• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.9 no.2 s.22
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• pp.125-133
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• 2005

This paper investigates student conceptual understanding and application on algebra using problem-based curricula. Seven principles which National Research Council announced were considered because these seven principles all involved in the development of a deep conceptual understanding. A problem-based curriculum itself provides a significant contribution to improving student learning. A problem-based curriculum encourages students to obtain a more conceptual understanding in algebra. From the results the national curriculum developers in Korea consider the problem-based curriculum.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.219-236
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• 2023

This study examined the relationship between preservice teachers' mathematical understanding and problem posing in fractions multiplication and division. To this purpose, 41 preservice teachers performed visual representation and problem posing tasks for fraction multiplication and division, measured their mathematical understanding and problem posing ability, and examined the relationship between mathematical understanding and problem posing ability using cross-tabulation analysis. As a result, most of the preservice teachers showed conceptual understanding of fraction multiplication and division, and five types of difficulties appeared. In problem posing, most of the preservice teachers failed to pose a math problem that could be solved, and four types of difficulties appeared. As a result of cross-tabulation analysis, the degree of mathematical understanding was related to the ability to pose problems. Based on these results, implications for preservice teachers' mathematical understanding and problem posing were suggested.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.235-263
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• 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of children's understanding of fractions in mathematics problem solving. Kieren has claimed that the concept of fractions is not a single construct, but consists of several interrelated subconstructs(i.e., part-whole, ratio, operator, quotient and measure). Later on, in the early 1980s, Behr et al. built on Kieren's conceptualization and suggested a theoretical model linking the five subconstructs of fractions to the operations of fractions, fraction equivalence and problem solving. In the present study we utilized this theoretical model as a reference to investigate children's understanding of fractions. The case study has been conducted with 6 children consisted of 4th to 5th graders to detect how they understand factions, and how their understanding influence problem solving of subconstructs, operations of fractions and equivalence. Children's understanding of fractions was categorized into "part-whole", "ratio", "operator", "quotient", "measure" and "result of operations". Most children solved the problems based on their conceptual structure of fractions. However, we could not find the particular relationships between children's understanding of fractions and fraction operations or fraction equivalence, while children's understanding of fractions significantly influences their solutions to the problems of five subconstructs of fractions. We suggested that the focus of teaching should be on the concept of fractions and the meaning of each operations of fractions rather than computational algorithm of fractions.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.511-533
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• 2012

In order to determine whether there is a significant correlation between relational understanding and creative math. problem finding ability, this study performed relational understanding and problem finding ability tests on a sample of 186 8th grade middle school students. According to the study results, we found a very significant positive correlation between relational understanding and the creativity of the mathematising ability and the combining ability of mathematical concepts in the problem finding ability. Although there was no statistically significant correlation between relational understanding and the extension ability of mathematical facts, the results from analyzing the students response rate and actual scores in each test showed that students with high relational understanding scores also had high response rate and high scores in analogical reasoning and inductive reasoning. Through this study, therefore, relational understanding is found to have a positive impact on the creative mathematics problem finding ability.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.95-114
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• 2012

This study examines the use of ill-structured problem to help the 4th graders' problem solving and reasoning. It appears that children with good understanding of problem situation tend to accept the situation as itself rather than just as texts and produce various results with extraction of meaningful variables from situation. In addition, children with better understanding of problem situation show AR (algorithmic reasoning) and CR (creative reasoning) while children with poor understanding of problem situation show just AR (algorithmic reasoning) on their reasoning type.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 1997

