• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.111-130
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• 2021

This exploratory study focuses on analyzing three mathematics textbooks in Germany, Singapore and South Korea to reveal similarities and differences in their introductions of fraction concepts. Findings reveal that all three countries' textbooks introduce fraction concepts predominantly by using pictorial representations such as area models, but the introductions of multiple fraction constructs vary. The Singaporean and South Korean textbooks predominantly used a part-whole construct to introduce fractional concepts while the German textbook introduced various constructs sequentially in the first pages using several scenarios from different real-life situations. The findings were represented using visual representations, which we called textbook signatures. The textbook signatures provided configurations of the textbook features across the three countries. At the end of paper, we share insights and limitations about the use of textbook signatures in the research on textbook analysis.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.81-109
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• 1999

This study aims to reflect the basic principles and teaching-teaming principles of Realistic Mathematics Education in order to suppose an way in which mathematics as an activity is carried out in primary school. The development of what is known as RME started almost thirty years ago. It is founded by Freudenthal and his colleagues at the former IOWO. Freudenthal stressed the idea of matheamatics as a human activity. According to him, the key principles of RME are as follows: guided reinvention and progressive mathematisation, level theory, and didactical phenomenology. This means that children have guided opportunities to reinvent mathematics by doing it and so the focal point should not be on mathematics as a closed system but on the process of mathematisation. There are different levels in learning process. One should let children make the transition from one level to the next level in the progress of mathematisation in realistic contexts. Here, contexts means that domain of reality, which in some particular learning process is disclosed to the learner in order to be mathematised. And the word of 'realistic' is related not just with the real world, but is related to the emphasis that RME puts on offering the students problem situations which they can imagine. Under the background of these principles, RME supposes the following five instruction principles: phenomenological exploration, bridging by vertical instruments, pupils' own constructions and productions, interactivity, and interwining of learning strands. In order to reflect how to realize these principles in practice, the teaming process of algorithms is illustrated. In this process, children follow a learning route that takes its inspiration from the history of mathematics or from their own informal knowledge and strategies. Considering long division, the first levee is associated with real-life activities such as sharing sweets among children. Here, children use their own strategies to solve context problems. The second level is entered when the same sweet problems is presented and a model of the situation is created. Then it is focused on finding shortcomings. Finally, the schema of division becomes a subject of investigation. Comparing realistic mathematics education with constructivistic mathematics education, there interaction, reflective thinking, conflict situation are many similarities but there are alsodifferences. They share the characteristics such as mathematics as a human activity, active learner, etc. But in RME, it is focused on the delicate balance between the spontaneity of children and the authority of teachers, and the development of long-term loaming process which is structured but flexible. In this respect two forms of mathematics education are different. Here, we learn how to develop mathematics curriculum that respects the theory of children on reality and at the same time the theory of mathematics experts. In order to connect the informal mathematics of children and formal mathematics, we need more teachers as researchers and more researchers as observers who try to find the mathematical informal notions of children and anticipate routes of children's learning through thought-experiment continuously.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2012

The korean mathematics textbooks according to the 2007 revised mathematics curriculum and the MiC textbooks are similar in that they introduce mathematical materials in real life situations and are composed in such a way that require students to form their own mathematical concepts. However the MiC textbooks are focus more on situation-centered problems and context-centered problems where a set of procedures need to be followed in order to arrive at an answer. So, this paper is aim at comparing the units of statistics in the korean mathematics textbooks and the MiC textbooks in order to find the implications for writing textbook. By comparing the specific content and the used methods, I found Korean textbooks focused on understanding concepts and spending less time surveying and collecting data. On the other hand, MiC textbooks used activities that real mathematicians would be involved with, such as surveying and analyzing data to compose mathematical concepts.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2000

This paper aims to enhance students' interest in the use of calculators in mathematics education and promote their use of calculators in real-life situations. Towards these ends, problem types and instructional models developed for the efficient utilization of calculators. The instructional models focus on teaching mathematics relying on the path through which expert teachers have gone through to gain relevant knowledge. By developing problem types and instructional models suitable for calculator use, We can contribute to a better attainment of instructional goals in mathematics education. The instructional models and problem types will aid teachers in making decisions about instructional development plan and basic features of instructional activities. The use of a new medium will also lead to increased interest and confidence in learning, thus contributing to the enhancement of students' ego.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.145-162
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• 2002

