• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.547-561
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• 2010

Even though statistics is considered as one of the areas of mathematical science in the school curriculum, it has been well documented that statistics has distinct features compared to mathematics. However, there is little empirical educational research showing distinct features of statistics, especially research into the understanding of statistical concepts which are different from other areas in school mathematics. In addition, there is little discussion of a relationship between the ability of mathematical thinking and the ability of understanding statistical concepts. This study extracted some important concepts which consist of the fundamental statistical reasoning and investigated how mathematically high achieving students understood these concepts. As a result, there were both kinds of concepts that mathematically high achieving students developed well or not. There is a weak correlation between mathematical ability and the level of understanding statistical concepts.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.499-518
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine the preservice secondary mathematics teachers understanding and dimensions of knowledge about definition of irrational numbers and irrational numbers and operations. I adopted a framework consisting of formal dimensions, intuitive numbers, algorithmic dimentions suggested by Tirosh et al.(1998) by adding instrumental dimension for his study. I surveyed 65 preservice secondary mathematics teachers who are in bachelor program and post-bachelor program for teacher certificate by using a questionnaire suggested by Sirotic and Zazkis(2007). The results of this study suggest that 83.1% of the participants gave correct answers in definitions of irrational numbers. 43% of the preservice secondary teachers gave correct answers in adding with irrational numbers. Also 91% of the preservice teachers gave correct answers in multiplying irrational numbers. The preservice teachers appeared to understand irrational numbers and operations at formal dimension. More than half of the preservice teachers gave incorrect answers in adding irrational numbers and a few participants gave incorrect in multiplying irrational numbers. The preservice teachers seemed to understand irrational numbers and operations at intuitive or instrumental dimension. The results also suggest that the preservice secondary mathematics teachers have incorrect understanding about irrational numbers.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.719-745
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• 2012

This research is a study on student's understanding fundamental conception of mathematical curriculum, especially in geometry domain. The goal of researching is to analyze student's wrong conception about that domain and get the mathematical teaching method. We developed various questions of descriptive assessment. Then we set up the term, procedure of research for the understanding student's knowledge of geometry. And we figured out the student's understanding extent through analysing questions of descriptive assessment in geometry. In this research, we concluded that most of students are having difficulty with defining the fundamental conception of mathematics, especially in geometry. Almost all the students defined the fundamental conceptions of mathematics obscurely and sometimes even missed indispensable properties. Prior to this study, we couldn't identify this problem. Here are some suggestions. First, take time to reflect on your previous mathematics method. And then compile some well-selected questions of descriptive assessment that tell us more about student's understanding in geometry.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.305-325
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• 2004

This study is on the teaching-learning of parameter concept in secondary school mathematics. In our school mathematics curriculum, parameter concept is explicitly presented at high school mathematics textbook. But student have difficulty in understanding parameter concept because this concept is implicitly used in the textbook from 7-grade mathematics. Moreover, it is true that mathematics teacher give a little attention to student's understanding of parameter con- cept. In this study, we analyzed concept definition of parameter and the extension of parameter on the basis of preceding research, our mathematical curriculum, mathematical dictionaries. After that, we concluded that parameter is explicitly called in t where x= f(t), y= g(t) and parameter is implicitly treated in the learning of relation between quantities in our mathematical curriculum. We pointed to the importance of parameter concept in the successful learning of school algebra. Specially, when the level of algebra is in the learning of relation between quantities, parameter is the key concept for understanding and representing of families of equations or functions. In mathematics class, students have opportunity to reflect that what the role of each variable(parameter, dependent variable, independent variable etc.) is, and where the information which determines it comes from. It is for mathematical communications as well as learning school algebra. Therefore, mathematics teacher's didactical attention is more needed to student have a good concept image of parameter before they learn explicitly its concept definition.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-165
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• 2008

Asian mathematics curricula and textbooks are being recognized in the United States as at least partial explanation for the higher mathematics achievement of students in Asian countries compared to students in the United States. As a result there is considerable interest among many educators in the United States in curricula from Singapore and curricula from Japan. In addition, researchers and educators at one university in the American heartland have been using the English translations of a Korean primary mathematics curriculum for professional development and assessment with groups of Missouri teachers for the purpose of enhancing teachers' understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics, and in hopes of raising student achievement scores. A professional development initiative begun seven years ago and revived this year will entail a rigorous assessment which will be reported in 2009. Results of assessment of the earlier initiatives are reported here.

• School Mathematics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.111-125
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• 2002

In this study, we studied some examples using GSP(Geometer's SketchPad) in the process of problem solving that is explained by G. polya. After reconsidering examples, we tried to show that using GSP can help student's intuitive thinking, investigative activities, reflective thinking. Especially, in the three phase of problem solving(understanding the problem, devising a plan, looking back), mathematics teachers may using GSP in order to helping student's understanding. Besides, we tried to suggest the direction to use GSP more adequately in the teaching and Beaming mathematics. First of all, Mathematics teachers using GSP in their class must have ideas how to use it. And they have to be careful on the didactical transposition of mathematical knowledge in the computer-based learning. They also have to lead students move from activities with GSP materials to carrying out the problem solving plan and reflection activities.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.103-128
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• 2014

This paper presents the Global van Hiele (GVH) questionnaire as a tool for mapping knowledge and understanding of plane and solid geometry. The questionnaire facilitates identification of the respondents' mastery of the first three levels of thinking according to van Hiele theory with regard to key geometrical topics. Teacher-educators can apply this questionnaire for checking preliminary knowledge of mathematics teaching candidates or pre-service teachers. Moreover, it can be used when planning a course or granting exemption from studying in basic geometry courses. The questionnaire can also serve high school mathematics teachers who are interested in exposing their students to multiple-choice questions in geometry.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.165-185
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• 2022

The six core competencies have been emphasized in the mathematics curriculum revised in 2015. In particular, the communication is very important for students' representing their own thinking and enhancing much higher mathematical thinking. Based on this competency, this study selected the four elements of the communication such as the understanding of mathematical representation, development and transition of mathematical representation, the representation of his own thinking, the understanding of the others' thinking. And also this study selected the domain of function which is comprised of the content of the coordinate plane, the graph, proportionality in the seventh grade mathematics textbook. By the subject of the ten kinds of textbook, this study examined how the four elements of the communication competency were shown in each textbook.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.1 s.116
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• pp.123-134
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• 2007

In the article, representations useful in mathematics education are introduced and show how they are related in the context of mathematics education. They are classified in three categories: representations in mind, representations for understanding and problem solving, and mathematical representations.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.511-533
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• 2012

In order to determine whether there is a significant correlation between relational understanding and creative math. problem finding ability, this study performed relational understanding and problem finding ability tests on a sample of 186 8th grade middle school students. According to the study results, we found a very significant positive correlation between relational understanding and the creativity of the mathematising ability and the combining ability of mathematical concepts in the problem finding ability. Although there was no statistically significant correlation between relational understanding and the extension ability of mathematical facts, the results from analyzing the students response rate and actual scores in each test showed that students with high relational understanding scores also had high response rate and high scores in analogical reasoning and inductive reasoning. Through this study, therefore, relational understanding is found to have a positive impact on the creative mathematics problem finding ability.