• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.34-44
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• 2015

Mathematical, spatial, and verbal abilities are important for future engineers to succeed in the STEM disciplines. The purpose of the study is to assess engineering students' spatial abilities and analyse the relationship with mathematical achievement, verbal achievement, and gender. On the mental rotation tests, 65% of male students demonstrated a substantial level of spatial abilities. But only 30% of female students exhibited spatial skills at the same level as their male colleagues. The correlations between mathematical - spatial - verbal abilities are found to be negligible. When spatial visualization ability was plotted according to the mathematical achievement level, there was no difference in the mean spatial abilities score. But when mathematical achievement score was plotted according to the spatial abilities, there was a noticeable difference. Regression analysis confirmed that female students' mathematical achievement increased as spatial abilities improved. This phenomenon was not observed for male students. It's because male students' spatial ability already contributed to their mathematics achievement. So spatial ability can be regarded as one factor for the gender differences in mathematics achievement. The gender gap on spatial abilities and math achievement is large among high achieving students. For example, there was a 4.3 to 1 male - female ratio and 3.4 to 1 male - female ratio among students scoring 99th percentile in spatial visualization test and scholastic aptitude test-math.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.93-109
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between learning strategies and cognitive learning abilities with achievement scores of elementary school children. To achieve this purpose, 109 sixth grade children were sampled in Seoul-City, and the 'Questionnaire on the Learning Strategies and Learning Abilities Test' were administered to them. The collected data were analyzed by Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis. The major findings of this study were as follows: Firstly, there appeared to be statistically significant correlations between learning strategies and achievement scores. The process of thinking variable of learning strategies were most significantly correlated with achievement scores(r=.251- .458, p<.01). The calculated R2 indicated that the combined effects of process of thinhng and affective domain on the achievement scores were about 21.5%. Secondly, there appeared to be statistically significant correlations between cognitive learning abilities and achievement scores. The verbal reasoning and verbal comprehension variable of cognitive learning abilities were most significantly correlated with achievement scores(r=.215-,493, p<.01). The calculated R2 indicated that the verbal reasoning and verbal comprehension variable of cognitive learning abilities explained about 27.6% of the variance of achievement scores. Thirdly, there appeared to be no statistically significant correlations between learning strategies and cognitive learning abilities. The results of this study shows that the development of learning strategies and cognitive learning abilities could improve the achievement scores in school learning.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.117-129
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• 2008

In present study, using 1572 low-income families and 266 Head Start teachers from Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) in the U.S., we examined the effects of mothers' reading and the characteristics of interaction between teacher-child interaction on 4-and 5-year-olds' cognitive development represented by their verbal and numerical abilities. Frequencies of mothers' reading at home consistently predicted higher scores of children's Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and Woodcock Johnson Applied Problems. Teachers' sensitivity and permissiveness in their interactions with children in classroom were positively related to children's verbal abilities and teachers' sensitivity predicted better numerical abilities of children after controlling for mothers' reading and the characteristics of family and teacher. The findings shed light on the contributions of teacher behaviors and familial factors to children's cognitive development calling for attention to the need for parent education on cognitively stimulating family environments and continuing education for early childhood teachers focusing on quality interactions with young children.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.9-13
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• 1988

Mathematics education is generally to cultivate mathematical thought. Most meaningful thought is to solve a certain given situation, that is, a problem. The aim of mathematies education could be identified with the cultivation of mathematical problem-solving ability. To cultivate mathematical problem-solving ability, it is necessary to study the nature of mathematical ability and its aspects pertaining to problem-solving ability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between problem-solving ability and classficational viewpoint of mathematical verbal problems, and bet ween the detailed abilities of problem-solving procedure and classificational viewpoint of mathematical verbal problems. With the intention of doing this work, two tests were given to the third-year students of middle school, one is problem-solving test and the other classificational viewpoint test. The results of these two tests are follow ing. 1. The detailed abilities of problem-solving procedure are correlated with each other: such as ability of understanding, execution and looking-back. 2. From the viewpoint of structure and context, students classified mathematical verbal problems. 3. The students who are proficient at problem-solving, understanding, execution, and looking-back have a tendency to classify mathematical verbal problems from a structural viewpoint, while the students who are not proficient at the above four abilities have a tendency to classify mathematical verbal problems from a contextual viewpoint. As the above results, following conclusions can be made. 1. The students have recognized at least two fundamental dimensions of structure and context when they classified mathematical verbal problems. 2. The abilities of understanding, execution, and looking- back effect problem-solving ability correlating with each other. 3. The instruction emphasizing the importance of the structure of mathematical problems could be one of the methods cultivating student's problem-solving ability.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to prove the effect of the "Picture Book Reading Program for Mothers" developed to enhance the language competence of married immigrant women and their children. Twenty immigrant mothers with three-year-olds were recruited, and they participated in an 8-week-Picture Book Reading Program developed by the reseacher. The REVT and U-TAP were used to measure linguistic abilities for mothers while PRES was used to measure their children's linguistic abilities. Lee(2004)'s "Effect of dialogic picture book reading teacher training program for toddlers" was used to measure the mother's and children's verbal and non-verbal behaviors. The results of the study were as follows: First, by participating in the PBRPM, the mother's linguistic ability as well as children's vocabulary and receptive language have increased. Second, by participating in the PBRPM in terms of mother-child interaction, mother's verbal behaviors to children (i.e. attention and inquiring) and children's verbal behaviors(i.e. responding and imitation) have increased. In conclusion, "PBRPM" for married immigrant women and their children proved to be effective in enhancing the language competence and verbal interactions between married immigrant women and their children.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.145-154
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• 2011

