• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.619-636
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• 2012

The main purpose of this study was to explore the process of generalization generated by mathematically gifted students. Specifically, this study probed how fourth, fifth, and sixth graders might generalize geometric patterns and represent such generalization. The subjects of this study were a total of 30 students from gifted classes of one elementary school in Korea. The results of this study showed that on the question of the launch stage, students used a lot of recursive strategies that built mainly on a few specific numbers in the given pattern in order to decide the number of successive differences. On the question of the towards a working generalization stage, however, upper graders tend to use a contextual strategy of looking for a pattern or making an equation based on the given information. The more difficult task, more students used recursive strategies or concrete strategies such as drawing or skip-counting. On the question of the towards an explicit generalization stage, students tended to describe patterns linguistically. However, upper graders used more frequently algebraic representations (symbols or formulas) than lower graders did. This tendency was consistent with regard to the question of the towards a justification stage. This result implies that mathematically gifted students use similar strategies in the process of generalizing a geometric pattern but upper graders prefer to use algebraic representations to demonstrate their thinking process more concisely. As this study examines the strategies students use to generalize a geometric pattern, it can provoke discussion on what kinds of prompts may be useful to promote a generalization ability of gifted students and what sorts of teaching strategies are possible to move from linguistic representations to algebraic representations.

• School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.317-333
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the thinking characteristics of mathematically gifted elementary school students in the process of modified prize-sharing problem solving and each student's thinking changes in the middle of discussion. To determine the relevance of the research task, 19 sixth graders enrolled in a local joint gifted class received instruction, and then 49 students took lessons. Out of them, 19 students attended a gifted education institution affiliated to local educational authorities, and 15 were in their fourth to sixth grades at a beginner's class in a science gifted education center affiliated to a university. 15 were in their fifth and sixth grades at an enrichment class in the same center. Two or three students who seemed to be highly attentive and express themselves clearly were selected from each group. Their behavioral and teaming characteristics were checked, and then an intensive observational case study was conducted with the help of an assistant researcher by videotaping their classes and having an interview. As a result of analyzing their thinking in the course of solving the modified prize-sharing problem, there were common denominators and differences among the student groups investigated, and each student was very distinctive in terms of problem-solving process and thinking level as well.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.229-250
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is analyzing 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher', which is being submitted to screen and enhance the utilization of gifted students in accordance with recently introduced gifted students observation, recommendation and screening system. For the purpose, this study will provide with objective securing plan of 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' by developing an optimum evaluation model. The research findings were as follows: First, the result of analysis on the mathematically gifted students behavior characteristic as appeared in 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' suggested that the recommending teachers have the tendency of giving superficial statement instead of giving concrete case description. When it was analyzed for frequency by the 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' analysis framework devised by the author, the teachers showed the tendency of concentrating on specific questions. Meanwhile, there was a tendency that teachers concentrate on specific gifted behavior characteristic or area for which concrete case had been suggested. The reason is believed that such part is easy to observe and state while others are not, or, teachers did not judge the other part as the characteristic of gifted students. Second, the gifted students behavior characteristics as appeared in 'observation and recommendation letter by teacher' were made into scores by Rubric model. When the interrater reliability was analyzed based on these scores, the correlation coefficient of 1st scoring was .641. After a discussion session was taken and 2nd scoring was done 3 weeks later, the correlation coefficient of 2nd scoring increased to .732. The reason is believed that; i) the severity among scorers was adjusted by the discussion session after the 1st scoring, ii) the scorers established detail judgment standard on various situations which can appear because of the descriptive nature, and, (iii) they found a consensus on scoring for a new situation appeared. It implies that thorough understanding and application of scorers on evaluation model is as important as the development of optimum model for the differentiation of mathematically gifted elementary students.

• School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.273-287
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of didactic processing in the class that unified with engineering by analyzing on the types of the teacher's instumental orchestration and schematizing it as an activity system. In order to do so, a qualitative study of a 5th grade class for math-gifted students in Y elementary school with ethnography was conducted. Interviews with the students were held and various document data were collected during the participational observation of the class. The collected qualitative data were gone through the analytical induction while the instrumental orchestration of Drijvers, Boon, Doorman, Reed, & Gravemeijer as well as the secondgeneration activity theory of Engestrom were using as the frame of conceptional reference. According to the result of this study, there exist 4 types, such as 'technical demo' 'link screen board', 'detection-exploring small group' and 'explain the screen and technical demo'.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2013

