• School Mathematics
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.469-493
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study is find the relation between students' concept and types of proof construction. For this, four undergraduate students majored in mathematics education were evaluated to examine how they understand mathematical concepts and apply their concepts to their proving. Investigating students' proof with their concepts would be important to find implications for how students have to understand formal concepts to success in proving. The participants' proof productions were classified into syntactic proof productions and semantic proof productions. By comparing syntactic provers and semantic provers, we could reveal that the approaches to find idea for proof were different for two groups. The syntactic provers utilized procedural knowledges which had been accumulated from their proving experiences. On the other hand, the semantic provers made use of their concept images to understand why the given statements were true and to get a key idea for proof during this process. The distinctions of approaches to proving between two groups were related to students' concepts. Both two types of provers had accurate formal concepts. But the syntactic provers also knew how they applied formal concepts in proving. On the other hand, the semantic provers had concept images which contained the details and meaning of formal concept well. So they were able to use their concept images to get an idea of proving and to express their idea in formal mathematical language. This study leads us to two suggestions for helping students prove. First, undergraduate students should develop their concept images which contain meanings and details of formal concepts in order to produce a meaningful proof. Second, formal concepts with procedural knowledge could be essential to develop informal reasoning into mathematical proof.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.251-272
• /
• 2005

Given that cognitive demands of mathematical tasks can be changed during instruction, this study attempts to provide a detailed description to explore how tasks are set up and implemented in the classroom and what are the classroom-based factors. As an exploratory and qualitative case study, 4 of six-grade classrooms where high-level tasks on ratio and proportion were used were videotaped and analyzed with regard to the patterns emerged during the task setup and implementation. With regard to 16 tasks, four kinds of Patterns emerged: (a) maintenance of high-level cognitive demands (7 tasks), (b) decline into the procedure without connection to the meaning (1 task), (c) decline into unsystematic exploration (2 tasks), and (d) decline into not-sufficient exploration (6 tasks), which means that the only partial meaning of a given task is addressed. The 4th pattern is particularly significant, mainly because previous studies have not identified. Contributing factors to this pattern include private-learning without reasonable explanation, well-performed model presented at the beginning of a lesson, and mathematical concepts which are not clear in the textbook. On the one hand, factors associated with the maintenance of high-level cognitive demands include Improvising a task based on students' for knowledge, scaffolding of students' thinking, encouraging students to justify and explain their reasoning, using group-activity appropriately, and rethinking the solution processes. On the other hand, factors associated with the decline of high-level cognitive demands include too much or too little time, inappropriateness of a task for given students, little interest in high-level thinking process, and emphasis on the correct answer in place of its meaning. These factors may urge teachers to be sensitive of what should be focused during their teaching practices to keep the high-level cognitive demands. To emphasize, cognitive demands are fixed neither by the task nor by the teacher. So, we need to study them in the process of teaching and learning.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.535-563
• /
• 2012

This study was conducted to confirm the necessity of analogical thinking and to empirically verify the effectiveness of analogical reasoning through the visual representation by analyzing the factors of problem solving depending on analogical conditions. Four conditions (a visual representation mapping condition, a conceptual mapping condition, a retrieval hint condition and no hint condition) were set up for the above purpose and 80 twelfth-grade students from C high-School in Cheong-Ju, Chung-Buk participated in the present study as subjects. They solved the same mathematical problem about sequence of complex numbers in their differed process requirements for analogical transfer. The problem solving rates for each condition were analyzed by Chi-square analysis using SPSS 12.0 program. The results of this study indicate that retrieval of base knowledge is restricted when participants do not use analogy intentionally in problem solving and the mapping of the base and target concepts through the visual representation would be closely related to successful analogical transfer. As the results of this study offer, analogical thinking is necessary while solving mathematical problems and it supports empirically the conclusion that recognition of the relational similarity between base and target concepts by the aid of visual representation is closely associated with successful problem solving.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.159-177
• /
• 2013

This study is a case study of STEAM education. We have developed teaching and learning materials, suggested teaching method, and analysed the result for exploring the potential and effect of STEAM. The content of this study is based on the history of mathematics. Science (S) is related to the 24 divisions of the year, the height of the sun, the movement of heavenly bodies. Technology (T) is related to the exploration with graphic calculators. Engineering (E) is related to design sundial and research on the design principles. Art (A) is related to literature review about mathematical history, the understanding of the value of the mathematics. Mathematics (M) is related to the trigonometric functions. We have considered that Project-Based Learning is proper teaching and learning for STEAM education, we have designed the STEAM PBL and analysed the results focused on the developing integrative knowledge, mathematical attitude including mathematical value, the competencies of 21 century. The result of this study is as follows. We find that STEAM education activates students' collaboration, communication skills and improves representation and critical thinking skills. Also STEAM education makes positive changes of students' mathematical attitudes including the values of the mathematics.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.45-59
• /
• 2011

Constructionists believe that mathematical knowledge is obtained by a series of purely mental constructions, with all mathematical objects existing only in the mind of the mathematician. But constructivism runs the risk of rejecting the classical laws of logic, especially the principle of bivalence and L. E. M.(Law of the Excluded Middle). This philosophy of mathematics also does not take into account the external world, and when it is taken to extremes it can mean that there is no possibility of communication from one mind to another. Two constructionists, Brouwer and Dummett, are common in rejecting the L. E. M. as a basic law of logic. As indicated by Dummett, those who first realized that rejecting realism entailed rejecting classical logic were the intuitionists of the school of Brouwer. However for Dummett, the debate between realists and antirealists is in fact a debate about semantics - about how language gets its meaning. This difference of initial viewpoints between the two constructionists makes Brouwer the intuitionist and Dummettthe the semantic anti-realist. This paper is confined to show that Dummett's proposal in favor of intuitionism differs from that of Brouwer. Brouwer's intuitionism maintained that the meaning of a mathematical sentence is essentially private and incommunicable. In contrast, Dummett's semantic anti-realism argument stresses the public and communicable character of the meaning of mathematical sentences.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.63-80
• /
• 2009

