• The Mathematical Education
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.377-393
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• 2012

The understanding demands the different degree of the understanding according to student's learning situation. In this paper, we investigate what is the foundation for the complete understanding for the generalization in the generalization-process and justification of some concepts or some theories, through a case. We discovered that the completeness of the understanding in the generalization-process and justification requires 'the meaningful-mental object' which can give the meaning about the concept or theory to students. Students can do the generalization-process through the construction of 'the meaningful-mental object' and confirm the validity of generalization through 'the meaningful-mental object' which is constructed by them. And we can judge the whether students construct the completeness of the understanding or not, by 'the meaningful-mental object' of the student. Hence 'the meaningful-mental object' are vital condition for the generalization-process and justification.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.181-202
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• 2011

The study was planned to analyze the figure concepts teachers have according to the years of experiences based on the two aspects, the subject matter knowledge and the pedagogical content knowledge. Further, it aims to have the results utilized in teacher education and training, and ultimately to help elementary school students to establish the accurate figure concepts. We administered the test to the random sample of 77 elementary school teachers of the grade 3 to grade 6, from nine schools of the Daegu, Ulsan and Gyeongsangbuk-do districts, and we analyzed the results. Correlational analysis between the years of experience and the knowledge showed that the content understanding and knowledge decreases as the years of experience increases, while the experiential knowledge related to the understanding of the students and the pedagogical methods increases as the years of experience increases.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2002

Fairy-tales give students opportunities to build connections between a problem-solving situation and mathematics as well as to communicate solutions through writing, symbols, and diagrams. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to introduce how to use fairy-tales in elementary mathematics classroom in order to develope student's mathematical concepts and process in terms of the following areas: ⑴ reconstructing literature ⑵ understanding concepts ⑶ problem posing activity. To be useful, mathematics should be taught in contexts that are meaningful and relevant to learners. Therefore using fairy-tales as a vehicle to teach mathematics gives students a chance to develope mathematics understanding in a natural, meaningful way, and to enhance problem posing and problem solving ability. Further, future study will continue to foster how fairy-tales literatures will enhance children's mathematics knowledge and influence on their mathematics performance.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.437-462
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• 2010

The purpose of this research is to analyze the textbook contents about the natural number concepts in the Korean National Elementary Mathematics Curriculum. Understanding a concept of natural number is crucial in school mathematics curriculum planning, since elementary students start their basic learning with natural number system. The concepts of natural number have various meaning from the perspectives of pedagogical research, and the philosophy of mathematics. The natural number concepts in the elementary math curriculum consist of four aspects; counting numbers, cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, and measuring numbers. Two research questions are addressed; (1) How are the natural number concepts focusing on counting, cardinal, ordinal, measuring numbers are covered in the national math curriculum? ; (2) What suggestions can be made to enhance the teaching and learning about the natural number concepts? Findings reveal that (1) the national mathematics curriculum properly reflects four aspects of natural number concepts, as the curriculum covers 50% of the cardinal number system; (2) In the aspect of the counting number, we hope to add the meaning about 'one, two, three, ......, and so on' in the Korean Mathematics curriculum. In the ordinal number, we want to be rich the related meaning in a set. Further suggestions are made for future research to include them ensuing number in the curriculum.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.107-118
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• 2001

Mathematics subject of the seventh national curriculum in Korea, which has been effective since 2000, strongly encourages the use of calculators and computers to help children gain a better understanding of basic mathematical concepts and develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills without spending too much time and effort on making mechanical computations. Despite the recommendation by the national curriculum, however, only a small segment of elementary school teachers have been using calculators because of the fear that children\\`s dependence on calculators might bring about negative consequences. As a result, little research has been conducted in this area as well. This study has been conducted on the assumption that calculators have the potential for being a useful instructional tool in certain areas of elementary school mathematics education. To investigate the usefulness of calculators, a review was made of the scanty literature in the area. The literature review indicated that calculators are effective when they are used for the following purposes: understanding concepts and properties in numbers and operations, deducing mathematical rules, and solving problems. In view of the available research finding, we will give some concrete learning and teaching models of such uses of calculators. The teaching-learning models are organized around three categories: concept formation, discovery of principles and rules, and problem solving. Such organization is intended to help teachers use the models with ease.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.453-475
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• 2018

