• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.361-378
• /
• 2011

Since textbooks are developed according to the curriculum, it might be said that the terms registered in curriculum can serve as guidelines for terms used in textbooks. But it really is not. In this study, so that terms registered in curriculum can serve as guidelines for terms used in textbooks, inconsistencies between them would be found out and improved. To this end, suitability of selecting and using terms are discussed, focusing on terms registered in curriculum and terms used in textbooks. In fact, there are significant differences between the terms registered in curriculum and the terms in textbooks, because there is not any criteria in selecting and using terms. In this study the five criteria with respect to registering terms in curriculum are proposed. Everyday language should not be registered. Naturalized terms should not be registered. Terms used in only elementary mathematics, but are already well-established should be registered. Same term used in diverse context should be registered only once. Terms which can be used without definition should be designated. Three criteria in regard to using terms in textbooks are proposed. Terms registered in curriculum must be used. Same term used in diverse context should be redefined in every context. Terms that are not certified and are not absolutely necessary must not be used.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.611-623
• /
• 2016

This study explored the problems of definitions and choices of terms and notations and proposed a few tasks for improvement of them included , , of high school mathematics based on 2009 revised mathematics curriculum and textbooks. We explored the problems on the features of the methods and contents of definitions of terms and notations in the viewpoint of the possibilities of difficulties on students' understanding, and proposed several criteria for choices of terms and notations in curriculum. And we proposed several tasks to improve the problems as follows: we need to implement much analyses and discussions on terms and notations and to open the results, to make the criteria for the examinations of mathematics textbooks in the viewpoint of therm and notation, to consider the differences of the methods of definitions among primary, middle, and high schools, and to consider the changes of terms and notations and the methods for introduction of them in textbooks.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.63-78
• /
• 2013

Trigonometric ratios are difficult concepts to teach and learn in middle school. One of the reasons is that the mathematical terms (sine, cosine, tangent) don't convey the idea literally. This paper deals with the understanding of a concept from the learner's standpoint, and searches the orientation of teaching that make students to have full understanding of trigonometric ratios. Such full understanding contains at least five constructs as follows: skill-algorithm, property-proof, use-application, representation-metaphor, history-culture understanding [Usiskin, Z. (2012). What does it mean to understand some mathematics? In: Proceedings of ICME12, COEX, Seoul Korea; July 8-15,2012 (pp. 502-521). Seoul, Korea: ICME-12]. Despite multi-aspects of understanding, especially, the history-culture aspect is not yet a part of the mathematics class on the trigonometric ratios. In this respect this study investigated the effect of history approach on students' understanding when the history approach focused on the mathematical terms is used to teach the concept of trigonometric ratios in Grade 9 mathematics class. As results, the experimental group obtained help in more full understanding on the trigonometric ratios through such teaching than the control group. This implies that the historical derivation of mathematical terms as well as the context of mathematical concepts should be dealt in the math class for the more full understanding of some mathematical concepts.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.377-394
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the elementary school mathematics textbooks according to the mathematics curriculum revised in 2007 which put emphasis on mathematics as a communication, and to find out the implication for improving the mathematics textbook of Korea. Mathematics textbooks are analyzed by five analysis criteria, which are suitability of communication activities, suitability of usage of terms and symbols, suitability of literary expressions, suitability of visual expressions and adequateness of mathematics and curriculum. As a result of analysis, it is found out that communication activities were generally reflected the intent of curriculum but there were incomplete terms usage and literary, visual expressions. So communication among authors, between authors and writers, authors and illustrators is necessary for improvement of mathematics textbooks.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.111-127
• /
• 2004