This paper has a purpose to find out the important points about linguistic factors suited to the assessment purpose and mathematics teaching/learning that a word-problem sentence has to possess. We also examine the degree of understanding of sentence and the perceptive/emotional reactions of students toward two different kinds of word-problem sentences that have same mathematical contents, but different linguistic structures. The objects of this thesis are 124 students from the third to sixth grade in an elementary school. We execute assessment of simple-sentence-word-problem and complex-sentence-word-problem that have same mathematical contexts, but different linguistic structures. Then we have compared and examined their own process of solving the two types word-problems and we make up questionnaire and have an interview with them. The conclusions are as followings: First, simple-sentence-word-problem is more successful to suggest an information for solving a problem than complex one. Second, it is hard to find the strategy for solving a problem in complex-sentence-word-problem than simple one. Third, students think that suggested information and mathematical knowledge are different according to the linguistic structure in the process of perceiving the information after reading a word-problem. Fourth, in spite of same sentence type, the negative mental reaction is showed greatly to complex-sentence-word-problem even before solving a problem.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.61 no.6
• /
• pp.378-387
• /
• 2017

In this study, we analyzed the causes of decrease in the number of students taking Chemistry ? in the College Scholastics Ability Test (CSAT) by analyzing the adequacy of the Chemistry I question in the CSAT and the recognition survey of students and teachers about the Chemistry I choice. We analyzed some questions in Chemistry I of the CSAT from the year 2014 to 2016. The questions were analyzed to determine whether they were appropriate to the curriculum content, achievement standard, and achievement level. The target of the survey for perception was 452 senior high school students and 68 science teachers. The result of the study showed that the questions in Chemistry I are somewhat difficult compared to the depth and achievement level required by the curriculum, and it also requires mathematical thinking ability. Students recognized the mathematical thinking and complex mathematical skills are needed to solve problems in Chemistry I. Teachers also thought that the choice of Chemistry I is unfavorable in aspect of meeting the minimum academic ability standard, and accordingly, they did not actively recommend students to take Chemistry I. Moreover, most of the teachers recognized that it is necessary to improve the direction of writing questions for Chemistry I. Therefore, setting questions that can be solved using chemical knowledge, not mathematical ability need to be addressed.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.343-360
• /
• 2022

In mathematics classes, the verbal explanation may contain diverse mathematical concepts and principles in short sentences. It may also include mathematics symbols and terms that might not be used in everyday life. Therefore, students may need particular listening ability in order to understand and participate in mathematics communication. Unlike general listening, the listening ability for mathematics classes may require student to integrate their mathematical and linguistic knowledge. The aim of this study is to reveal the subdomains of listening ability for mathematics classes in a elementary school. I categorized listening ability for mathematics classes in a elementary school from the literature. The categories of listening ability for mathematics are Interpretive Listening, Evaluative Listening, Hermeneutic Listening, Selective Listening, Pretend Listening, and Ignored Listening. In order to develop a framework for understanding listening ability for mathematics classes, I investigated a hierarchy of 412 South Korean elementary teachers' perception. Through a web-based survey, the teachers were asked to rank order their beliefs about and students' listening ability. Findings show that teachers' perceptions about listening ability for mathematics classes are divergent from current research trends. South Korean elementary teachers perceived Interpretive Listening as the most important listening.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.317-332
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to suggest an effective plan for teaching the definition of prism by integrating and analyzing the theories related to the instruction of definitions. The subjects in this study to realize these objectives were as follows. First, it looks to theoretical backgrounds regarding the instruction of the definition of solid by functions of definition in mathematics education. Second, it explores the instructional way to form the definition of solid through function of definition, by analyzing the unit of solid in the 6th grade. Third, after conducting the real practice with the 5th graders who before learn solid in 6th curriculum, according to plan of instruction, it examined student's response and testify its effectiveness, and then propose a teaching scheme which is designed to be useful based on the outcomes. In terms of theoretical background, it investigated the precedent research in relation to the instruction of the definition that mathematical definition is not given perfectly but the process of making knowledge that mathematization activity is necessary. It investigated the effects of the instruction of definitions, based on the effects of teaching and interviews with the 5th graders, and analysis of student's handout. The followings were the results of this study. First, 'Making Definitions' activities through remove counterexample process was possible to analytic thinking not intuitively thinking, and it effects the extend of awareness in definition that definition is not fixed but various. Second, it need the step of organize terms that is useful on solid's definition through activate of background knowledge. Third, it is effective that explore characters of the solids after construct the solids. Fourth, interactive discussion that students correct their mistakes each other through mathematical communication and they can think developmental is useful on making definition more than individual study.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.341-360
• /
• 2011

This paper deals with contents that Sang-Seol Lee contributed to the natural science in the 19th century Korea. Prof. Sung-Rae Park, the science historian, called Sang-Seol Lee Father of the Modern Mathematics education of Korea. Sang-Seol Lee wrote a manuscript Botany with a brush in late 19th century. Botany was transcribed from Science Primers: Botany (written by J. D. Hooker), which is translated into Chinese by Joseph Edkins in 1886. The existence of Sang-Seol Lee's book Botany was not known to Korean scientists before. In this paper, we study the contents of Botany and its original text. Also we analyze people's level of understanding Western sciences, especially botany at that time. In addition, we study authors of 16 Primers jar Western Knowledge. We study the contribution of mathematician Sang-Seol Lee to science education in the 19th century Korea.