• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-106
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• 2012

Spatial ability has been valued as a talent domain and important skill in mathematics education because it enhanced an intuitive view and an understanding in many areas of mathematic. In addition, spatial ability highly correlates with mathematics achievement, indicating its crucial role in success in mathematics education. Some researchers founded gender differences in mathematics and spatial ability, and indicated that spatial ability served as a mediator of gender difference in mathematics. This study explored the spatial ability of 349 Korean middle school students (Grade 7-9), and investigated the association among students' spatial ability and their mathematics achievement, gender, and grade. The result of this study shows that spatial ability correlates positively with mathematics achievement. While gender difference did not exist in mathematics, significant gender difference existed in spatial ability favoring male students.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.245-273
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate environmental factors that affect mathematics learning of students in multicultural families. For this study, as study subjects, eight elementary school students and one middle school student, who were born and grew up in multicultural families in Korea due to international marriage of Korean father and foreign mother, and their five mothers were selected. To examine factors affecting mathematics learning and interests of students in multicultural families, relationships with parents, friends, and teachers were surveyed, and mathematics attitude test was performed. After conducting one on one interview based on collected questionnaires and results of the attitude test, qualitative data analysis was performed. As a result of survey and interview, positive factors affecting mathematics learning of students in multicultural families included arousing interest in mathematics through mother's mathematics teaching in her mother language and direct teaching, good peer relation, teacher's compliment and encouragement, and lowering the burden of language in accordance with characteristics of mathematics course.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.637-654
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• 2013

This study aims to suggest a Guide-Line for Assessment Items Development in Middle and High School Mathematics that was included in the plan for advancement of mathematics education(2012). Consequently, we categorized a Guide-Line for Assessment Items Development as three process: 'Lesson content analysis process', 'Assessment items making process', 'Assessment items completed process'. This study will contribute to improve teacher's assessment professionalism and can be used as self-diagnosis tools.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.125-148
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to analyze concretely and minutely a primary factor of deciding attitude of learning mathematics of elementary school students, grope a solution for negative attitude of learning mathematics with researching a difference between major factors by achievement in mathematics, and examine a suggestion in forming positive attitude of learning mathematics. The results of this study is as follows. First, elementary school students decided whether they liked or disliked mathematics, depending on not only characteristics of mathematics, but also teacher's teaching mathematics with interest and fun, or teacher's teaching tediously and difficultly. Second, negative attitude toward mathematics exam of elementary school students was influenced by parents' meddling for exam and negative attitude toward result of exam more than uneasiness by exam itself. Third, as private education for elementary school students becomes more popular, the learning mathematics out of school can be an important factor to decide attitude of learning mathematics of students on several sides such as teacher, teaching method, method of presenting task, and so on as much as mathematics class in school, and characteristics of mathematics. Fourth, students demanded silent and concentrative atmosphere in studying to have positive attitude of learning mathematics. Fifth, as the result of examining major factors that form attitude of teaming mathematics of groups by achievement in mathematics, there was considerable difference in each group. Students in a group of ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ disliked parents' meddling and rebuke, but it didn't change greatly their attitude toward mathematics exam. However a group of ‘middle’ showed the greatest uneasiness toward an exam, and they reacted sensitively to parent's rebuke, scolding, learning environment, and so on.

• School Mathematics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.135-156
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to discuss about the role of the visualization as an effective method of teaching abstracted mathematics, to analyze visual materials in middle and high school mathematics and to suggest various visualized materials for teaching mathematics effectively. Though formal, symbolic and analytical teaching method is a major characteristic of mathematics, the students should be taught to understand through intuition and insight, and formalize the mathematical concepts progressively. Especially the sight is one of the most important basics of cognition for intuition and insight. Therefore, suggesting mathematical contents through the visual method makes the students understand and formalize the mathematical concepts more easily. In this study, we tried to investigate the meaning and role of visualization in mathematics teaching. And, we discussed about the four roles of visualization in the process of mathematics teaching and learning confirmation and memorization of the mathematical truth, proving theorem and solving problems which is one of the most important purposes of teaching mathematics, According to the roles of visualization, we analyzed visual materials currently taught in middle and high school, and suggested various visual materials useful in teaching mathematics. The investigated fields are algebra where visual materials are little used, and geometry where they are use the most. The paper-made-textbook can't show moving animation vigorously. Hence we suggested visual materials made by GSP and applets in IES .

