• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2021

This study investigates students' conceptions of fractions from a measurement approach while providing a technological environment designed to support students' understanding of the relationships between quantities and adjustable units. 13 third-graders participated in this study and they were involved in a series of measurement tasks through task-based interviews. The tasks were devised to investigate the relationship between units and quantity through manipulations. Screencasting videos were collected including verbal explanations and manipulations. Drawing upon the theory of semiotic mediation, students' constructed concepts during interviews were coded as mathematical words and visual mediators to identify conceptual profiles using a fine-grained analysis. Two students changed their strategies to solve the tasks were selected as a representative case of the two profiles: from guessing to recursive partitioning; from using random units to making a relation to the given unit. Dragging mathematical objects plays a critical role to mediate and formulate fraction understandings such as unitizing and partitioning. In addition, static and dynamic representations influence the development of unit concepts in measurement situations. The findings will contribute to the field's understanding of how students come to understand the concept of fraction as measure and the role of technology, which result in a theory-driven, empirically-tested set of tasks that can be used to introduce fractions as an alternative way.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-62
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• 2014

In this thesis, we inquire into teaching method of decimal fraction concept in elementary mathematics education based on measurement activity. For this purpose, our research tasks are as follows: First, we design a experimental learning-teaching plan of 'decimal fraction' unit in 4th grade textbook and verify its effect. Second, after teaching experiment using experimental learning-teaching plan, we analyze the student's status of understanding about decimal fraction concept. As stated above, we have performed teaching experiment which is ruled by new lesson design and analysed the effects of teaching experiment. Through this study, we obtained the following results. First, introduction of decimal fraction based on measurement activity promotes student's understanding of measuring number and decimal notation. Second, operator concept of decimal fraction is widely used in daily life. Its usage is suitable for elementary mathematics education within the decimal notation system. Third, a teaching method of times concepts using place value expansion of decimal fraction is more meaningful and has less possibility of misunderstanding than mechanical shift of decimal point. Fourth, teaching decimal fraction through the decimal expansion helps students with understanding of digit 0 contained in decimal fraction, comparing of size and place value. Fifth, students have difficulties in understanding conversion process of decimal fraction into decimal notation system using measurement activity. It can be done easily when fraction is used. However, that is breach to curriculum. It is necessary to succeed research for this.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.311-329
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• 2012

This study analyzed third graders' understanding on the part-whole fraction concept in both the continuous and the discrete contexts. A set of problems were developed as an equivalent form to compare and contrast students' understanding of fraction in the two contexts. Unexpectedly, the results of this study showed that students' performance in the continuous contexts was slightly lower than their performance in the discrete contexts. Students tended to use different strategies depending on the contexts and they had difficulties in applying what they knew in the new contexts. On the basis of the detailed analyses about students' difficulties and their sources, this paper provides information on how to construct curricular materials and how to teach the basic concepts related to the part-whole fraction.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.547-574
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• 2017

The purpose of analysis of foreign curriculums and textbooks is to aimed to get the implications for the revision of curriculum, publishment of textbooks and teaching mathematics. In this study, Common Core State Standards and its textbooks was analyzed. The U. S. doesn't have the national mathematics curriculum. So, it can be happen some problems: students' lower mathematical achievement, assessment policy, decision of teaching contents, etc. In 2010, Common Core State Standards was developed by states. Furthermore, The California Department of Education reshaped standards: CA-CCSSM. This study analyzed the contents of fraction in CA-CCSSM and its textbooks. Fraction has many concepts and methods and models in teaching process. This study analyzed the equal parts, introducing fraction concept, the types of fraction, equivalent fractions, comparison of fractions. The conclusions are as follows; The equal parts are the important concept of fraction and introduced in geometry area before teaching of fraction. CA-CCSSM aims to understand a fraction as a number on the number line and represent fractions on a number line diagram. There are some similarity and difference in mixed number, fractions as a division and ratio, equivalent fractions and comparison of fractions between Korean curriculum and textbooks and CA-CCSSM.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.87-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore how units-coordination ability is related to understanding fraction concepts. For this purpose, a teaching experiment was conducted with one fourth grade student, Eunseo for four months(2019.3. ~ 2019.6.). We analyzed in details how Eunseo's units-coordinating operations related to her understanding of fraction changed during the teaching experiment. At an early stage, Eunseo with a partitive fraction scheme recognized fractions as another kind of natural numbers by manipulating fractions within a two-levels-of-units structure. As she simultaneously recognized proper fraction and a referent whole unit as a multiple of the unit fraction, she became to distinguish fractions from natural numbers in manipulating proper fractions. Eunseo with a reversible partitive fraction scheme constructed a natural number greater than 1, as having an interiorized three-levels-of-units structure and established an improper fraction with three levels of units in activity. Based on the results of this study, conclusions and pedagogical implications were presented.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.259-273
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• 2003