In this note we examined some terms, parallel lines and angles in elementary school mathematics and middle school mathematics respectively. Since some terms are represented early in elementary school mathematics and not repeated after, some students are not easy to apply the terms to their lesson. Also, since the relation between parallel lines and angles are treated intuitively in 7-th grade, applying the relation for a proof in 8-th grade would be meaningless. For the variety of mathematics education, it is desirable that the relation between parallel lines and angles are treated as postulate. Also, for out standing students, it is desirable that we use deductive reasoning to prove the relation between parallel lines and angles as a theorem. In particular, the treatments of vertical angles and the relation between parallel lines and angles in 7-th grade text books must be reconsidered. Proof is very important in mathematics, and the deductive reasoning is necessary for proof. It would be efficient if some properties such as congruence of vertical angles and the relation between parallel lines and angles are dealt in 8-th grade for proof.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.375-396
• /
• 2016

This study considered Elementary school textbook and teacher's manual in Korea in terms of theories on counting. First we considered the meaning of counting in elementary school mathematics based on many preceding researches. And we compared textbooks in Korea with foreign textbooks in Singapore, China, USA. As a result, compared with Korea, these foreign textbooks reflect the theories on counting more actively. First of all, they consider counting to be an important basis for the four operations. Teacher's manual in Korea introduces the theories on counting, but the content was limited and thread was not clear. Based on these consideration, We discussed reflection of elementary school textbook in terms of theories on counting.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.227-246
• /
• 2003

In this paper, some terms of high school mathematics which read Chinese characters phonetically in Hangul are studied semantically. Nowadays, most terms of high school mathematics are terms of Chinese characters given the reading of them in Hangul alphabet. In such terms of Chinese characters, there are many loan-words from daily life and newly coined terms. Some such terms are examined in respect of meaningfulness and rule-ness. The degree of meaningfulness and rule-ness of loan-words from daily life are relative. Students seems familiar to loan-words usually, but it is difficult to know whether students seems to be familiar to loan-words or not. Degree of familiarity to a certain loan-word must be relative. In loan-words, there are such terms whose mathematical meaning is different from daily life meaning. Such terms are strong in rule-ness. Newly coined terms are strong in rule-ness. Students are not familiar to newly coined terms which are not used in daily life and have only mathematical meaning. In coining new terms using Chinese character, unit characters are related directly or indirectly to concept which unit characters want to express. So, It is possible to guess something unit characters want to express by investigating them. According to Vinner(1991), images can be evoked. But in case of reading Chinese characters phonetically in Hangul, it can not be guaranteed for Hangul mathematical terms to evoke images which the original mathematical terms evoked. To solve such problems semantic investigation of mathematical terms has been suggested. Through this process, transplanting images which the original mathematical terms evoked into Hangul terms are planned.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.223-257
• /
• 2008

To understand terms and symbols correctly which is the basic factor of teaming mathematics is important for understanding and utilizing related mathematic contents. Since the definition of terms and symbols is the important starting point of learning mathematics, it has been studied a lot since the ancient times. This study investigates the transition of terms and symbols which was presented in our curriculum after Korea's independence and it also investigates terms and symbols which are used for the current middle school text books. As a result of studying the transition of the terms, more detailed and broader analysis should be done for the explanation, modification, deletion, and creation of the terms. And complements are needed for some of the terms and symbols. Also, some definition of the terms which are used in some of the current middle school text books should be explained in a way that is suitable for the students' capability. And some errors and omissions of the terms need to be corrected. Furthermore, we need to compare our definition of terms with that of the other countries and modify them if it is necessary. Also, It is better to put guidelines about the interpretation of terms and symbols in the curriculum to reduce the confusion which can be produced by the variety of explanation of the definition of terms and symbols.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.49-70
• /
• 2002

