• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.376-388
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• 1996

The first and the second "Discussion Contest of Scientific Investigation" was evaluated in this study. This contest was a part of 'Korean Youth Science Festival' held in 1993 and 1994. The evaluation was based on the data collected from the middle school students of final teams, their teachers, a large number of middle school students and college students who were audience of the final competition. Questionnaires, interviews, reports of final teams, and video tape of final competition were used to collect data. The study focussed on three research questions. The first was about the preparation and the research process of students of final teams. The second was about the format and the proceeding of the Contest. The third was whether participating the Contest was useful experience for the students and the teachers of the final teams. The first area, the preparation and the research process of students, were investigated in three aspects. One was the level of cooperation, participation, support and the role of teachers. The second was the information search and experiment, and the third was the report writing. The students of the final teams from both years, had positive opinion about the cooperation, students' active involvement, and support from family and school. Students considered their teachers to be a guide or a counsellor, showing their level of active participation. On the other hand, the interview of 1993 participants showed that there were times that teachers took strong leading role. Therefore one can conclude that students took active roles most of the time while the room for improvement still exists. To search the information they need during the period of the preparation, student visited various places such as libraries, bookstores, universities, and research institutes. Their search was not limited to reading the books, although the books were primary source of information. Students also learned how to organize the information they found and considered leaning of organizing skill useful and fun. Variety of experiments was an important part of preparation and students had positive opinion about it. Understanding related theory was considered most difficult and important, while designing and building proper equipments was considered difficult but not important. This reflects the students' school experience where the equipments were all set in advance and students were asked to confirm the theories presented in the previous class hours. About the reports recording the research process, students recognize the importance and the necessity of the report but had difficulty in writing it. Their reports showed tendency to list everything they did without clear connection to the problem to be solved. Most of the reports did not record the references and some of them confused report writing with story telling. Therefore most of them need training in writing the reports. It is also desirable to describe the process of student learning when theory or mathematics that are beyond the level of middle school curriculum were used because it is part of their investigation. The second area of evaluation was about the format and the proceeding of the Contest, the problems given to students, and the process of student discussion. The format of the Contests, which consisted of four parts, presentation, refutation, debate and review, received good evaluation from students because it made students think more and gave more difficult time but was meaningful and helped to remember longer time according to students. On the other hand, students said the time given to each part of the contest was too short. The problems given to students were short and open ended to stimulate students' imagination and to offer various possible routes to the solution. This type of problem was very unfamiliar and gave a lot of difficulty to students. Student had positive opinion about the research process they experienced but did not recognize the fact that such a process was possible because of the oneness of the task. The level of the problems was rated as too difficult by teachers and college students but as appropriate by the middle school students in audience and participating students. This suggests that it is possible for student to convert the problems to be challengeable and intellectually satisfactory appropriate for their level of understanding even when the problems were difficult for middle school students. During the process of student discussion, a few problems were observed. Some problems were related to the technics of the discussion, such as inappropriate behavior for the role he/she was taking, mismatching answers to the questions. Some problems were related to thinking. For example, students thinking was off balanced toward deductive reasoning, and reasoning based on experimental data was weak. The last area of evaluation was the effect of the Contest. It was measured through the change of the attitude toward science and science classes, and willingness to attend the next Contest. According to the result of the questionnaire, no meaningful change in attitude was observed. However, through the interview several students were observed to have significant positive change in attitude while no student with negative change was observed. Most of the students participated in Contest said they would participate again or recommend their friend to participate. Most of the teachers agreed that the Contest should continue and they would recommend their colleagues or students to participate. As described above, the "Discussion Contest of Scientific Investigation", which was developed and tried as a new science contest, had positive response from participating students and teachers, and the audience. Two among the list of results especially demonstrated that the goal of the Contest, "active and cooperative science learning experience", was reached. One is the fact that students recognized the experience of cooperation, discussion, information search, variety of experiments to be fun and valuable. The other is the fact that the students recognized the format of the contest consisting of presentation, refutation, discussion and review, required more thinking and was challenging, but was more meaningful. Despite a few problems such as, unfamiliarity with the technics of discussion, weakness in inductive and/or experiment based reasoning, and difficulty in report writing, The Contest demonstrated the possibility of new science learning environment and science contest by offering the chance to challenge open tasks by utilizing student science knowledge and ability to inquire and to discuss rationally and critically with other students.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.355-386
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• 2014