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.1 s.116
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• pp.19-31
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• 2007

This study is to explore the ways in which the affective characteristics of Korean middle school students have been developed and the ways in which they have an effect on their mathematics achievements by using TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) data of 1995, 1999, and 2003. In addition, this study investigates the differences in affective variables between boys and girls toward mathematics. The result of the study indicates that the affective characteristics of Korean middle school students have changed a little, but that its effect on mathematics achievement increased a lot from 1995 to 2003. This study also shows that the Korean students study mathematics to get a job than to enter a university. However, girls have come to study it harder before going to college and it seems to have an impact on their mathematics scores; this happened in 1999. So we can infer from it that the decreasing in the difference between boys and girls in mathematics achievement may have been influenced by the girls' learning motivation to go to college. Lastly, it should be said that another analysis is needed to find out the reason for the devaluation of the importance of mathematics among the Korean middle school students.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.487-509
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• 2012

This study, in order to contribute to improvement of the affective domain for mathematics which is one of the largest issues of mathematics education, examined the background variables influencing mathematics anxiety of middle/high school students. As the result, the middle school students showed a greater level of anxiety than the high school students did, and especially the anxiety level according to environment factor and learning strategy factor was high. Also, male students showed overall a greater mathematics anxiety than female students did, and both group of students showed a higher anxiety level according to environment factor and learning strategy factor. Besides, the greater the time spent on private education was, the higher the mathematics anxiety level, and in test/performance factor, the group with low self-initiated learning time showed a higher level of mathematics anxiety compared to other two groups. Among four subfactors of mathematics anxiety test, the students overall scored lowest in anxiety for test/performance factor, and highest in environment factor.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.57-80
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• 2015

This study was to develop the mathematics test-preparation and the test-taking strategies scales for elementary school students. Elementary school students and teachers participated in developing factors and items of the mathematics test-preparation and test-taking strategies scales. The subjects were 857 students in 6th grade from 13 elementary schools in G-city. The variable-centered approach such as exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and reliability analyses were used for validating the scales. The results of the study were as follows. First, the mathematics test-preparation and the test taking strategies scales for elementary school students consisted of three strategies: cognitive, metacognitive, and learning resources management strategies, respectively. Second, the mathematics test-preparation strategies scale for elementary school students comprised of three factors and 23 items, and the mathematics test-taking strategies scale three factors and 24 items. The scales could be used to assess elementary students' mathematics test-preparation and test-taking strategies and to further develop programs for enhancing strategies use.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.505-518
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• 2007

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the meaning of assessment for students, parents and mathematics teachers in middle school mathematics. For this purpose, we made an inspection to find out how the students grasped assessment results of mathematics, an investigation on the parents questionnaire to catch their viewpoints about assessment in school mathematics. Then, we interviewed three students, three teachers to confirm or to supplement the collected data. From the analyzing of data, we found the followings: First, it is not reasonable to evaluate the middle school students' mathematics accomplishment level using only paper test score. Second, almost all parents focus on their interesting to mathematics test score of their children not any other factors, such as intellectual accomplishment. Third, mathematics teachers claim that private education for only the mathematics test score can block the improving of students' mathematical thinking and application ability of mathematical knowledge.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.71-82
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• 2002

This study purported to develop the learning materials for the optional activities of mathematics, apply them to the students, and examine the effect on the learner's interest and attitude to mathematics. In order to conduct this study, the learning materials for the mathematics optional activities were developed according to the units of grade 8-Ga and the developed learning materials of the mathematics optional activities were inputted in two classes for 18 units after the second grade middle school students in Daejeon area received the questionnaire regarding the learning attitude and the interest in the mathematics. After that, the questionnaire regarding the learning attitude and the interest in the mathematics and the examination regarding the response to the application of the learning materials for mathematics optional activities were conducted and did t-test. The results of the study as follows : First The learning materials applied exciting games for mathematics optional activities aroused interest in mathematics and made the learners have confidence in mathematics learning. Second, There was affirmative change in the interest and attitude to the mathematics learning with the application of the mathematics optional learning materials. Third The leaning materials of the mathematics optional activities made the learners think mathematical questions connected with the real life and try various ways to solve the questions. Here are some suggestions to study the development of the learning materials such as story, game, quiz and craft. First it is necessary to develop the learning materials applied the games or the real life matters connected with mathematics for all grade middle school students and use them in the mathematics optional activities. Second, many students feel a great interest in animation. moving picture, sound graphic, etc. If the multimedia learning materials included the real life matters or the games are developed, the learners will feel more interest in mathematics. Third, the systematic and economical support is continuously needed in order that teachers are given much time to study and the opportunity to attend the training course for the understanding of the optional activities and the development of the various learning materials.