• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-31
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• 2007

Negative numbers have been one of the most difficult mathematical concepts, and it was only 200 years ago that they were recognized as a real object of mathematics by mathematicians. It was because it took more than 1500 years for human beings to overcome the quantitative notion of numbers and recognize the formality in negative numbers. Understanding negative numbers as formal ones resulted from the Copernican conversion in mathematical way of thinking. we first investigated the historic and the genetic process of the concept of negative numbers. Second, we analyzed the conceptual fields of negative numbers in the aspect of the additive and multiplicative structure. Third, we inquired into the levels of thinking on the concept of negative numbers on the basis of the historical and the psychological analysis in order to understand the formal concept of negative numbers. Fourth, we analyzed Korean mathematics textbooks on the basis of the thinking levels of the concept of negative numbers. Fifth, we investigated and analysed the levels of students' understanding of the concept of negative numbers. Sixth, we analyzed the symbolizing process in the development of mathematical concept. Futhermore, we tried to show a concrete way to teach the formality of the negative numbers concepts on the basis of such theoretical analyses.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2012

Kant defines mathematical cognition as the cognition by reason from the construction of concepts. In this paper, I inquire the meaning and the characteristics of the construction of concepts based on Kant's theory on the sensibility and the understanding. To construct a concept is to exhibit or represent the object which corresponds to the concept in pure intuition apriori. The construction of a mathematical concept includes a dynamic synthesis of the pure imagination to produce a schema of a concept rather than its image. Kant's transcendental explanation on the sensibility and the understanding can be regarded as an epistemological theory that supports the necessity of arithmetic and geometry as common core in human education. And his views on mathematical cognition implies that we should pay more attention to how to have students get deeper understanding of a mathematical concept through the construction of it beyond mere abstraction from sensible experience and how to guide students to cultivate the habit of mind to refer to given figures or symbols as schemata of mathematical concepts rather than mere images of them.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.100-113
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• 1998

The information society is characterized by rapidly increasing and changing information. Traditional models of learning and instruct on have emphasized forms of mastering the information in content domains. Storing information and being able to recall it has been central to formal education. But it is no longer possible to master content domains. This paper discusses constructivism as a shifting paradigm for educational research and practice in information society. Constructivism provides an alternative epistemological base to the objectivist tradition. Constructivism holds that there is a real world that we experience. However, the argument is that meaning is imposed on the world by us, rather than existing in the world independently of us. Meaning is seen as rooted in experience. The experience in which an idea is embedded is critical to the individual's understanding of that idea. From the constructivist perspective, learning is not a stimulus-response phenomenon. It requires self-regulation and the building of conceptual structures through reflection and abstraction. Problems are not solved by the retrieval of rote-learned right answers. The effective motivation to continue learning can be fostered by leading students to experience the pleasure that is inherent in solving problems chosen as one's own. Constructivism requires the change of the teacher's role from a knowledge transmitter to a coach or facilitator of student's understanding. Constructivist teachers inquire about students' understanding of concepts before sharing their own understandings of those concepts, and encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with them arid with one another. In Korea, the educational reform called open education has been spreading through out the country. There should be a paradigm shift in learning and instruction from objectivism to constructivism for better educational reform in Korea.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.119-143
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• 2001

The main goal of this paper is to examine the current English education practices in Korea in the broad context of research and academia. Furthermore, it attempts to uncover why English education has not been well established as a field of science in English-related departments and consequently what has been neglected and what issues should be dealt with to increase understanding and to create a more interactive relationship between the university and society. First, the author deals with the influence of ‘folk science’ views in the field of English education by touching on some widely held perceptions and issues. Second, by dealing with the alienation of English education and examining the phenomenon of seeing English education as a secondary field of science in English related departments, an attempt was made to reveal underlying epistemological dualism rooted in Asian cultures. Third, the paper deals with a critical issue related to English education: Exposure and Time. By reviewing and reinterpreting some of basic and fundamental literature with respect to language learning, exposure, and time, the author raises a new issue in English education and proposes new interpretation and an alternative more relativistic viewpoint; he also investigates what should be done to improve English education on the basis of research and science in order to deal with the needs and problems of society.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.11 no.4 s.32
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• pp.7-19
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• 2002

If we compare socio-cultural aspects of the two historical periods known as 'pre-modern' 'modern,' it would seem that the Aristotelian understanding of technology has difficulty explaining techno-cultural phenomenon of modern society. The problems are first that the discourse of scientific technology in the modern period has proceeded without a metaphysical base, and second that nothing in present culture regulates the limitations of scientific technology. The clear distinction between means and ends in the traditional approach is no longer valid in the jumble of interrelationships. Such complexity forces us to acknowledge that means and ends are relative and interchangeable, and that neither has a clear moral superiority over the other. Technology in modern society is no more a neutral means. The products of science do not always exist to serve human ends. In modem architecture and urban design, both its productive and destructive tendencies leave man and his society in an endless confusion of complexity and opposition. These problems of technology still result in unsolved question today. On this point, the discussion another currently prevalent attitude to technology, especially Heideggerian thinking in the below could give a somewhat clearer answer to the problem of modem architecture and technology, although it also comprises limited contemplation in itself.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.12 no.2 s.34
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• pp.61-69
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• 2003