Algebraic generalization of patterns is based on the capability of grasping a structure inherent in several objects with awareness that this structure applies to general cases and ability to use it to provide an algebraic expression. The purpose of this study is to investigate how students generalize patterns using an algebraic object such as parameters and what are difficulties in geometric-arithmetic pattern tasks related to algebraic generalization and to determine whether the students can use parameters meaningfully through pattern generalization tasks that this researcher designed. During performing tasks of pattern generalization we designed, students differentiated parameters from letter 'n' that is used to denote a variable. Also, the students understood the relations between numbers used in several linear equations and algebraically expressed the generalized relation using a letter that was functions as a parameter. Some difficulties have been identified such that the students could not distinguish parameters from variables and could not transfer from arithmetical procedure to algebra in this process. While trying to resolve these difficulties, generic examples helped the students to meaningfully use parameters in pattern generalization.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.543-562
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• 2010

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the error happening in the process of solving the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities and to propose the correct teaching method. We first introduce a problem about the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities. And we will see the solution which a student offers. Finally we propose the correct teaching method by analyzing the error happening in the process of solving the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities. The cause of the error are a wrong conception which started with the process of solving the simultaneous equality with two unknown qualities and an insufficient curriculum in connection with the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities. Especially we can find out the problem that the students don't look the interrelation between two valuables when they solve the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities. Therefore we insist that we must teach students looking the interrelation between two valuables when they solve the simultaneous inequality with two unknown qualities.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.81-99
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• 2020

This study examined the types of abduction and the thinking strategies by the mathematics problems posed by students. Four students who were 2nd graders in middle school participated in problem posing on four tasks that were given, and the problems that they posed were classified into equivalence problem, isomorphic problem, and similar problem. The type of abduction appeared were different depending on the type of problems that students posed. In case of equivalence problem, the given condition of the problems was recognized as object for posing problems and it was the manipulative abduction. In isomorphic problem and similar problem, manipulative abduction, theoretical abduction, and creative abduction were all manifested, and creative abduction was manifested more in similar problem than in isomorphic problem. Thinking strategies employed at abduction were examined in order to find out what rules were presumed by students across problem posing activity. Seven types of thinking strategies were identified as having been used on rule inference by manipulative selective abduction. Three types of knowledge were used on rule inference by theoretical selective abduction. Three types of thinking strategies were used on rule inference by creative abduction.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.49-56
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• 2005

The purposes of this study are to select assessment components for the engineering design ability and to verify the validity of the selected assessment components. From the results of the study, the following conclusions were made. $\cdot$ Social Ability : 'Communication' and 'Teamwork' $\cdot$ Procedure Ability : 'Acknowledging and Defining Problems', 'Planning and Maintaining', 'Collecting Information', 'Deriving Ideas' and 'Evaluating Ideas' $\cdot$ Experience : 'Engineering Experience' and 'Science Experience' $\cdot$ Knowledge : 'Engineering Knowledge', 'Science Knowledge' and 'Mathematics Knowledge', 'Visualization Ability': 'Sketching' and 'Drawing' $\cdot$ Reasoning : 'Converging Reasoning' 'Inductive Reasoning' and 'Intuitive Reasoning'

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.8
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• pp.215-224
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cases of verbal interactions occurring during the mathematics lessons taught in middle school special classes in order to examine the elements and types of verbal interactions that occur between the teachers and students. Data were collected and analyzed for the sessions on geometric units that formed part of the mathematics lessons routinely implemented in the special classes. The analysis showed that the teachers initiated 237 (84.1%) of the 291 instances of verbal linguistic interactions. A total of 240 teachers' questions were analyzed, and questions in the area of knowledge occurred the most frequently, at 160 times (66.7%). A total of 617 student responses were analyzed, and short answers occurred the most frequently, at 367 times (59.5%). Teacher feedback occurred 581 times in total, and correct/incorrect (simple) feedback occurred the most frequently, at 234 times (40.3%). A total of 237 verbal interactions were observed between the teachers and children, and the I (RF) type (one teacher question, one student response, and one instance of teacher feedback) occurred most frequently, at 83 times (35.0%).

