers and operations in the middle grades. For this purpose, we developed a set of Worked-out Examples; middle school students independently worked on them. Then two students were interviewed. These data were analyzed by using the framework of mathematical proficiency. The data analysis suggested that the students seemed to go through the processes involving a combination of understanding and computation, computation and reasoning, and understanding, computation and reasoning. Also, it appeared that most of the students have difficult solving problems involving with radical and real numbers in related to strategic competence.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.219-236
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• 2014

We recognized that most teachers are having insufficient understanding or misunderstanding about congruent conditions of triangles. So the purpose of this study was to analyze teachers's understanding about congruent conditions of triangles and to find the causes of teachers's misunderstanding. Most teachers have been misunderstanding that triangle determining- conditions are only 3 ways(SSS, SAS, ASA). And they have wrong confidence that 2 sides and a non included angle(ASS) is not always able to make one triangle. This study found that these teachers's misconception was from the textbook using now. As the result of this study, we suggested 7 improvement ways about planning of curriculum, writing of textbook and teacher training course.