For the increasingly complicated and technology dependent 21st century, ICT literacy is being emphasized by education authorities as a key ability needed to succeed in a knowledge-based society. Accordingly, since 2007, several studies have been conducted to measure the ICT literacy levels of students. This study aimed at analyzing how ICT literacy levels vary according to students' skill sets from the viewpoint of educational convenience. To fulfill this goal, the ICT literacy abilities of 167 elementary students and 159 middle school students (all receiving education at "gifted students" education centers) were compared with the following results. First, elementary students displayed differences with regards to 'computer and network' and 'information society and ethics' among the content elements, and 'critical mind' and 'information communication' among capability elements according to their skill sets. Second, middle school students displayed differences with regards to 'information society and ethics' and 'information organization and creation' elements according to their skill sets. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it measured the ICT literacy levels of --and made suggestions for education to-- students specially gifted in information, science and mathematics rather than general students.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.77-93
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between thinking styles and the components of mathematical ability of elementary math gifted children. The results of this study were as follows: First, there were differences in thinking styles: The gifted students prefer legislative, judical, hierarchic, global, internal and liberal thinking styles. General students prefer oligarchic and conservative thinking styles. Second, there were differences in components of mathematical ability: The gifted students scored high in all sections. And if when they scored high in one section, then they most likely scored high in the other sections as well. But the spacial related lowly to the generalization and memorization. There is no significant relationship between memorization and calculation Third, there was a correlation between thinking styles and components of mathematical ability: Some thinking styles were related to components of mathematical ability. In functions of thinking styles, legislative style have higher effect on calculation. And executive, judical styles related negatively to the inference ability. In forms of thinking styles monarchic style had higher effect on space ability, hierarchic style had higher effect on calculation. Monarchic, hierarchic styles related negatively to inference ability. In level of thinking styles global, local styles have higher effect on calculation. Local styles related negatively to the inference ability. In the scope of thinking styles, internal style had a higher effect on generalization, and external style had a higher effect on calculation. And there is no significant relationship leaning of thinking styles.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to identify how developed program influence students' creativity by analyzing creative thinking and creative attitude which is appeared when mathematically gifted students get the program expected to improve their creativity. For the study, the 'dimension based geometry exploring program' was developed that consist of twelve lessons. The main idea of it, is implication of the novel . Through a pre and post-test, students's creativity were measured and compared. The results show significant changes on the scores of creative thinking skills and creative attitudes. As the result, mathematically gifted students' creative thinking skills and creative attitudes were improved by applying the of dimension based geometry exploring program.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.95-111
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyze cases on teaching solutions exploration of Wythoff's game through using the analogy for the gifted elementary students, to suggest useful teaching methods. Students recognized structural similarity among problems on the basis of relevance of conditions of problems. The discovery of structural similarity improves the ability to solve problems. Although 2 groups-NIM game with surface similarity is not helpful in solving Wythoff's game, Queen's move game with structural similarity makes it easier for students to solve Wythoff's game. Useful teaching methods to find solutions of Wythoff's game through using the analogy are as follow. Encoding process helps students make sense of the game. It is significant to help students realize how many stones are remained and how the location of Queen can be expressed by the ordered pair. Inferring process helps students find a solution of 2 groups-NIM game and Queen's move game. It is necessary to find a winning strategy through reversely solving method. Mapping process helps students discover surface similarity and structural similarity through identifying commonalities between the two games. It is crucial to recognize the relationship among the two games based on the teaching in the Encoding process. Application process encourages students to find a solution of Wythoff's game. It is more important to find a solution by using the structural similarity of the Queen's move game rather than reversely solving method.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.45 no.4 s.115
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• pp.481-491
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• 2006

Diffy is a simple mathematical puzzle that provides elementary-school students with subtraction practice. The idea appears to have originated in the late nineteenth century with E. Ducci of Itali. Thirty years ago Professor J. Copley of the University of Houston introduced the diffy game to teachers in elementary schools and it widely spreaded out. During the diffy activity we naturally guess many interesting conjectures. First, does diffy always end? Second, does the head of diffy always exist? Third, for an arbitrary given natural number n, is there any possible method to find the diffy with the given length n? In this study I give the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of the head of diffy. Using this condition I classify all possible heads of diffy and provide an algorithm to find the diffy with any given length n. With this algorithm I find four natural numbers with diffy length 200. To ensure my numbers are correct, I make a diffy program for Mathematica and check they are correct. I suggest the diffy game is good for enlarging the mathematical thinking to all graded students, especially gifted and talented students, It will produce rational consideration and synthetic judgement.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.455-467
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• 2009

During problem solving, "mathematical thought process" is a systematic sequence of thoughts triggered between logic and insight. The test questions are formulated into several areas of questioning-types which can reveal rather different result. The lower level questions are to investigate individual ability to solve multiple mathematical problems while using "mathematical thought." During problem solving, "mathematical thought process" is a systematic sequence of thoughts triggered between logic and insight. The scope of this case study is to present a desirable model in solving mathematical problems and to improve teaching methods for math teachers.