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.435-455
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• 2015

This study is aimed at analyzing the level change and features of mathematical communication in elementary students' expository writing. 20 students of 5th graders of elementary school in Seoul were given expository writing activity for 14 lessons and their worksheets was analyzed through four categories; the accuracy of the mathematical language, logicality of process and results, specificity of content, achieving the reader-oriented. This study reached the following results. First, The level of expository writing about concepts and principles was gradually improved. But the level of expository writing about problem solving process is not same. Middle class level was lower than early class, and showed a high variation in end class again. Second, features of mathematical communication in expository writing were solidity of knowledge through a mathematical language, elaboration of logic based on the writing, value of the thinking process to reach a result, the clarification of the content to deliver himself and the reader. Therefore, this study has obtained the conclusion that expository writing is worth keeping the students' thinking process and can improve the mathematical communication skills.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2009

The applications of ratio and similarity have been in need of everyday life from ancient times. Euclid's elements Ⅴand Ⅵ cover ratio and similarity respectively. In this note, we have done a comparative analysis to button down the contents of ratio and similarity covered by the math text books used in Korea, Euclid's elements and the math text books used in Japan and America. As results, we can observe some differences between them. When math text books used in Korea introduce ratio, they presented it by showing examples unlike math text books used in America and Japan which present ratio by explaining the definition of it. In addition, in the text books used in Korea and Japan, the order of dealing with condition of similarity of triangles and the triangle proportionality is different from that of the text books used in America. Also, condition of similarity of triangles is used intuitively as postulate without any definition in text books used in Korea and Japan which is different from America's. The manner of teaching depending on the way of introducing learning contents and the order of presenting them can have great influence on student's understanding and application of the learning contents. For more desirable teaching in math it is better to provide text books dealing with various learning contents which consider student's diverse abilities rather than using current text books offering learning contents which are applied uniformly.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.336-344
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to analyse achievement of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R), which was performed in 1999 with 38 nations participating. Korean 8th grade students' achievement of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' was compared to that of other countries and other content areas in science. Average percent correct of items in each subcategory - Scientific Method, Experimental Design, Scientific Measurements, Describing and Interpreting Data - was also analysed. Although 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' topics were not included in intended curriculum in Korea, Korean students' average scale score of 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' was significantly higher than international average and, in comparison with other science content areas, achievement of that area was relatively high. The reasons could be that the most students studied topics related to 'Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Science' through the implemented curriculum and that the Korean teachers recognized the importance of inquiry. According to the results to analyze subcategories, the average percent correct of Korea were higher than 50% except the 'Scientific Measurements' subcategory. However, the international average percent correct were lower than 50%. Especially, the average percent correct of Korea was the highest in 'Describing and Interpreting Data' subcategory despite there were many students who were confused at observation, hypothesis and conclusion.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.857-879
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• 2015

This study investigated the relationships among middle school students' perceptions on the roles of online tutor, their deep learning, achievement, and overall evaluation of learning experiences in the context of inquiry based online gifted mathematics and science learning. For this purpose, 249 middle school students who took online course were surveyed about their perceptions on the degree to which their tutor performed the roles as an online tutor. The students were also asked about the activities which indicate deep learning approaches and overall course experiences such as the level of satisfaction, understanding and engagement in the course. The regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships of students' perceptions on the roles of online tutor, deep learning, achievement, and overall course experiences. The results first showed that the roles of online tutor which affects students' deep learning approach such as high-order learning, integrative learning, reflective learning were the role as a subject matter and evaluation expert. Among the sub variables of deep learning approach the variable that was related to students' overall achievement was the use of high-order learning strategy. Second, the achievement in inquiry task was related to the role of tutor as a guide of learning process and method. Third, students' overall course evaluations such as the level of satisfaction, understanding and engagement were not related to any role of tutor.