• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.187-201
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using process-based writing poems in the elementary mathematics classrooms. For this study, we chose 128 elementary school students to examine their mathematical achievements and attitude towards mathematics when using process-centered writing poems in the elementary mathematics classrooms. Process-based mathematics and writing programs developed mainly on the geometry units were composed of four levels, idea generation, idea selection, use and idea organization grouped into similar sections in order to separate into two sections. The results of the practice of this study's problem can be summarized as follows. First, the process-based mathematics and writing activity of geometry had a positive impact on academic achievement in mathematics. Although there was not a significant difference in the fourth and fifth grades, significant differences in the fifth and sixth grade were found. Second, in regards to attitudes in mathematics, process-based mathematics and writing activities had a positive impact. In particular, the improvement of mathematical attitudes was evident in all grades. It confirmed the effective facilitation of interest and enjoyment towards learning mathematics by 4th, 5th and 6th graders who had undertaken these mathematics classes.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.231-254
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• 2019

As the teacher-centered education is transformed into learning-centered education, the active knowledge construction of learner becomes important. Along with this change, project-based learning is receiving attention. However, there are many problems to apply the results of research to pre-service teachers because most of the previous studies have focused on elementary middle high school students. Therefore, this study examined the changes in perceptions of pre-service mathematics teachers while project-based learning progressed for one year. Pre-service mathematics teachers had less experience with project-based learning than group discussions, group activities. Also their perceptions was classified as five factors: 'Instructional effects', 'Application and participant of project-based learning', 'Achievement', 'Diffusion of project-based learning', 'Student motivation'. Pre-service mathematics teachers responded positive changes in perception that project-based learning could be motivated to students but they responded negative changes in perception that project-based learning could be distributed to school. They responded positive changes in perception that teachers can show their achievements by project-based learning but they responded negative change in perception that teachers would be fun to apply project-based learning. Also, they responded positive changes in perception that teachers and students were easy to apply or utilize project-based learning.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.383-398
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• 2009

We conduct a survey on mathematics academic achievement to 4th, 5th, and 6th grade elementary school students at Dong-Gu in Busan in order to provide teachers in elementary schools with basic research data. The survey questionnaire includes home background, private education, the difficulty degree of mathematics textbook, practical usage of computers, group-teaching, teaching methods, preview, review, homework amount, learning attitude, problem solving ability, interest for mathematics, and the relationships of a home room teacher and friends. Based on survey data we perform factor analysis to find major factors affecting mathematics academic achievement. We identify if there are statistically significant differences in responses of survey for gender group and grade group with regard to survey questions belonging to the major factors obtained in factor analysis.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.337-352
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of teaching methods among elementary school math teachers in terms of student achievement in examinations. Results are based upon data from two elementary schools. The evaluation criteria of fifteen items was modified from Ryang's original MTEBI sixteen items to measure elementary school teachers' math teaching efficacy. The result of this study could be summarized as follows. The students were divided into two groups according to teaching efficiency: higher teaching efficiency and lower teaching efficiency. A comparison of math tests taken by students from these groups demonstrates a significant statistical difference. Students with teachers in the lower efficiency group are likely to under-perform. In consequence, teachers' self-efficiency in math is considered to affect students' learning achievement in mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.603-617
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• 2012

The 2011 Revision of the National Mathematics Curriculum, amended based on the 2009 Curriculum version, focuses on three important issues: 1) 20% reduction of the previous curriculum contents; 2) improvement of students' creativity through mathematical processes; 3) flexible management of curriculum. Despite the importance in applications, it has not provided a manual for textbook authors and teachers. Consequently, they are likely to encounter difficulties in interpreting goals of learning achievements. This paper identifies the purposes and contents of achievement standards, and discusses how to implement it at school.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.491-513
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• 2023

High achievement in mathematics is a very complex process in which various factors such as cognitive factors, affective factors, and social and environmental factors work respectively and complementary. A number of previous studies conducted so far have shown that there are certain factors affecting math learning and these factors have positive or negative effects on it. However, these studies were conducted with limited variables and it was not possible to present a comprehensive analysis of what would be necessary to get good achievements in mathematics learning. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the process of experience of students who experienced success in mathematics learning using the analysis method of the grounded theory. In addition, the collected data was analyzed to explain the process of leading to the successful experience in mathematics learning. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that students form their identity as successful learners through the processes of 'new phase stage', 'experience accumulation stage', 'stand-up stage', and 'maintenance effort stage'. Through this study, we were able to get implications for what actions are needed to experience success in math learning by looking at the process of the experience what interviewees have gone through.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.313-326
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in gender differences of Korean students in PISA mathematics assessment and investigate possible factors influencing the decrease of gender gap in mathematics performances. According to the results of PISA mathematics assessment, Korea showed significant large gender differences in mathematics achievement in both 2000 and 2003. The gender gap in favor of boys, however, has decreased since 2006. An interesting point from these results is that Korean girls' significant improvement led to the decrease in gender difference in 2006 and 2009 assessment. Based on a review of literature on gender differences in mathematics, possible explanations for the girls' improvement in mathematics achievements are identified as follows: the Korean government policy to encourage and support girls' study in mathematics and science and supportive environments could influence positively girls' attitudes toward mathematics and their mathematics learning; the changes in the mathematics curriculum and textbooks which emphasize similar characteristics to PISA mathematics assessment could affect the girls' improvement by reducing their unfamiliarity with PISA mathematics assessment items.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 2001

