• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.659-675
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of scheme based strategy Instruction on problem solving of word problems of ratio and proportion for students with under achievement or at risk for learning disabilities. Three $7^{th}$ graders of underachieving or at risk LD were participated in this study. Three steps of instructional experiment-testing baseline, intervention with schematic-based strategy, testing for the abilities of problem solving, generalization, & sustainability. The results showed that the schema-based strategy, FOPS was effective method for all three students enhancing problem solving abilities and for generalizing and sustaining the problem solving.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.457-478
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate middle school students' understanding and development of function graphs. We collected the data from the teaching experiment with two middle school students who had not yet received instruction on linear function in school. The students participated in a 15-day teaching experiment(Steffe, & Thompson, 2000). Each teaching episode lasted one or two hours. The students initially focused on numerical values rather than the overall relationship between the variables in functional situations. This study described meaning, role of and students' responses for the given tasks, which revealed the students' understanding and development of function graphs. Especially we analyzed students' responses based on their methods to solve the tasks, reasoning that derived from those methods, and their solutions. The results indicate that their continuous reasoning played a significant role in their understanding of function graphs.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.647-666
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• 2016

This study investigates pre-service teacher's understanding of the concept and representations of irrational numbers. We classified the representations of irrational numbers into six categories; non-fraction, decimal, symbolic, geometric, point on a number line, approximation representation. The results of this study are as follows. First, pre-service teachers couldn't relate non-fractional definition and incommensurability of irrational numbers. Secondly, we observed the centralization tendency on symbolic representation and the little attention to other representations. Thirdly, pre-service teachers had more difficulty moving between symbolic representation and point on a number line representation of ${\pi}$ than that of $\sqrt{5}$ We suggested the concept of irrational numbers should be learned in relation to various representations of irrational numbers.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.571-587
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• 2016

Nam(2008a) suggested that the role of teacher for helping students to learn mathematical structures should be the manifestor of tacit knowledge. But there have been lack of researches on embodying the manifestation of tacit knowledge. This study embodies the manifestation of tacit knowledge by showing that exemplification is one way of manifestation of tacit knowledge in terms of goal, contents, and method. First, the goal of the manifestation of tacit knowledge through exemplification is helping students to learn mathematical structures. Second, the manifestation of tacit knowledge through exemplification intends to teach students mathematical structures in the tacit dimension by perceiving invariance in the midst of change. Third, the manifestation of tacit knowledge through exemplification intends to teach students mathematical structures in the tacit dimension by constructing explicit knowledge creatively, reflection on constructive activity and social interaction. In conclusion, exemplification could be seen one way of embodying the manifestation of tacit knowledge in terms of goal, contents, and method.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.571-591
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of mathematical discourse about the length in the class that learns the length of the curve defined by definite integral. For this purpose, this study examined the discourse about length by paying attention to the usage of the word 'length' in the class participants based on the communicative approach. As a result of the research, it was confirmed that the word 'length' is used in three usages - colloquial, operational, and structural usage - in the process of communicating with the discourse participants. Particularly, each participant did not recognize the difference even though they used different usage words, and this resulted in ineffective communication. This study emphasizes the fact that the difference in usage of words used by participants reduces the effectiveness of communication. However, if discourse participants pay attention to the differences of these usages and recognize that there are different discourses, this study suggests that meta - level learning can be possible by overcoming communication discontinuities and resolving conflicts.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.481-494
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• 2017

Tasks of multiple solutions have been said to be suitable for the cultivation of mathematical creativity. However, studies on the fact that multiple solutions presented by students are useful or meaningful, and students' thoughts while finding multiple solutions are very short. In this study, we set goals to confirm the qualitative differences among the multiple solutions presented by the students and, if present, from the viewpoint of mathematical creativity. For this reason, after presenting the set of tasks of the two versions to eight mathematically gifted students of the second-grade middle school, we analyzed qualitative differences that appeared among the solutions. In the study, there was a difference among the solution presented first and the solutions presented later, and qualitatively substantial differences in terms of flexibility and creativity. In this regard, it was concluded that the need to account for such qualitative differences in designing and applying multiple solutions should be considered.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.443-459
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• 2017

The alternative perspective on statistical literacy which considers statistical literacy as an all-encompassing goal of statistics education has been emphasized these days. From this perspective and the diversity of statistical literacy, the key issues related to each step of statistical problem solving can be regarded as components of statistical literacy. This study aims at investigating the key issues and pre-service elementary school teachers' knowledge of them. Based on previous literatures, a framework that indicated the issues related to each step of statistical problem solving was developed. In addition, based on 26 pre-service elementary school teachers' critical analysis of statistics posters, their understanding of each issue was investigated.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.691-712
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• 2017

It is an important to develop teachers' statistical reasoning or thinking by teacher education. In this study, the "comparing two data sets" tasks is focused as a way to develop pre-service elementary teachers' reasoning about core ideas of statistics such as distribution, variability, center, and spread. 6 teams of each 4 pre-service elementary teachers participated on the tasks and their presentations are analyzed based on Pfannkuch's (2006) teachers' inference model in comparing two data sets. As a result, they paid attention to the distribution and variability in the statistical problem solving by the "comparing two data sets" tasks, and used their contextual knowledge to make a statistical decision. In addition, they used some statistics and graphs as the reference for statistical communication, which is expected to provide implications for improving statistical education. The finding implies that the "comparing two data sets" tasks can be used to develop statistical reasoning of pre-service elementary teachers. Some recommendations are suggested for teacher education by these tasks.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.639-661
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the distance function average speed and the speed function. Particularly, in this study, we investigate the process of constructing the speed function in the distance function (irrational function, exponential function) which is difficult to weaken the argument in the denominator. In this process, students showed various anxieties and expressions about the procedural knowledge that they constructed first. In particular, if student B can not explain all the knowledge he already knows in this process, he showed his reflection on the process of calculating the differential coefficient. This study adds an understanding of the calculation method of students in differential coefficient learning. In addition, it is meaningful that the students who construct procedural knowledge at the time of calculating the differential coefficient have thought about how to provide opportunities to reflect on the procedure they constructed.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.469-489
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• 2020

Middle school students are known to have high levels of math anxiety. According to the need for test tools that reflect the characteristics of today's middle school students, it was intended to develop a mathematical anxiety test for middle school students. Sub-factors of mathematical anxiety were established based on prior research and questions corresponding to each factor were produced. The suitability and validity of the questions were analyzed through two pilot tests. Then some of the questions were revised. This test was conducted on 255 middle school students using the revised questions, and the validity and reliability of the test tools were analyzed on 246 student responses. The final developed test tool consisted of 6 sub-factors and a total of 36 questions, and was intended to provide students, teachers, and parents with information about students' mathematical anxiety by providing criteria for the degree of anxiety.