• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.317-325
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the readability of the 2015 revised elementary science textbooks at the vocabulary and sentence levels, and to provide an opportunity to use vocabulary and sentences with an appropriate level of readability for writing textbooks in the future. To do this, the readability of the 2015 revised elementary science textbook was analyzed and the vocabulary and sentence level the readability of sentences defining scientific terminology were analyzed. The results were then compared to the readability of previous curriculum textbooks. The results are as follows: first, the grade average of vocabulary remained at 1.5-2.1, with vocabulary appropriate to the elementary school level being used on average. However, grades 4 to 5 vocabulary are distributed at a relatively high rate. Second, the sentence-level analysis shows that the sentence lengths for the third and fifth grades were relatively long and the percentage of simple sentences was low. Third, compared to other curriculum textbooks, it was confirmed that the proper level of readability was maintained at the vocabulary level, but that the sentence lengths and the percentage of simple sentences could adversely affect the readability of third-grade science textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.480-497
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• 2021

This study intends to explore the content and organization characteristics of elementary school science textbooks in the astronomical domain from the perspective of understanding the astronomical spatial concept. This study analyzed the relevant unit of the achievement criteria in the 2015 revised science curriculum for the 'space' domain in elementary school science textbooks in comparison with that in secondary school textbooks according to the spatial concept analysis criteria by texts, illustrations, and inquiry activities. As a result, elementary school science textbooks were found to be organized around phenomena rather than concepts, targeting observable celestial bodies linked to real life in order to optimize the amount of learning content. However, the learning contents of astronomical observation related to observation and phenomena-centered real life should stimulate the curiosity and imagination of elementary school students and encourage their intellectual participation. Students need to be supported for understanding of the spatial concept to find an answer to the question of 'why'. The content organization for core concepts should be organized around the transferable spatial concept rather than simply focusing on presenting results by accurately describing the phenomena observed by students through scientific practice in order for students to answer various questions that arise in the course of scientific practice.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.163-192
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• 2016

In this study, we analyzed what STEAM-related subject contents, except mathematical knowledge, are contained in 2009 revised elementary mathematics 6th grade textbooks and teacher's manuals. The STEAM-related subject contents in the textbooks and the teacher's manuals were examined by unit, by semester, and by strand of the content in the elementary school mathematics curriculum. The results are the following: First, in each unit and in each strand of mathematics, the most frequent STEAM-related subject content is storytelling, followed by the STEAM-related subject contents of technology and engineering, natural science, and social studies in order. On the other hand, the number of culture, physical education, music and fine arts contents is very small. Second, the number of STEAM-related subject contents in the textbook for the second semester(textbook 6-2) of the 6th grade year is 61 more than that in the textbook for the first semester(textbook 6-1). The number of non-storytelling STEAM-related subject contents in textbook 6-2 is 107, 2.7 times more than that in textbook 6-1. Third, the teacher's manual for textbook 6-1 is insufficient in complementing the textbook units which lack in STEAM-related subject contents, while the teacher's manual for textbook 6-2 is comparatively good in its complementing role. Therefore, it is recommended that we develop different STEAM materials for our 6th grade mathematics classes.

• School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.257-272
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• 2015