This study investigated the effects of young children's learning-related skills and the maternal involvement on academic abilities. The sample consisted of 310 children from 7 child-care centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. All variables were measured by the teachers and the mothers of surveyed children. The instrument included the Korean Child Development Inventory(K-CDI) for 4 to 6-year olds and Preschool Learning Behavior Scale(McDermott et al 2000) and the questionnaire on mother's involvement about their children's education. The collected data was analyzed by t-test and hierarchical regression using the SPSS Program. The findings are as follows. First, regardless of the family income level, verbal comprehension and numerical abilities were positively associated with their learning-related skills of young children. Second, the interaction effect of learning-related skills and the mothers' involvement on verbal comprehension of young children in the low-income families was observed. However, no interaction effect was seen in terms of learning-related skills and the maternal involvement on verbal comprehension and numerical abilities of young children in the high-income families. These findings highlight the importance of learning-related skills and their mothers' involvement during the preschool period for the low-income family in improving the early academic achievement.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.485-496
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to examine how the difference of parents' verbal control styles influence children's perspective-taking and interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills. The subjects of this study were 117 five-year-old children with their parents included. The questionnaire used was relevant to the topic, such as parents' verbal control styles, young children's perspective-taking ability, and their interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills. The percent, mean, standard deviation, three-way ANOVA, and Scheffe were used to analyze the data collected through SPSS WIN program. The major findings are as follows: First, a father's verbal control style makes a significant difference in young child's perspective-taking ability. However, there is no interaction effect between parents' verbal control styles and a child's sex. Second, a father's verbal control style makes a significant difference in young child's interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills. Character-oriented verbal control mode of a father, in particular, produces more effects on boys than girls. Lastly, Two skills - alternative problem-solving skills and cause-solving skills - have interaction effects. Boys demonstrate higher skills than girls when parents apply character-oriented verbal control styles. Girls do so when mothers use position-oriented verbal control styles, especially in the area of cause-solving skills.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was to examine the effectiveness of computerized cognitive ability enhancement program (CCAEP) using Smarttoy. The CCAEP using Smart-toy which can interact with children via bluetooth is a kids-friendly and convenient method for improving children's cognitive abilities by increasing their motivation for performing the program. We developed the CCAEP which designed to train auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, auditory-verbal working memory, and visual-spatial working memory. Methods: Eighteen children aged 8 to 10 participated in CCAEP individual training composed of 8 sessions of 40 minutes each for 4 weeks. The effect of the training was measured with Smart Toyweb's cognitive assessment tasks (smart device based assessment) as well as traditional neuropsychological tests before and after the training. Results: Children showed significant improvement in auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, auditory-verbal working memory and visual-spatial working memory abilities after the training. Conclusion: This study demonstrated promising results suggesting the effectiveness of CCAEP using Smart-Toy in clinical settings as well as school and home situations. Further controlled study with larger sample size including various clinical groups is needed to confirm the present results.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.553-571
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• 2015

Mathematical, verbal, and spatial abilities are known as three important indicators for the success in the STEM disciplines. In this study, Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotation, College Entrance Scholastic Aptitude Test- Math and Verbal score of engineering freshmen students have been used to find the relationships among these areas. In addition, gender differences in spatial visualization, verbal achievement and mathematical achievement have been investigated, too. In this research, I found that gender difference was highest in spatial visualization ability, followed by verbal achievement and smallest in mathematical achievement. Substantial number of male students possess high level of spatial abilities, but only half of female students were at the same level where their male colleagues were. The correlation between spatial ability and mathematical ability was negligible, contrary to former researches on elementary and middle school students. But the correlation was stronger for female students than male students. The correlation between mathematical achievement and verbal achievement was negative. It reflects the fact that when one section of SAT score is low, score of other sections should be higher to get admitted to college. Gender difference in mathematics was smallest for high achieving spatial ability group. For low spatial ability group gender difference in mathematics achievement has been observed, too. To find the combined contribution of spatial and verbal abilities to mathematics achievement, students were divided into 4 ability groups. Mathematics achievement decreased in the order of (1) high spatial -low verbal group, (2) low spatial - low verbal group, (3) high spatial - high verbal group, (4) low spatial - high verbal group.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Design Studies Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.224-225
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• 2004