This study examines how elementary students understand fractions with operations conceptually and how they perform procedures in the division of fractions. We attempted to look into students' understanding about fractions with divisions in regard to mathematical proficiency suggested by National Research Council (2001). Mathematical proficiency is identified as an intertwined and interconnected composition of 5 strands- conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and productive disposition. We developed an instrument to identify students' understanding of fractions with multiplication and division and conducted the survey in which 149 6th-graders participated. The findings from the data analysis suggested that overall, the 6th-graders seemed not to understand fractions conceptually; in particular, their understanding is limited to a particular model of part-whole fraction. The students showed a tendency to use memorized procedure-invert and multiply in a given problem without connecting the procedure to the concept of the division of fractions. The findings also proposed that on a given problem-solving task that suggested a pathway in order for the students to apply or follow the procedures in a new situation, they performed the computation very fluently when dividing two fractions by multiplying by a reciprocal. In doing so, however, they appeared to unable to connect the procedures with the concepts of fractions with division.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.71-84
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• 2017

Taylor series has a complicated structure comprising of various concepts in college major mathematics. This subject is a strong tool which has usefulness and applications not only in calculus, analysis, and complex analysis but also in physics, engineering etc., and other study. However, students have difficulties in understanding mathematical structure of Taylor series convergence correctly. In this study, after classifying students' mathematical characteristic into three categories, we use structural image of Taylor series convergence which associated with mathematical structure and operation acted on that structure. Thus, we try to analyze the understanding of Taylor series convergence and present the results of this study.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.443-464
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• 2016

The purpose of ths study is to compare and analyze the sequence of teaching multiplication facts in the elementary school mathematics. Generally, the multiplication in the elementary school mathematics is composed of the followings; concepts of multiplication, situations involving multiplication, didactical models for multiplication, and multiplication strategies for teaching multiplication facts. This study is focusing to multiplication facts, especially to the sequence of teaching and multiplication strategies. The method of this study is a comparative and analytic method. In order to compare textbooks, we select the Korean elementary mathematics textbooks(1st curriculum~2009 revised curriculum) and the 9 foreign elementary mathematics textbooks(Japan, China, Germany, Finland, Hongkong etc.). As results of comparative investigation, the sequence of teaching multiplication facts is reconsidered on a basis of elementary students' mathematical thinking. And the connectivity of multiplication facts is strengthened in comparison with the foreign elementary mathematics textbooks. Finally multiplication strategies for teaching multiplication facts are discussed for more understanding and reasoning the principles of multiplication facts in the elementary school mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2013

'Sentence posing' is newly given in the third through sixth grade mathematics textbooks of the revised 2007 curriculum to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions. In this paper, we discuss the role of the sentence posing in the third grade mathematics textbooks on the basis of the problems occurred in third graders' sentence posing activities. Overall, it turned out that the role of the sentence posing was somewhat restrictive. Hence the sentence posing needs to be applied to check whether students can properly use the definitions in real life situations. In addition, it is necessary to employ the present role of the sentence posing to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions selectively according to the concepts of definitions.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.123-141
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• 2003

This study investigated the understanding level and the using level of mathematical language for middle school students in terms of Freudenthal' language levels. It was proved that the understanding level task developed by current study for geometric concept had reliability and validity, and that there was the hierarchy of levels on which students understanded mathematical language. The level that students used in explaining mathematical concepts was not interrelated to the understanding level, and was different from answering the right answer according to the sorts of tasks. And, the level of mathematical language that was understood easily as students' thought, was the third level of the understanding levels. Mathematics teachers should consider the students' understanding level and using level, and give students the tasks which students could use their mathematical language confidently.