A fraction is one of the most important concepts that students have to learn in elementary school. But it is a challenge for students to understand fraction concept because of its conceptual complexity. The focus of fraction learning is understanding the concept. Then the problem is how we can facilitate the conceptual understanding and estimate it. In this study, Moore's concept understanding scheme(concept definition, concept image, concept usage) was adopted as an theoretical framework to investigate students' fraction understanding. The questions of this study were a) what concept image do students have\ulcorner b) How well do students solve fraction problems\ulcorner c) How do students use fraction concept to generate fraction word problem\ulcorner By analyzing the data gathered from three elementary school, several conclusion was drawn. 1) The students' concept image of fraction is restricted to part-whole sub-construct. So is students' fraction understanding. 2) Students can solve part-whole fraction problems well but others less. This also imply that students' fraction understanding is partial. 3) Half of the subject(N=98) cannot pose problems that involve fraction and fraction operation. And some succeeded applied the concept mistakenly. To understand fraction, various fraction subconstructs have to be integrated as whole one. To facilitate this integration, fraction program should focus on unit, partitioning and quantity. This may be achieved by following activities: * Building on informal knowledge of fraction * Focusing on meaning other than symbol * Various partitioning activities * Facing various representation * Emphasizing quantitative aspects of fraction * Understanding the meanings of fraction operation Through these activities, teacher must help students construct various faction concept image and apply it to meaningful situation. Especially, to help students to construct various concept image and to use fraction meaningfully to pose problems, much time should be spent to problem posing using fraction.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.287-313
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• 2005

The decimal fraction concept plays an important role in understanding the real number which is one of the major concepts in school mathematics. In the school mathematics of Korea, the decimal fraction is treated merely as a sort of name of the common fraction, while many other important aspects of the decimal fraction concept are ignored. In consequence students fail to understand the decimal fraction concept properly, and merely consider it as a kind of number for formal computation. Preceding studies also identified students' narrow understanding of the decimal fraction concept. But none of them succeeded in clarifying the essences of the decimal fraction concept, which are crucial for discussing the didactical problems of it. In this study we attempted a didactical analysis of the decimal fraction concept and disclosed the roots of didactical problems and presented measures for its improvement. First, we attempted a phenomenological analysis of the decimal fraction concept and extracted 9 elements of the decimal fraction concept. Second, we has analyzed of the essence of the decimal fraction concept more clearly by relating it to the situations where it functions and its representations. For this we tried to construct the conceptual field of the decimal fraction. Third, we categorized he developmental levels of the decimal fraction concept from the aspect of external manifestation of the internal order. On the basis of these results, we attempted hierarchical structuring of the elements of the decimal fraction concept. And using the results of such a didactical analysis on the decimal number concept we analyzed the mathematics curriculum and textbooks of our country, investigated levels of students' understanding of the decimal fraction concept, and disclosed related problems. Finally we suggested directions and measures for the improvement of teaching decimal fraction concept.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.129-144
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• 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the use of RNP curriculum based on Lesh translation model on third grade students' understandings of fraction concepts and problem solving ability. Students' conceptual understandings of fractions and problem solving ability were improved by the use of the curriculum. Various manipulative experiences and translation processes between and among representations facilitated students' conceptual understandings of fractions and contributed to the development of problem solving strategies. Expecially, in problem situations including fraction ordering which was not covered during the study, mental images of fractions constructed by the experiences with manipulatives played a central role as a problem solving strategy.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.17-43
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• 2014

On the subjects of elementary 3rd grade three child prodigies who had learned the four fundamental arithmetic operations and primary concepts of fraction, this study conducted a qualitative case research to examine how they composed schema of addition and multiplication of fractions and transformed schema through recognition of precise concepts and linking of concepts with addition and multiplication of fractions as the contents. That is to say, this study investigates what schema and transformed schema child prodigies form through composition of primary mathematic concepts to succeed in relational understanding of addition and multiplication of fractions, how they use their own formed schema and transformed schema for themselves to approach solutions to problems with addition and multiplication of fractions, and how the subjects' concept formation and schema in their problem solving competence proceed to carry out transformations. As a result, we can tell that precise recognition of primary concepts, schema, and transformed schema work as crucial factors when addition of fractions is associated with multiplication of fractions, and then that the schema and transformed schema that result from the connection among primary mathematic concepts and the precise recognition of the primary concepts play more important roles than any other factors in creative problem solving with respect to addition and multiplication of fractions.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.447-465
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to suggest effective teaching methods on the concept of infinity for students to obtain the right concept in the middle school curriculum. Many people have thought that infinity is something vouge and unapproachable. But, nowadays it is rather something with a precise definition that lies at the core of modern mathematics. To understand mathematics and science very well, it is necessary to comprehend the concept of infinity. But students tend to figure out the properties of infinite objects and limit concepts only through their experience closely related to finite process, and so they are apt to have their spontaneous intuition and misconception about it. Since most of them have cognitive obstacles in studying the infinite concepts and misconception, mathematics teachers need to help them overcome the obstacles and establish the right secondary intuition for the concepts through good examples and appropriate explanation. In this study, we consider the developing process of the concept of infinity in human history and give some comments and suggestions in teaching methods relative to that concept with new suitable examples.