• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to theorize the conceptualizations of educational interest focused on mathematics learning and to investigate the directions of increasing students' interest in mathematics. This study reconsiders the interest theory of Dewey, classification of situational interest and individual interest, and the experimental research of mathematical interest. The conceptions of educational interest on mathematics learning are as follows. First, mathematical interest refers to the total experiences that an individual feels the need to engage in mathematical objects. Second, making a distinction between situational interest and individual interest is effective in suggesting educational interventions in order to improve students' learning interest. Third, interest is characterized by affect, cognition, and value. According to the conceptions of educational interest on mathematics learning, this study suggests that we should develop or construct good mathematics tasks to increase students' interest in mathematics. Good mathematics tasks consider both students' understanding and students' affection and provide activity's goals or values to be noticed by students.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.163-182
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of educational context variables on achievement and interest in mathematics in high and low achieving students in Korea. Students participated in TIMSS 2015 in Korea were divided into two groups according to their achievement in mathematics. And the effects of educational context variables on achievement and interest in mathematics were analyzed in each group using the Hierarchical Linear Model(HLM). Main findings of this study are as follows. First, variables which influence achievement also influence interest but any variables which influence interest don't influence achievement in upper-group students. Number of Books and Students' Perceived Mathematics Lessons have strong influence on achievement and interest in both fourth and eighth grade students. Second, variables which influence achievement or interest in mathematics in lower-group also influence achievement or interest in mathematics in upper-group students. But any variables which influence achievement or interest in upper-group students don't influence achievement or interest in lower-group students. For examples, Parents' Education, Students' Perceived Mathematics Lessons have effects on upper-group students' achievement. Number of Books, Home Learning Environment, and Numeracy Activities Before School have significant effects on the achievement of fourth grade students. Students' Perceived Mathematics Lessons is the variable that influence on the interest of both fourth grade and eighth grade students. This study suggests the ways to improve mathematics teaching and learning based on these results.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.71-82
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• 2002

This study purported to develop the learning materials for the optional activities of mathematics, apply them to the students, and examine the effect on the learner's interest and attitude to mathematics. In order to conduct this study, the learning materials for the mathematics optional activities were developed according to the units of grade 8-Ga and the developed learning materials of the mathematics optional activities were inputted in two classes for 18 units after the second grade middle school students in Daejeon area received the questionnaire regarding the learning attitude and the interest in the mathematics. After that, the questionnaire regarding the learning attitude and the interest in the mathematics and the examination regarding the response to the application of the learning materials for mathematics optional activities were conducted and did t-test. The results of the study as follows : First The learning materials applied exciting games for mathematics optional activities aroused interest in mathematics and made the learners have confidence in mathematics learning. Second, There was affirmative change in the interest and attitude to the mathematics learning with the application of the mathematics optional learning materials. Third The leaning materials of the mathematics optional activities made the learners think mathematical questions connected with the real life and try various ways to solve the questions. Here are some suggestions to study the development of the learning materials such as story, game, quiz and craft. First it is necessary to develop the learning materials applied the games or the real life matters connected with mathematics for all grade middle school students and use them in the mathematics optional activities. Second, many students feel a great interest in animation. moving picture, sound graphic, etc. If the multimedia learning materials included the real life matters or the games are developed, the learners will feel more interest in mathematics. Third, the systematic and economical support is continuously needed in order that teachers are given much time to study and the opportunity to attend the training course for the understanding of the optional activities and the development of the various learning materials.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.423-442
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• 2013

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the reciprocal peer tutoring in high school students' affective characteristics with respect to mathematics. The study was conducted with 111 first graders in one high school located in Gyeonggi-do, and the study lasted for 1 year in regular mathematics classrooms. According to the results, reciprocal peer tutoring was very effective in improving students' interest and self-efficacy toward mathematics and reducing mathematics anxiety. Especially, in high and low performing student groups, there were statistically significant improvements in affective factors such as interest, self-efficacy toward mathematics, and mathematics anxiety after reciprocal peer tutoring. However, average performing student group showed statistically significant improvements in affective factors of interest and self-efficacy toward mathematics.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.69-82
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• 2000

Mathematics is the subject that requires high mental function such as the ability of logically thinking and investigating. Because of the reason there exists much greater difference in students' individual scholastic abilities in mathematics class than in other classes. Recently many schools organize students into two or three level-based mathematics classes according to each student's level to solve the problem. But in spite of its many merits the new system of class organization has some problems. The problem which is pointed out as the most serious thing frequently is that many teachers still use the same textbook and the same teaching method for all students, not considering student's level. Obviously it causes the reduction of students' interest and motivation. In this point of view, I tried to solve such a problem by development and application of level learning materials reconstructed text book according to students' abilities and levels through this research. As the result of the research to examine the changes of students' emotional factors such as the recognition, interest, and attitude which influence on improving self-educability in learning mathematics has occurred, the following conclusion comes out. 1. Through the mathematics class utilizing level learning materials reconstructed textbook, students come to recognize that level learning materials are more effective than uniformed contents of the same textbook and get more active learning attitude. 2 The application of level learning materials in a level-based class has contributed to increasing students' interest in mathematics. Furthermore it was also effective in the positive changes of students' emotional factors such as the recognition, interest, and attitude which influence on improving self-educability in learning mathematics.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.383-401
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• 2012

