• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-170
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• 2009

The purpose of the study is to analyze the sixth graders' understanding of concepts and operation about fraction. The test was administered and analyzed to 707 sixth graders' performance on fractions after the fraction instructions in elementary schools in Seoul, Korea. The participants are asked to answer two sets of questions for 40 minutes. First, they are asked to answer to 16 problems about the concepts of fraction with respect to part-whole, ratio, operator, measure, quotient, equivalent, and operations. Second, specially, to investigate sixth graders' ability of drawing and describing the situation of division including fraction, the descriptive problem asked students (1) to describe $3\;{\div}\;\frac{1}{2}$ into pictorial representation and (2) to write the solving process. The participants of this study didn't show deep understandings about the concepts and operation of fraction. The degree of understanding of subconstructs of fraction shows that their knowledge of ratio concept with respect to fraction was highest while their understanding of measure with respect to fraction was lowest. Considering their wrong answers, about 59% of participants showed misconception to the question of naming one fraction that appears between $\frac{1}{5}$ and $\frac{1}{6}$. Further, they didn't explain their understanding with drawing about the division of fraction ($3\;{\div}\;\frac{1}{2}$).

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.179-195
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• 2022

Mathematical communication competency, one of the six mathematical competencies emphasized in the latest mathematics curriculum, plays an important role both as a means and as a goal for students to learn mathematics. Therefore, it is meaningful to find instructional methods to improve students' mathematical communication competency and analyze their communication competency in detail. Given this background, this study analyzed 64 sixth graders' mathematical communication competency after they participated in the lessons of fraction division emphasizing mathematical communication. A written assessment for this study was developed with a focus on the four sub-elements of mathematical communication (i.e., understanding mathematical representations, developing and transforming mathematical representations, representing one's ideas, and understanding others' ideas). The results of this study showed that students could understand and represent the principle of fraction division in various mathematical representations. The students were more proficient in representing their ideas with mathematical expressions and solving them than doing with visual models. They could use appropriate mathematical terms and symbols in representing their ideas and understanding others' ideas. This paper closes with some implications on how to foster students' mathematical communication competency while teaching elementary mathematics.