This paper tries to find out about organizational and managemental aspect of Korean curriculum through a comparison between Korea's 7th elementary mathematics curriculum and that of Japan's elementary mathematics curriculum, which will start in m2 through researching various literatures. The main characteristic of this elementary mathematics curriculum is that Korea has organized a teaming program that tended to individual differences, and focused on student-centered activities and communication based on constructivism. On the other hand, Japan reduced learning contents a lot by running 5-schooldays a week so that 80% of teaching time can be spent to help the students master mathematical contents of the textbook. This leaves 20％ of teaching time to be used for improving mathematical thinking power as a foundation of creativity through mathematical activities. Korea's teaching time spent for elementary mathematics is about 80％ of Japan's, which is also less than that of other country's. Less time in teaming mathematics will lead to decrease in teaming ability. Therefore, there is a need for increased teaching time in mathematics. Korea's revision of curriculum is about 5 years which is often compared to that of Japan's 10 years. Frequent revising is good in that it reflects the social demand, but it can cause much confusion and problems in accepting and applying its program in a real classroom setting, which is why it needs to be looked at again. The direction, objective and assesment of revision fits the demands of international trends and essentials of mathematics. Japan puts its emphasis on learning through repetition and Korea puts its emphasis on problem solving and communication. Regarding assesment, both Korea and Japan is looking for ways to find various assessing ways which will focus on mathematical process rather than the mathematical results, and also will put emphasis on criterion-directed assesment to measure goal achievements. However Japan emphasize on using report cards of assesment to help mathematics learning.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.559-577
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of discourse-based math instructions on the students' mathematical attitudes and learning achievements by providing fifth graders with an opportunity to take active part in learning during math classes and applying discourse-based math instructions, which are to expand the speaking experiences as the most fundamental way to express ideas in communication. Those research efforts led to the following results: First, the discourse-based math instructions turned out to have positive influences on flexibility, will power, curiosity, reflection, and value of mathematical attitudes. When the results were reviewed before and after the instructions without considering the subvariables of attitude, there were statistically significant differences(p<0.01), which indicates that the discourse-based math instructions exerted very positive effects on the students mathematical attitudes. Second, there were no statistically significant effects in learning achievements between the experimental and comparative group, but the experimental group, which recorded low mean scores in the pre-test, increased their mean scores by 3.81 points in the post-test, which suggests that the discourse-based math instructions had positive influences on them. Third, the subjects' responses on the questionnaire on discourse-based instructions reveal that the discourse-based math instructional provided them with an opportunity to explore solutions in various ways. In short, discourse-based math instructions have positive influences on mathematical attitudes and are effective in increasing communication ability.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.229-252
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• 2008

The purpose of this research was to make fair assessment methods which took into account characteristics of mathematically underachievers. The researchers devised an descriptive tests and interviews and applied them to the mathematics underachievers who could not reveal their achievements in the traditional assessment and then analyzed their cognitive and affective characteristics in the alternative assessments. After selecting three students by the normal assessment made of simple subjective and multiple choice questions, the cognitive and affective characteristics found in the general assessment were reflected to the descriptive tests and interviews. The descriptive tests and interviews are comprised of descriptive narrations and informal interview questions. After the assessment, the teacher and students gave feedbacks one another. All the assessment activities were recorded by a camcorder to analyze cognitive and affective characteristics of the children. Throughout the research, the following conclusions were made. The mathematics underachievers showed the characteristics which didn't appeared in the normal assessment. They showed normal abilities of problem solving and communication In the cognitive area. Also they brought in positive result in most parts in the affective area. However, the student B displayed considerable ability of mathematical thinking that is over the average level of mathematical underachievers. This implies that we can definite the mathematical underachievers differently when we use the detailed and relief assessment method instead of the traditional assessment. On the other hand, one student tended to depend on the teacher and another student overheard what the others talk during the study. This defect should be complemented by the further studies about assessment method for the mathematical underachievers. Also appropriate assessment methods should be made for applying to the various mathematical underachievers. Many studies have been concentrated on the learning for mathematical underachievers but there is little concern about the assessment for the mathematical underachievers. However it is the fundamental way to reduce the number of mathematics underachievers that we construct consistent learning methods and assessments for the mathematical underachievers.