The purpose of mathematics education includes two important areas; cognitive area that emphasizes mathematical knowledge and understanding and affective area that stresses mathematical interest and attitude. The purpose of mathematics education is not only in acquiring the contents and knowledge but also rousing up interest and attention toward mathematics. Therefore, effort to accomplish this affective purpose has to be made. Introducing history of mathematics to teaching can be a important method for the students to arouse interest and attention toward mathematics. History of mathematics can help the students who are familiar to only manipulation of the symbols to develop a new way of thinking and mathematical thoughts arousing reflective thinking. According to the survey, although the effect of using mathematics history has been recognized, the mathematics history has neither been developed as teaching materials nor reflected in the courses of study. The purpose of this research is to develop the reading materials into suit for the mathematics curriculum to extract contents of the mathematics valuable in using in elementary mathematics teaching, and to investigate the effect of reading materials using the history of mathematics on learning attitude in elementary school. The way of developing materials in this study is as follows. First, to select the interesting and instructive subject for the elementary students such as the story and life of a mathematician, developmental stages of mathematical theory and calculation currently used and finding the patterns of the rules that requires mathematical thoughts. Second, to classify the selected items according to mathematics curriculum. Third, to reorganize the classified items of the appropriate grade with the reading materials of dialogue pattern in order to draw attention and interest from the students I developed 18 kinds materials in accordance with the above procedure and applied 5 materials among them to one class in 4th grade. Analysing the student's responses, First, using history of mathematics helps the students to arouse interest and confidence on mathematical learning attitude. And the students became better attitude of studying by oneself and attention on class. Second, as know by opinions after lesson, most students have a chance refresh one's thinking of mathematics, want to know the other content of history of mathematics and responded to study hard in mathematics. As a result, the reading materials on the basis of the history of mathematics motivates students for mathematics and helps them become confident in mathematics. If the materials are complemented properly, they will be useful and effective for students and teachers.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.409-434
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of teaching mathematics for social justice on students'interest towards mathematics and perceptions of mathematical values. Eighteen 6th grade students, at B elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, who wished to involved in the study participated in the 10 hour lessons. During the lessons for social justice, the researchers analyzed the students' reactions in the lessons according to the three categories: Perceiving given problematic situations of social conflicts, searching for problem-solving methods based on mathematical analysis, and changing social behaviors to solve life issues through mathematics. They also examined changes of students' interest towards mathematics and perceptions of mathematical values through the activities and reactions using the preliminary questionnaires, observations of lessons, and students' activity sheets. The research results showed that the students perceived mathematics as a tool for social justice in mathematics lessons, tried to find problem-solving methods based on mathematical analysis, and expressed their active social behaviors by cultivating the will of practice to solve life issues through mathematics. Based on those findings, the study reached the following conclusions. First, the students recognize many of the social problems in their societies as social justice regardless of their economic levels. Second, learning activities need to design in a way that students can accept the social problems as realistic situations in teaching mathematics for social justice. Third, students look at the world from a mathematical perspective, have interest in mathematics, and recognize the values of mathematics in teaching mathematics for social justice.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.195-206
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of teacher on fourth-grade students' attitudes toward mathematics using data from TIMSS 2011. Students' attitudes toward mathematics included interest in learning mathematics, interest in mathematics lessons, and confidence in their mathematics ability. Teacher factors included mathematics professional development, confidence in teaching mathematics, teacher-centered mathematics instruction, and enhancing student mathematical thinking. The two level Hierarchical Linear Model was employed to analyze the relationship between teacher factors and student attitudes. Results showed that teacher-centered mathematics instruction significantly and positively predicted students' confidence about their mathematics ability. The findings suggest that school systems and mathematics educators need to provide teachers with the curriculum, assessment, and research-based practices and knowledge to overcome the obstacles to change their mathematics classroom.

• School Mathematics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.109-129
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• 2001

The concern of this paper is to provide learning opportunities to participate in the class of statistics with interest for the students who dislike mathematics and especially find difficulty in understanding statistics. The students were encouraged to arrange data collected in their daily life by the use of spreadsheet program and to interpret the result of data with graphs, so that they could have a great interest in statistics and make steady progress in their voluntary study. The further study to use computers in teaching mathematics should be continued and recommended in the rapid age of information and knowledge-based.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 2000

This study is focused on vocational high school students who feel hardly interested in mathematics and are considered to have very limited basic scholastic ability. It analyzes the data obtained by applying the material, extracted from the Internet and literature to school classes from March to July, for the purposes of improving the degree of scholastic achievement on the basis of the fact that interest induced learning materials were developed and applied to the students to bring about their motivation resulting in a positive change in understanding and attitudes to mathematics. According to the result of the analysis, the level of students' scholastic ability of both the comparative class and the experimental class were too low to become interested in mathematics. However, the experimental class students seemed to feel familiar to the learning materials rather than reluctant, and it appeared that their interest and behavior of learning began to change gradually in an extent. In addition to that, as an aspect of scholastic achievement there was not considerable difference between the two classes, but as time went, some valuable changes were found. Unfortunately, the size of group of the research was small and the period of the experimental classes was not extensively long, and therefore the same result might not occur in other groups. However, it is believed that in class-time, educating students by putting in learning materials bringing about relevant motivation to the class, will lead them to become interested in mathematics, and change their attitudes and understanding of mathematics. After all, scholastic achievement will be effective.