• 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.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-41
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• 2010

This research applies the climbing learning method that, a Japanese professor, Saito Noboru established and practiced, to fourth and sixth graders in an elementary school in order to analyze its effect on mathematical creativity, attitude toward mathematical creativity, so called CAS(Creative Attitude Scale) and academic achievement of the subject. The goal is to explore methods that can enhance students' mathematical creativity. To address these tasks, the research developed a teaching-learning scheme and learning structure chart that applies the climbing learning method. Next, the research organized two homogeneous groups among 124 students in fourth and sixth grades in S elementary school, located in the city of Busan. The experiment group went through classes that applied climbing learning method, while the control group received regular teaching. The following describes the research findings. After the experiment, the research conducted t-test for the independent sample based on the test result in terms of mathematical creativity, CAS and academic achievement of the subject. For mathematical creativity, all four constructing factor showed statistically significant differences at significance level of 5%. For CAS, statistically significant difference was revealed at significance level of 0.1%. However, in regard to a test of academic achievement for fourth and sixth graders, statistically significant difference was not detected at significance level of 5% even though the average score of the students in the experiment group was higher by 6 points. The research drew the following conclusion. Firstly, classes that apply climbing learning method can be more effective than regular classes in enhancing mathematical creativity of elementary school students. Secondly, the climbing learning method has positive impact on inclination for mathematical creativity of elementary school students. The research suggests that the climbing learning method can be an effective teaching-learning tool to improve students' mathematical creativity and inclination for mathematical creativity.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.121-139
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• 2011

This study conducted experimental problem posing activities using real-life materials. This study investigated the changes on students' mathematical thoughts and attitudes through the activities. This study is conducted via participation of students in a 5th grade class of N elementary school located in Daegu city. As a qualitative case study, this study focused on processes of problem posing rather than results. The problems applying new situations appear, and the used mathematical terms, units, and figures became more practical. The numbers of problems made are increased gradually, and more complex conditions are added as activities are performed. Most of the students revealed interests about problem making activities.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.435-449
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of teachers' interaction with their students when teaching science in New York (NY) and in Korea. As part of the 2011 Korean International Teacher Fellows (KITF), supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and the National Institute for International Education Development (NIIED), Korean science teachers observed, for six months, New York's science classes in terms of how teachers interact with their students and how students learn science during science instruction. The participants were 10 science teachers in five middle and high schools that taught Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Environment Science in NY. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS, 2003) and Instruction as Interaction (Cohen et al., 2003) were used as an instrument to identify each teacher's teaching and classroom interaction. Several characteristics of science classes in NY were revealed, which are different from Korean science classes. First, science teachers in NY dominantly put more focus on their subject of teaching during science interaction while, Korean science teachers not only teach science but also do counseling to students as a homeroom teacher. Second, science teachers in NY acknowledged the students' individuality and have positive experiences of professional development supported by their school and district more than Korean science teachers do. Third, science teachers in NY sometimes showed limited knowledge about the concepts of science and lack of collaboration with other science teachers. This characteristics may prevent the school from strengthening its subject program and keeping equity across the grade levels and courses.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.231-241
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• 2014

This study is subject to compare the STEAM and the STEM education of Korea, the U.K., and the U.S. to find their differences and similarities, as well as the implications in implementing the STEAM education in Korea. In order to accomplish this, the educational objectives, contents and topics, teaching and learning methods, subjects and timing for education, and convergence curriculum were compared; also, after choosing the representative program of each country, a cross-comparative analysis was done for the teaching and learning method distribution ratio, content element distribution ratio, program distribution ratio, STEAM domain ratio, curriculum structure and domain ratio, frequency of inquiry process, basic inquiry, integrated inquiry frequency, hourly basic inquiry, and integrated inquiry process. As a result, it was possible to obtain 77 programs, a total of 656 class hours of Korea, 65 programs and 846 class hours of the U.S., and 75 programs and 774 class hours of the U.K. The results are as follows: Korea's STEAM and the U.K. and the U.S.' STEM all include science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, but in terms of frequency, Korea's STEAM has higher figure in arts. However, the U.K. and the U.S. have higher frequency of debate and discussion, and there were many cases of a student, after receiving feedback from other students, modifying the work.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.79-94
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of the types(levels) of justification which are appeared by elementary mathematically gifted students in solving the tasks of plane division and spatial division. Selecting 10 fifth or sixth graders from 3 different groups in terms of mathematical capability and letting them generalize and justify some patterns. This study analyzed their responses and identified their differences in justification strategy. This study shows that mathematically gifted students apply different types of justification, such as inductive, generic or formal justification. Upper and lower groups lie in the different justification types(levels). And mathematically gifted children, especially in the upper group, have the strong desire to justify the rules which they discover, requiring a deductive thinking by themselves. They try to think both deductively and logically, and consider this kind of thought very significant.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.115-138
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' constructing similarities in the understanding the problem phase and the devising a plan phase of problem solving. the relation between similarities that students construct and how students construct similarities is researched through case study. Based on the results from the research, authors reached a conclusion as following. All of two students constructed surface similarities in the beginning of the problem solving process and responded to the context of the problem information sensitively. Specially student who constructed the similarities and the difference in terms of a specific dimension by using diagram for herself could translate the equation which used to solve the base problem or the experienced problem into the equation of the target problem solution. However student who understood globally the target problem being based on the surface similarity could not translate the equation that she used to solve the base problem into the equation of target problem solution.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.109-128
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• 2020