This study is related to reinforcement of the continuity between Nuri curriculum and elementary mathematics curriculum emphasized by 2015 revised national curriculum. Considering that teachers tend to rely much more on textbooks than on curriculum, we analyzed the continuity between math-related activities of Nuri manuals for teachers and the elementary mathematics textbooks and aimed to suggest several ways for securing the continuity based on the result of analyses. To do this, we compared and analyzed Nuri manuals (for ages three to five) for teachers and the first and second grade mathematics textbooks in three aspects: mathematical contents, mathematical terms and symbols, and mathematical processes. We adopted the same analysis framework including continuity, discontinuity and reverse continuity as the study on the continuity between Nuri curriculum and elementary mathematics curriculum. As a result, the results of analyses were revealed in three aspects, respectively. We also discussed the results and suggested some implications for securing the continuity of Nuri manuals for teachers and the elementary mathematics textbooks and for revising curriculum and its materials such as textbooks, workbooks or manuals for teachers.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.251-278
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to obtain implications for mathematical education by analyzing how the multiplication and division of decimal numbers are presented in the elementary mathematics textbooks in Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Finland. Compared to the fact that students often have misconceptions about multiplication and division of decimal numbers, there have been not many comparative studies in recent elementary mathematics textbooks. For this study, we selected elementary mathematics textbooks those are widely used in Japan, Singapore, and Finland along with Korean elementary mathematics textbooks. We chose the textbooks because the students in the selected countries have scored high in international achievement studies such as TIMSS and PISA. The analysis was examined in terms of elementary mathematics curriculum related to multiplication and division of decimal numbers, introduction and content, real-life situations, use of visual models, and formalization methods of algorithms. As a result of the study, the mathematics curricula related to multiplication and division of decimal numbers includes estimation in Korea and Finland, while Japan and Singapore emphasize real-life connections more, and Finland completes the operations in secondary schools. The introduction and content are intensively provided in a short period of time or distributed in various grades and semesters. The real-life situations are presented in a simple sentence format in all countries, and the use of visual models or formalization of algorithms is linked to the operations of natural numbers in unit conversions. Suggestions were made for textbook development and teacher training programs.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.141-159
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• 2008

The purpose of this study id to delve into how elementary mathematics textbook deal with the quadrilaterals from a view of Didactic Transposition Theory. Concerning the instruction period and order, we have concluded the following: First, the instruction period and order of quadrilaterals were systemized when the system of Euclidian geometry was introduced, and have been modified a little bit since then, considering the psychological condition of students. Concerning the definition and presentation methods of quadrangles, we have concluded the following: First, starting from a mere introduction of shape, the definition have gradually formed academic system, as the requirements and systemicity were taken into consideration. Second, when presenting and introducing the definition, quadrilaterals were connected to real life. Concerning the contents and methods of instruction, we have concluded the following: First, the subject of learning has changed from textbook and teachers to students. Second, when presenting and introducing the definition, quadrilaterals were connected to real life. Third, when instructing the characteristics and inclusive relation, students could build up their knowledge by themselves, by questions and concrete operational activities. Fourth, constructions were aimed at understanding of the definition and characteristics of the figures, rather than at itself.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.329-350
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• 2017

This paper examined vocabulary used in elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks for the grade band of 5~6. This study focused on the adequacy of vocabulary using 9-degree of semantic difficulty. The results of this study showed that most vocabulary in the textbooks and workbooks was adequate for the target grades. In some cases, however, vocabulary that was supposed to be difficult for the fifth and sixth graders was employed in a way that the meaning of such vocabulary was difficult for students to infer in the given context. The most frequent vocabularies in the main activities of the mathematics textbooks included 'method', 'investigate', 'number', 'communicate', and 'represent'. Based on these results, this study provides 5~6 grade textbook writers with implications on what to further consider in dealing with vocabulary in instructional materials.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.207-225
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• 2017

With a significant role of textbooks in shaping students' opportunities to learn, textbook analysis is essential to reveal these opportunities to learn the concept of area and volume. This research aims to show how the Korean textbooks pace students' learning of area and volume across grades by scrutinizing the textbooks with students' developmental sequences, called learning trajectories. Tasks about area and volume in all Korean elementary textbooks (grade 1 to 6) are coded with the specific developmental stages suggested in learning trajectories. As a result, we find considerable misalignment between the textbooks and the learning trajectories. The textbooks provide opportunities to experience developmental progressions of area and volume later than ages suggested in the learning trajectories. In addition, learning opportunities are significantly concentrated in grade 5 for area and grade 6 for volume with heavy emphases on applying formulas of area or volume. The findings from this research provides important implications concerning design of textbooks as well as improving students' opportunities in the mathematics classrooms.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2013

'Sentence posing' is newly given in the third through sixth grade mathematics textbooks of the revised 2007 curriculum to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions. In this paper, we discuss the role of the sentence posing in the third grade mathematics textbooks on the basis of the problems occurred in third graders' sentence posing activities. Overall, it turned out that the role of the sentence posing was somewhat restrictive. Hence the sentence posing needs to be applied to check whether students can properly use the definitions in real life situations. In addition, it is necessary to employ the present role of the sentence posing to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions selectively according to the concepts of definitions.

• 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.