• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.311-325
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• 2011

In this paper I propose that teaching students the most efficient method of problem solving may curtail students' creativity. Instead it is important to arm students with a variety of problem solving heuristics. It is the students' responsibility to decide which heuristic will solve the problem. The chosen heuristic is the one which is meaningful to the students.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.281-301
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• 2024

Many students have experienced difficulties due to the discontinuity in instruction between arithmetic and algebra, and in the field of elementary education, algebra is often treated somewhat implicitly. However, algebra must be learned as algebraic thinking in accordance with the developmental stage at the elementary level through the expansion of numerical systems, principles, and thinking. In this study, algebraic thinking-based classes were developed and conducted for 6th graders in elementary school, and the effect on the ability to solve word-problems in fraction division was analyzed. During the 11 instructional sessions, the students generalized the solution by exploring the relationship between the dividend and the divisor, and further explored generalized representations applicable to all cases. The results of the study confirmed that algebraic thinking-based classes have positive effects on their ability to solve fractional division word-problems. In the problem-solving process, algebraic thinking elements such as symbolization, generalization, reasoning, and justification appeared, with students discovering various mathematical ideas and structures, and using them to solve problems Based on the research results, we induced some implications for early algebraic guidance in elementary school mathematics.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.77-85
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• 1999

In this paper, we analyze strategies and error patterns in solving word problems of linear equation for middle school students. From a test conducted to the sampled 106 second grade middle school students, we obtain the following results: (1)The most difficult types of word problem are velosity and density related problems. The second one is length related problems and the easist one is number related problems. (2)Regardless of the types of word problem, the most familiar strategy is the constructing algebraic equations. However, the most successful strategy is the trial and error. (3)Most likely error patterns are the use of inadequate formulas and wrong trial and errors. Based on these results, a teaching program with various schema is developed and shown to be effective for mid level students in classroom.

• School Mathematics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.411-433
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• 2004

Many researchers have reported that 7th graders have severe difficulties in using letters and algebraic expressions. This study investigated the way Microsoft Excel contributes to student's understanding of letters and algebraic expressions. For six hours through two weeks, four 7th grade students experienced various activities with Excel after school and both before and after the experimentation, the interviews to check their understanding was conducted. The results were as follows; First, after the experimentation, students used various letters to express formulas and recognized that letters represent not only some objects but also changing objects. Also they accepted that same objects could be represented by different letters and different objects could be represented by the same letters. Second, Excel improved students' abilities to discriminate variables and invariables in the problem and to find mathematical relationships among variables. And with Excel students could divide the whole calculation procedure into several steps in order to handle it more easily. Also, Excel made immediate numerical feedback possible and it made students express the calculation in a more formalized way than a paper and pencil environment did.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.9 no.4 s.24
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• pp.317-328
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• 2005

The aim of this study is to investigate future teachers' skills that can make problem solving methods concrete for 7-11 year old students. For the students in the concrete operations level, solutions of word problems should also be taught by concreting. But most of teacher candidates can not solve the problems without algebra because they got used to solve the word problems with algebra during their high school and university education. In this study, whether the teacher candidates have the skills of solving the primary school level problems without using algebra or not are being observed. At the end of this observation it is determinated that primary level teacher candidates generally prefer using algebra operations because of their former habits. The results show that in the education of the primary level teacher candidates, there is the need of developing the solving skills using figures and diagrams without algebra rather than algebraic solutions in word problems.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1083-1099
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze that The arithmetic and algebraic word problem solving skill, strategy preference, and assessment ability of elementary preservice teachers is investigated using a statistical methodology. The research findings are as follows. First, elementary preservice teachers demonstrated logical and delicate problem solving behaviors in arithmetic and algebraic word problem solving. And elementary preservice teachers prefer to create a formula and table strategy in problem solving of the arithmetic question. Second, there was meaningful difference in the math and english elementary preservice teachers' appreciations with significant level of 0.05. And there was not meaningful difference in the 1 and 4 grade elementary preservice teachers' appreciations with significant level of ${\alpha}=0.05$. Results of the study suggest that teachers education course need to improve elementary preservice teachers' word problem solving skill, strategy preference, and assessment ability in the arithmetic and algebraic.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.761-783
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• 2009

Problem solving ability can be fostered by dealing with many different types of problems. We investigated how $5^{th}$ and $6^{th}$ graders who did not learn traditional algebraic methods might approach the word problems of simultaneous equations. This result reveals that the strategy of guess-and-check serves as a basis for elementary school students in solving simultaneous equations. A noticeable remark is that students used the guess-and-check strategy in various ways. Whereas some students changed a variable given in the problem step by step, others did in a sophisticated way focusing on the relation between two variables. Moreover, some students were able to write an equation which was not typical but meaningful and correct. This paper emphasizes the need of connections between pre-algebraic and algebraic solutions.

• School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.445-468
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• 2012

This study is tried in order to link informal arithmetic reasoning to formal algebraic reasoning. In this study, we investigated elementary school student's non-formal algebraic reasoning used in algebraic problem solving. The result of we investigated algebraic reasoning of 839 students from grade 1 to 6 in two schools, Korea, we could recognize that they used various arithmetic reasoning and pre-formal algebraic reasoning which is the other than that is proposed in the text book in word problem solving related to the linear systems of equation. Reasoning strategies were diverse depending on structure of meaning and operational of problems. And we analyzed the cause of failure of reasoning in algebraic problem solving. Especially, 'quantitative reasoning', 'proportional reasoning' are turned into 'non-formal method of substitution' and 'non-formal method of addition and subtraction'. We discussed possibilities that we are able to connect these pre-formal algebraic reasoning to formal algebraic reasoning.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.507-539
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• 2014

The algebra is an important tool influencing on a mathematics in general. To make good use of the algebra, it is necessary to transfer from a given situation to a proper algebraic representation. But some research in related to algebraic word problems have reported the difficulty changing to a proper algebraic representation. Our study have focused on transformation and elaboration of algebraic representation. We investigated in detail the responses and perceptions of 29 Grade 7 students while transforming to algebraic representation, only concentrating on the literature expression form the problematic situations given. Most of students showed difficulties in transforming both descriptive and geometric problems to algebraic representation. 10% of them responded wrong answers except only a problem. Four of them were interviewed individually to show their thinking and find the factor influencing on a positive elaboration. As results, we could find some characteristics of their thinking including the misconception that regard the problem finding a functional formula because there are the variables x and y in the problematic situation. In addition, we could find the their fixation which student have to set up the equation. Furthermore we could check that making student explain own algebraic representation was able to become the factor influencing on a positive elaboration. From these, we also discussed about several didactical implications.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.67-90
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to understand students' thinking process in the algebra problem solving, on the base of the works of Vinner(1997a, 1997b). Thus, two middle school students were evaluated in this case study to examine how they think to solve algebra word problems. The following question was considered to analyze the thinking process from the similarity-based perspective by focusing on the process of solving algebra word problems; What is the relationship between similarity and the characteristics of thinking process at the time of successful and unsuccessful problem solving? The following results were obtained by analyzing the success or failure in problem solving based on the characteristics of thinking process and similarity composition. Successful problem solving can be based on pseudo-analytical thought and analytical thought. The former is the rule applied in the process of applying closed formulas that is constructed structural similarity not related with the situations described in the text. The latter means that control and correction occurred in all stages of problem solution. The knowledge needed for solutions was applied with the formulation of open-end formulas that is constructed structural similarity in which memory and modification with the related principles or concepts. In conclusion, the student's perception on the principles involved in a solution is very important in solving algebraic word problems.