South Korea places the core of public education in school education, and textbooks are compiled based on curriculum announced by the Education Ministry. Therefore, the compilation of high-quality textbooks is very important and requires more than just revising the curriculum. Korea had been working on developing textbooks several times, but it has been evaluated as a uniform textbook in terms of external system and editing design compared to advanced foreign textbooks. This can be said to be the result of the based to only the textbook's internal system, which should be dealt with in the textbook when compiling the textbook. The textbooks which were developed at seventh curriculum were made remarkable changes in the history of South Korea textbooks. In this study, we want to examine the nation's state-authored textbooks, from the seventh textbook to the current textbook in 2015 by order of magnitude and to give a careful look at what aspects of the changes are being made. To this end, the composition of textbooks is analyzed by dividing them into external and internal systems. The external system of textbooks focuses on changes in plate form, shape, lipid, color, and illustration, while the internal system focuses on changes in the composition system of the unit, the composition system of the contents by lesson, and the style of question. As a result, we led to a significant conclusion on the changes in textbooks.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.361-368
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate preference and purchase factors of seaweed in some regional residents of Korea. Subjects were residents (n = 1,218) whose residential area was divided into inland and coastal region and the survey was done during December 2007. Especially, purchase factors of seaweeds was conducted only in married females (n = 353). The subjects are composed of 46.5% male and 53.5% female. Regional distribution of subjects was found to be 16~17%, with highest ratio in the age bracket of 20~29 years old. Proportion of students, at 29.8%, was the highest ranking occupation of the subjects. Preference score of seaweeds by region was highest for laver followed by brown seaweed and sea tangle. In terms of preference by gender, female subjects displayed higher preference score for green laver (p < 0.01), seaweed fusiforme, brown seaweed, sea tangle (p < 0.001) than the male subjects. Considerations being made when purchasing seaweeds for each region were in the order of freshness, taste and nutrition. In comparing the inland and coastal region, scores of freshness, convenience, design and color for the coastal region was higher, displaying significant difference.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.363-380
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• 2023

This study analyzed the difficulties and mathematical modeling knowledge improvement that an elementary school teacher experienced in modifying a mathematics textbook task to a mathematical modeling task. To this end, an elementary school teacher with 10 years of experience participated in teacher-researcher community's repeated discussions and modified the average task in the data and pattern domain of the 5th grade. The results are as followings. First, in the process of task modification, the teacher had difficulties in reflecting reality, setting the appropriate cognitive level of mathematical modeling tasks, and presenting detailed tasks according to the mathematical modeling process. Second, through repeated task modifications, the teacher was able to develop realistic tasks considering the mathematical content knowledge and students' cognitive level, set the cognitive level of the task by adjusting the complexity and openness of the task, and present detailed tasks through thought experiments on students' task-solving process, which shows that teachers' mathematical modeling knowledge, including the concept of mathematical modeling and the characteristics of the mathematical modeling task, has improved. The findings of this study suggest that, in terms of the mathematical modeling teacher education, it is necessary to provide teachers with opportunities to improve their mathematical modeling task development competency through textbook task modification rather than direct provision of mathematical modeling tasks, experience mathematical modeling theory and practice together, and participate in teacher-researcher communities.