In this study, on the basis of the seventh national mathematics curriculum, the achievement standards were developed to specify the objectives and contents of teaching-learning and the assessment standards were also developed to differentiate students' levels of achievement at school mathematics. The achievement standards were developed on the following guidelines; 1) to present the minimum standards based on the national curriculum, 2) to develop the standards based on the order of curriculum, 3) to suggest the minimum but ultimate achievement target, 4) to comprise not only of the intellectual but also of psychological spheres such as knowledge, function, attitude, aptitude, etc., and 5) to suggest the standards comprehensively and concretely. The standards were developed on the basis of the middle areas of contents of the curriculum in order not to be too comprehensive, nor to be too detailed. Learning activities, on the other hand, were provided for the assistance of instructions with emphasis on creativity rather than on the routine instruction. The assessment standards were established based on the following principles; 1) to establish the assessment methods, contents, and situations which are to be used for assessment, 2) to establish the criteria of classifying the assessed into the upper, intermediate and lower levels, 3) to develop the assessment standards in a proportionate balance to achievement standards, 4) to establish the intermediate level as a standard, and 5) to establish the minimum level in the contents, concepts, values and attitudes of basic learning. This study also suggested the exemplary test items including short-answer and open-ended questions while putting emphasis on students' real performance to increase their ability in solving problems rather than in calculating. In addition to the test items, it introduced the grading system developed to grade the items with concrete guidelines and to report students' achievement on doing mathematics.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.161-194
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to look into sub-factors of spatial sense that can be contained in spatial sense of solid figure of mathematics curriculum and offer suggestions to improve teaching spatial sense of solid figures in the future. In order to attain these purposes, this study examined the meaning and sub-factors of spatial sense and the relations between spatial sense of solid figure and sub-factors of spatial sense through a theoretical consideration regarding various studies on spatial sense. Based on such examination, this study compared and analyzed textbooks used in South Korea, Finland and the Netherlands with respect to contents of mathematics curriculum and textbooks in grades, sub-factors of spatial sense, and realistic contexts for spatial sense of solid figure. In the light of such theoretical consideration and analytical results, this study provided suggestions for improving teaching spatial sense of solid figures in elementary schools in Korea as follows: extending contents regarding spatial sense of solid figures in mathematics curriculum and considering continuity between grades in textbooks, emphasizing spatial orientation as well as spatial visualization, underlining not only construction with blocks but also mental activities in mental rotation and mental transformation, comparing strength and weakness of diverse plane representations of three dimensional objects, and utilizing various realistic situations and objects in space.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.477-497
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• 2022

The rapidly changing world calls for reform in mathematics education from lifelong learning perspectives. This study examines adults' perception of mathematics by reflecting on their experiences of mathematics in and out of school in order to understand what the current needs of adults are. With the two questions: "what experiences do participants have during their learning of mathematics in schools?" and "how do they perceive mathematics in their current life?", we analyzed the semi-structured interviews with 10 adults who have different sociocultural backgrounds using narrative inquiry methodology. As a result, participants tended to accept school mathematics as simply a technique for solving computational problems, and when they had not known the usefulness of mathematical knowledge, they experienced frustration with mathematics in the process of learning mathematics. After formal education, participants recognized mathematics as the basic computation skill inherent in everyday life, the furniture of their mind, and the ability to efficiently express, think, and judge various situations and solve problems. Results show that adults internalized school education to clearly understand the role of mathematics in their lives, and they were using mathematics efficiently in their lives. Accordingly, there was a need to see school education and adult education on a continuum, and the need to conceptualize the mathematical abilities required for adults as mathematical literacy.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.59-76
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• 2005

We examined the relations between the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical (Mathematical Creative Problem Solving Ability Test; MCPSAT: Lee etc. 2003) and non-mathematical situations (Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Figural A; TTCT: adapted for Korea by Kim, 1999). Subjects in this study were 213 eighth grade students(129 males and 84 females). In the analysis of data, frequencies, percentiles, t-test and correlation analysis were used. The results of the study are summarized as follows; First, mathematically gifted students showed statistically significantly higher scores on the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations than regular students. Second, female showed statistically significantly higher scores on the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations than males. Third, there was statistically significant relationship between the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations for middle students was r=.41 (p<.05) and regular students was r=.27 (p<.05). A test of statistical significance was conducted to test hypothesis. Fourth, the correlation between the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations for mathematically gifted students was r=.11. There was no statistically significant relationship between the score of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations for mathematically gifted students. These results reveal little correlation between the scores of the divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations in both mathematically gifted students. Also but for the group of students of relatively mathematically gifted students it was found that the correlations between divergent thinking in mathematical and non-mathematical situations was near zero. This suggests that divergent thinking ability in mathematical situations may be a specific ability and not just a combination of divergent thinking ability in non-mathematical situations. But the limitations of this study as following: The sample size in this study was too few to generalize that there was a relation between the divergent thinking of mathematically gifted students in mathematical situation and non-mathematical situation.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.149-172
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• 2014

The problems of optimization addressed in the high school curriculum are usually posed in real-life contexts. However, because of the instructional purposes, problems are artificially constructed to suit computation, rather than to reflect real-life problems. Those problems have thus limited use for teaching 'practicalities', which is one of the goals of mathematics education. This study, by utilizing 'GeoGebra', suggests the optimization problem solving related to the quadratic curve, using the contour-line method which contemplates the quadratic curve changes successively. By considering more realistic situations to supplement the limit which deals only with numerical and algebraic approach, this attempt will help students to be aware of the usefulness of mathematics, and to develop interests in mathematics, as well as foster students' integrated thinking abilities across units. And this allows students to experience a variety of math.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.723-742
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze children's proportional reasoning process on an ill-structured "architectural drawing" problem solving and to investigate their level and characteristics of proportional reasoning. As results, they showed various perspective and several level of proportional reasoning such as illogical, additive, multiplicative, and functional approach. Furthermore, they showed their expanded proportional reasoning from the early stage of perception of various types of quantities and their proportional relation in the problem to application stage of their expanded and generalized relation. Students should be encouraged to develop proportional reasoning by experiencing various quantity in ration and proportion situations.