• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.423-446
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• 2022

This study explores and compares Korean and U.S. elementary preservice teachers' analytic approaches of students' addition and subtraction computational strategies. Twenty-six Korean and twenty U.S. elementary preservice teachers participated in the study. Participants were asked to analyze mathematical approaches and errors from students' addition and subtraction operations. Preservice teachers' written documents were analyzed by applying open coding and inductive coding based on the grounded theory. As a result, the pattern of error analysis and interpretation of students' addition computations were similar for both Korean and U.S. preservice teachers whereas there were some differences in the analysis of students' subtraction computations. Both Korean and U.S. preservice teachers had difficulties identifying students' strategies and errors for a complicated and unconventional computational approach. Results also indicated that preservice teachers' noticing and interpretation of students' strategies and errors were influenced by their K-12 mathematics curriculum and teacher education program. This study suggests implications and future directions for teacher education, more contextualized teacher preparation programs and balanced connection to the K-12 curriculum.

• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-111
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to examine a preservice elementary mathematics teacher's beliefs and stated-actions in which she planned and implemented mathematical activities in a field experience within a mathematics methods course. Results show that the preservice teacher seemed to be dealing with conflicts and trying to resolve them in order to make sense to herself. Results also suggest that the preservice teacher's beliefs about how children learn seem to get confirmed through the field experiences so that she was able to articulate, which influence her experience of focusing on an individual child. This, in turn, induces her to elaborate her beliefs. These processes would explain her beliefs and actions as a sensible system.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.533-547
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• 2023

This study is an action research aimed at improving the instruction of a teacher educator who teaches science teaching methods to elementary preservice teachers. After identifying the cause of their low levels of curiosity and interest in physics, teaching plans addressing this problem were explored, applied to classes, and reflected upon. Through this process, ways to improve teaching practice in science classes for elementary preservice teachers and pique their scientific curiosity and interest were proposed. A spiral implementation structure that repeats implementation and reflection a total of three times was designed for the prospective preservice teachers who participated in elementary science textbook research physics classes. Self-reports, student participation data, and results from both peer and self-evaluations were collected and analyzed. The reasons for the preservice teachers' low levels of curiosity and interest in science were identified as their inability to recognize and express information gaps and their low levels of willingness to resolve this. Practice expressing information gaps, raising the level of knowledge to be able to recognize information gaps, and a strategy to have the will to resolve information gaps were introduced into the class. To the extent that changes can be made by improving unit classes, elementary preservice teachers can express their curiosity and interest in science through this process.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.157-178
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• 2022

Mathematics teachers' content knowledge is an important asset for effective teaching. To enhance this asset, teacher's knowledge is required to be diagnosed and developed. In this study, we employed problem-posing and problem-solving tasks to diagnose preservice teachers' understanding of fraction multiplication. We recruited 41 elementary preservice teachers who were taking elementary mathematics methods courses in Korea and the United States and gave the tasks in their final exam. The collected data was analyzed in terms of interpreting, understanding, model, and representing of fraction multiplication. The results of the study show that preservice teachers tended to interpret (fraction)×(fraction) more correctly than (whole number)×(fraction). Especially, all US preservice teachers reversed the meanings of the fraction multiplier as well as the whole number multiplicand. In addition, preservice teachers frequently used 'part of part' for posing problems and solving posed problems for (fraction)×(fraction) problems. While preservice teachers preferred to a area model to solve (fraction)×(fraction) problems, many Korean preservice teachers selected a length model for (whole number)×(fraction). Lastly, preservice teachers showed their ability to make a conceptual connection between their models and the process of fraction multiplication. This study provided specific implications for preservice teacher education in relation to the meaning of fraction multiplication, visual representations, and the purposes of using representations.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.329-349
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mathematical belief of elementary school preservice teachers and elementary school teachers and to analyze their differences in mathematical belief. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, Elementary school preservice teachers generally regard the belief in the nature of mathematics as 'rules and procedures' and emphasize the 'process of inquiry' about the beliefs of learning mathematics. When comparing the beliefs according to gender, there is a significant difference only in the category of 'teacher instruction' among the beliefs of learning mathematics. Second, elementary school teachers generally regard the nature of mathematics as a 'inquiry process' and have a 'student-led' belief about the learning mathematics. There is no significant difference of the belief about the nature of mathematics and learning mathematics between the elementary school teachers by gender and majors. However, when comparing the mathematical beliefs according to educational level, there is a difference in beliefs about the nature of mathematics. Third, comparing the mathematical beliefs of elementary school preservice teachers and elementary school teachers, there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the 'rules and procedures' subcategories of the nature of mathematics, but there is a significant difference in 'inquiry process'.

• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-176
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• 2010

This research aims to conduct the teaching experiment based on the constructivism to elementary preservice teachers and report on how they construct and develop the mathematical knowledge on ratio concept. Furthermore, this research aims to examine the significances and difficulties of "constructivist teaching experiment" which are conceived by elementary preservice teachers. As the results of this research, I identified the possibilities and limits of mathematical knowledge construction by elementary preservice teachers in the "constructivist teaching experiment". And the elementary preservice teachers pointed out the significances of "constructivist teaching experiment" such as the experience of prior thinking on the concept to be learned, the deep understanding on the concept, the active participation to the lesson, and the experience of learning process of elementary students. Also they pointed out the difficulties of "constructivist teaching experiment" such as the consumption of much time to carry out the constructivist teaching, the absence of direct feedbacks by teacher, and the adaption on the constructivist lesson.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2005

The aims of this research are to analyze elementary preservice teacher's conception and causes of their misconceptions on biological reproduction and inheritance. In future, it would be also to provide useful data for the effective teaching-teaming method in the elementary school as well as opportunities to correct their misconceptions, which help elementary preservice teachers have the appropriate scientific conceptions. Thirty kinds of test questions were designed in science curriculum for elementary students and biology textbook for university students in order to develop reproduction and inheritance's concepts. The questionnaire was given to 166 junior students of university of education in a local city. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 10.0 program. The major results are as follows: Among 30 test questions, 2 questions in plants, 5 questions in animals and 2 questions in gene were appeared as misconceptions over $50\%$. The major reason to hold the misconceptions was influenced by 'learning up to now' category. The selection reasons of response were significantly different between scientific conceptions and misconceptions in 10 questions by analysis of variance. The gender also showed statistically significant differences between scientific conception and misconception in 3 questions by $\chi^2$ test. The selection reasons according to gender were significantly different between male and female students in 5 questions. For the reasons in forming misconceptions, they may cause by stereotype, conscious priority, differences of experiences, interest or attention, lack of professional Knowledge, and so on. Therefore, it was concluded that this research may help elementary preservice teachers to reconsider their conception for reproduction and inheritance and to be successful in science instructions fur elementary students.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.170-184
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• 2024

This study focused on the practical research needed to improve elementary school science lesson plans. Specifically, a video clip-based pedagogical reasoning activity that included elementary student misconceptions was presented and the influences of this activity on preservice teachers' science lesson planning were assessed. First, the eight preservice teacher participants were asked to write a lesson plan for a dissolution and solution unit, after which a first semi-structured interview was conducted. Then, the participants participated in a video clip-based pedagogical reasoning activity. Based on the activity results, the participants revised their previously planned lessons, and second semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data from the preservice teachers' lesson plans and interview transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative method to investigate the lesson plan changes. It was found that after the video clip-based pedagogical reasoning activity, the preservice teacher tightened the activity or changed the material to understand the students' thinking processes. In addition, they supplemented their goals and assessment criteria to accommodate the diverse students' thinking. Some also specified motivational strategies that considered student interests, motivation, and possible misconceptions. However, some preservice teachers still set goals that did not sufficiently account for student misconceptions and some planned the student assessments based only on the learning goals rather than the students' thinking. The few preservice teachers were able to develop motivational strategies that considered interest, motivation, and misconceptions. The preservice teachers claimed that they had difficulty predicting the misconceptions and connecting these to the lesson content. Discussions were then held to assist the preservice teachers to consider possible student misconceptions when planning their lessons.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.81-105
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of creativity in mathematics of preservice elementary school teachers. Creativity in Mathematics is one of the most important components in mathematics teaching and learning, which has been emphasized in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and the 2009 Revised Mathematics Curriculum. For this study, the researcher analyzed reports of creativity in mathematics in mathematics lessons from the perspectives of 55 preservice elementary school teachers. The preservice teachers observed 55 mathematics lessons focusing on creativity in mathematics during their two-week-student-teaching period. The results showed the followings. First, the preservice teachers had a narrow perceptions on creativity in mathematics. Second, observational experiences of mathematics lessons led the preservice teachers to reconsideration of creativity in mathematics. Third, the preservice teachers provided a various strategies to enhance students' creativity in mathematics. The researcher suggested the followings. First, definitions and practices of creativity in mathematics should be included in the teacher education programs. Second, mathematics textbooks should include creativity in mathematics in a sophisticated manner. Third, creativity-rich materials should be developed and distributed to teachers. Finally, well-designed teacher training programs should be necessary.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 2022

This study investigated the aspects of how three preservice elementary school teachers conducted the data-text transforming discourses in their science simulation teaching and how their epistemological conversations worked for learners' construction of scientific knowledge. Three preservice teachers, who had presented simulation teaching on the seasonal change of constellations, participated in the study. The results revealed that one preservice teacher, who had implemented the transforming discourses of data-to-evidence and model-to-explanation, appeared to facilitate learners' knowledge construction. The other two preservice teachers had difficulty helping learners construct science knowledge due to their lack of transforming discourses. What we should consider for improving preservice elementary school teachers' teaching competencies was discussed based on a detailed comparison of three cases of preservice teachers' data-text transforming.