There have recently been increasing exchanges between South and North Korea in many areas of society, involving politics, economics, culture, education. In response to these developments, research activities are more strongly demanded in each of these areas to help prepare for the final unification of the two parts of the nation. In the area of mathematics education, scholars have started to conduct comparative studies of mathematics education in South and North Korea. As a response to the growing demand of the time, in this thesis we compared the secondary mathematics education in South Korea with that in North Korea. To begin with, we examined the background of education, in North Korea, particularly predominant ideological, epistemological and teaching theoretical aspects of education in North Korea. Thereafter, we compared the mathematics curriculum of South Korea with that of North Korea. On the basis of these examinations, we compared the secondary school mathematics textbooks of South and North Korea, and we attempted to suggest a guideline for researches preparing for the unification of the mathematics curriculum of South and North Korea. As a communist society, North Korea awards the socialist ideology the supreme rank and treats all school subjects as instrumental tools that are subordinated to the dominant communist ideology. On the other hand, under the socialist ideology North Korea also emphasizes the achievement of the objective of socialist economic development by expanding the production of material wealth. As such, mathematics in North Korea is seen as a tool subject for training skilled technical hands and fostering science and technology, hence promoting the socialist material production and economic development. Hence, the mathematics education of North Korea adopts a so-called "awakening teaching method," and emphasizes the approaches that combine intuition with logical explanation using materials related with the ideology or actual life. These basic viewpoints of North Korea on mathematics education are different from those of South Korea, which emphasize the problem-solving ability and acquisition of academic mathematical knowledge, and which focus on organizing as well as discovering knowledge of learners' own accord. In comparison of the secondary school mathematics textbooks used in South and North Korea, we looked through external forms, contents, quantity of each area of school mathematics, viewpoints of teaching, and term. We have identified similarities in algebra area and differences in geometry area especially in teaching sequence and approaching method. Many differences are also found in mathematical terms. Especially, it is found that North Korea uses mathematical terms in Hangul more actively than South Korea. We examined the specific topics that are treated in both South and North Korea, "outer-center & inner-center of triangle" and "mathematical induction", and identified such differences more concretely. Through this comparison, it was found that the concrete heterogeneity in the textbooks largely derive from the differences in the basic ideological viewpoints between South and North Korea. On the basis of the above findings, we attempted to make some suggestions for the researches preparing for the unification in the area of secondary mathematics education.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.565-586
• /
• 1998

Like many other school subjects, terminology is a starting point of mathematical thinking, and plays a key role in mathematics learning. Among several areas in mathematics, geometry is the area in which students usually have the difficulty of learning, and the new terms are frequently appeared. This is why we started to investigate geometric terms first. The purpose of this study is to investigate geometric terminology in school mathematics. To do this, we traced the historical transition of geometric terminology from the first revised mathematics curriculum to the 7th revised one, and compared the geometric terminology of korean, english, Japanese, and North Korean. Based on this investigation, we could find and structuralize the following four issues. The first issue is that there are two different perspectives regarding the definitions of geometric terminology: inclusion perspective and partition perspective. For example, a trapezoid is usually defined in terms of inclusion perspective in asian countries while the definition of trapezoid in western countries are mostly based on partition perspective. This is also the case of the relation of congruent figures and similar figures. The second issue is that sometimes there are discrepancies between the definitions of geometric figures and what the name of geometric figures itself implies. For instance, a isosceles trapezoid itself means the trapezoid with congruent legs, however the definition of isosceles trapezoid is the trapezoid with two congruent angles. Thus the definition of the geometric figure and what the term of the geometric figure itself implies are not consistent. We also found this kind of discrepancy in triangle. The third issue is that geometric terms which borrow the name of things are not desirable. For example, Ma-Rum-Mo(rhombus) in Korean borrows the name from plants, and Sa-Da-Ri-Gol(trapezoid) in Korean implies the figure which resembles ladder. These terms have the chance of causing students' misconception. The fourth issue is that whether we should Koreanize geometric terminology or use Chinese expression. In fact, many geometric terms are made of Chinese characters. It's very hard for students to perceive the ideas existing in terms which are made of chines characters. In this sense, it is necessary to Koreanize geometric terms. However, Koreanized terms always work. Therefore, we should find the optimal point between Chines expression and Korean expression. In conclusion, when we name geometric figures, we should consider the ideas behind geometric figures. The names of geometric figures which can reveal the key ideas related to those geometric figures are the most desirable terms.