Students' protocols obtained from think-aloud interviews were analyzed in the aspects of the success at first two problem-solving stages (understanding and planning), the time to complete a problem, the time at each problem-solving stage, the number of transition, and the transition rate. These were compared in the aspects of the context of problem, the success in solving problem, students' logical reasoning ability, spatial ability, and learning approach. The results were as follows:1. Students tended to spend more time in everyday contexts than in scientific contexts, especially at the stages of understanding and reviewing. The transition rate during solving a problem in everyday contexts was greater than that in scientific contexts. 2. Unsuccessful students spent more time at the stage of understanding, but successful students spent more time at the stage of planning. 3. Students' logical reasoning ability, as measured with the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, was significantly correlated with the success in solving problem. Concrete-operational students spent more time in completing a problem, especially understanding the problem. 4. Students' spatial ability, as measured with the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test and the Find A Shape Puzzle, was significantly correlated with their abilities to understand a problem and to plan for its solution. 5. Students' learning approach, as measured with the Questionnaire on Approaches to Learning and Studying, was not significantly correlated with the success in solving problem. However, the students in deep approach had more transitions and greater transition rates than the students in surface approach.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.213-231
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge types which the elementary science gifted students would use when solving a science problem, and to examine characteristics and types that were shown in the science problem solving process. For this study, 39 fifth graders and 38 sixth graders from Institute of Education for the Gifted Science Class were sampled in one National University of Education. The results of this study were as follows. First, for science problem solving, the elementary science gifted students used procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge at the same time, and procedural knowledge was more frequently used than declarative knowledge. Second, as for the characteristics in the understanding step of solving science problems, students tend to exactly figure out questions' given conditions and what to seek. In planning and solving stage, most of them used 3~4 different problem solving methods and strategies for solving. In evaluating stage, they mostly re-examined problem solving process for once or twice. Also, they did not correct the answer and had high confidence in their answers. Third, good solvers had used more complete or partially applied procedural knowledge and proper declarative knowledge than poor solvers. In the problem solving process, good solvers had more accurate problem-understanding and successful problem solving strategies. From characteristics shown in the good solvers' problem solving process, it is confirmed that the education program for science gifted students needs both studying on process of acquiring declarative knowledge and studying procedural knowledge for interpreting new situation, solving problem and deducting. In addition, in problem-understanding stage, it is required to develop divided and gradual programs for interpreting and symbolizing the problem, and for increasing the understanding.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.46 no.2 s.117
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• pp.207-226
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to design and develop the processes of tasks and assessment rubrics of open-ended tasks, and those for the 5th graders of elementary school mathematics. 7 tasks were finally developed, and 'problem understanding', 'problem solving process', 'communication' were selected as the criteria for assessment rubrics. The result was that the ability of mathematical power covering problem understanding ability, problem solving ability and mathematical communication ability was low. Specifically, problem understanding ability was the highest, problem solving ability was middle, and mathematical communication ability was the lowest.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2002

In this experiment we emphasized the cooperative small group learning and the members of my group worked together to succeed and communicate their mathematics ideas freely. The researcher(teacher) became an observer and facilitator of small group interaction, paying attention to the ongoing learning process, Sometimes the researcher suggested some investigation approach(or discovery)being written by computer software or papers. In this experiment we provided 6 activities as follows : (1) changing the conditions in given problem. (2) operating the meaningful heuristics with the problem sets. (3) creating the problem situations related to understanding (4) creating the Modeling situations. (5) creating the problem related to combinatorial thinking in real world. (6) posing some real problem from real world. we could observed several conjectures First, Attitude and chility to interpret the problem setting is highly important to pose the problem effectively. Second, Generating the understanding can be a great tool to pose the problem effectively. Third, Sometimes inquiry approach represented by software or programmed book could be some motivation to enhance the posing activities. Forth, The various posing activities relate to one concept could give the students some opportunity to be adaptable and flexible in the their approach to unfamiliar problem sets.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.83-97
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• 2023

Nominalization is one of the grammatical metaphors that makes it easier to mathematize the target that needs to be converted into a formula, but it has the disadvantage of making problem understanding difficult due to complex and compressed sentence structures. To investigate how this nominalization affects students' problem-solving processes, an analysis was conducted on 233 third-grade elementary school students' problem solving of eight arithmetic word problems with or without nominalization. The analysis showed that the presence or absence of nominalization did not have a significant impact on their problem understanding and their ability to convert sentences to formulas. Although the students did not have any prior experience in nominalization, they restructured the sentences by using nominalization or agnation in the problem understanding stage. When the types of nominalization change, the rate of setting the formula correctly appeared high. Through this, the use of nominalization can be a pedagogical strategy for solving word problems and can be expected to help facilitate deeper understanding.