Manfredo Tafuri's Ideological criticism in architecture has opened a new horizon to interpreting architecture in modern capitalist architecture for it views architecture not just as a style or formal invention, but in terms of socio-economical process. It offered a comprehensive understanding of a chaotic situation of contemporary architecture and historical meaning modern architectural movements in relation with capitalistic development. However, it has been criticized as architectural pessimism which does not allow any possibility for progressive architectural practice. It was also criticized of epistemological problem of how one could be outside ideology without assuming true consciousness against false consciousness of ideology. Tafuri solves this problem by assuming Althusserian activist concept of knowledge and suggest the concept of labor of writing history of critical historians, instead of a design for utopian society, as a possible critical architectural practice. However, I argue that ultimately ideological criticism does not deny architectural practice itself, nor researches on formal characteristics of architecture. The problem lies rather in the architectural Intellectuals' attachment to the traditional concept of architect as a form giver to the society. By rejecting this myth and broadening the concept of architectural practice from design to production, we can find that Ideological problem is not architectural pessimism, but rather it opens up a new way of approaching to the problem of architectural practice in modern capitalist society.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.239-256
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• 2001

The notion of metaphor has been increasingly popular in research of mathematics education. In particular, metaphor becomes a useful unit for analysis to provide a profound insight into mathematical reasoning and problem solving. In this context, this paper takes metaphor as an analytic unit to examine the relationship between objectivity and subjectivity in mathematical reasoning. Specifically, the discourse analysis focuses on the code switching between literal language and metaphor in mathematical discourse. It is shown that the linguistic code switching is parallel with the switching between two different kinds of mathematical knowledge, that is, factual knowledge and mathematical imagination, which constitute objectivity and subjectivity in mathematical reasoning. Furthermore, the pattern of the linguistic code switching reveals the dialectical relationship between the two poles of mathematical reasoning. Based on the understanding of the dialectical relationship, this paper provides some educational implications. First, the code-switching highlights diverse aspects of mathematics learning. Learning mathematics is concerned with developing not only technicality but also mathematical creativity. Second, the dialectical relationship between objectivity and subjectivity suggests that teaching and teaming mathematics is socioculturally constructed. Indeed, it is shown that not all metaphors are mathematically appropriated. They should be consistent with the cultural model of a mathematical concept under discussion. In general, this sociocultural perspective on mathematical metaphor highlights the sociocultural organization of teaching and loaming mathematics and provides a theoretical viewpoint to understand epistemological diversities in mathematics classroom.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.245-259
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• 2019

I examine the discussions of studies related to feminist mathematics education and the implications of mathematics education in South Korea. In particular, I attempt to answer the following questions through literature reviews on feminist mathematics: What is the epistemological background of feminist mathematics education? How is feminist mathematics education defined and implemented? What does feminist mathematics education suggest in South Korea's mathematics curriculum? From the analysis of the literatures, I found that feminist mathematics education reflects not just the rights of female's rights but also a paradigm shift in epistemology of mathematics and philosophy of mathematics education. In this regard, feminist mathematics questions the existing mathematics education related to the female students who were marginalized in the composition and delivery of mathematics. Feminist mathematics education points out that in the course of the transfer of mathematical knowledge in schools, female students understand unilateral information procedurally without understanding the concept. Mathematics educators should consider alternative curricula that reflect the views of female students regarding the nature of mathematics. Students should be able to receive equal mathematics education in a school regardless of their gender. In this case, equal mathematics education refers to education methods that are suitable for both male and female students. The existing mathematics content and its teaching methods were designed based on the learning experiences of male students, which made them relatively difficult for female students to understand.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.417-444
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• 2008

Many research papers on the college students' functional concept show they have poor understanding on this topic. To compare the results with that of Korean students, four interrelated topics are chosen: How do they understand the concept of function?; what are their misconceptions including epistemological obstacles?; How do the function concepts develop and are acquired? For this a survey has been conducted to 95 engineering students just before they start Calculus course. We have done research on other major areas including psychology, economics and statistics to see how function is defined in these areas. Function definitions from US math text books are also introduced. Based on the these and the survey, some suggestions are made on the new curriculum which treat function as a correspondence relation. Vertical line test should be added to the Algebra II/Pre calculus course to check the univalent property.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

For the last half-century, interprofessional education (IPE) has been identified and discussed as a critical educational process to facilitate collaboration in order to improve healthcare outcomes for healthcare participants. While the concept is not new, outcome-based research has provided few valid and reliable explanations of whether and how IPE can be effective in healthcare quality improvement. This challenge stems from the struggle to understand the epistemological meaning of IPE. The purpose of this literature review paper is to provide a synthesized understanding of IPE, its meaning, and to provide practical guidance for medical educators. The paper reviewed several key aspects of IPE. Professionalility was discussed to understand the historical background of IPE, followed by an explanation of the international trend of embracing the complexity of health care practice and the need for interprofessional collaboration. Additionally, several theoretical perspectives, such as general systems theory, social identity theory, and community of practice were reviewed to pinpoint what constitutes IPE. Several existing definitions were discussed with similar concepts (i.e., disciplinary vs. professional, and multi-, inter-, vs. trans-) to clarify the nature of knowledge and collaboration in IPE. Three concepts, including practice, authenticity of context, and socialization were proposed as key constructs of IPE, followed by appropriate timing of IPE, outcome research, directions for future research, and guidance for implementation. Community-based medical education practice, professional socialization within a community, and longitudinal system-based outcome research are recommended as future directions for research and practice.