• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.117-136
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• 2021

The unit fraction is the basis of the fraction concept and has a role of starting point for understanding the fraction concept. In this study, in terms of the importance of the unit fraction, the teaching methods of the fraction based on the unit fraction were explored. First, it was examined the emerging contexts of the fraction concept and the diversity of its meanings. Second, it was investigated the contents of the unit fraction in Korean and CCSSM's curriculum and textbooks. Lastly, I suggested the teaching methods using the unit fraction in terms of the introduction of fraction, fractional operations, and teaching of problem solving based on the unit fraction.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.37-54
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• 2018

Despite the significance of fraction in elementary mathematics education, it is not easy to teach it meaningfully in connection with real life in Korea. This study aims to investigate and analyze 3rd grade students' understanding on unit fraction concepts and on comparison of unit fractions and to identify the parts which need to be supplemented in relation to unit fraction. For these purposes, I reviewed previous studies and extracted chapters which cover unit fractions in elementary mathematics textbooks based on 2009 revised curriculums and analyzed teaching contexts and visual representations of unit fractions. From this point of view, I constructed a test which consists of three problems based on Chval et al(2013) to investigate students' understanding on unit fraction. To apply this test, I selected forty-one 3rd grade students and examined that students' aspects of understanding on unit fraction. The results were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. In this study, I present the analysis results and provide implications and some didactical suggestions for teaching contexts and visual representations of unit fraction based on the discussion.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.379-396
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• 2022

In this paper, we investigate distribution strategies in the Egyptian fraction, and through this, we examine the distribution strategies of (fraction)÷(fraction) and then provide some educational implications. The (natural number)÷(natural number) of the sharing situation has the meaning of 'share' per unit, which can be seen as a situation where the unit ratio is determined. These concepts can also naturally be extended to the case of (fraction)÷(fraction) by some problem posing situations. That is to say, the case of (fraction)÷(fraction) can be deduced the case (natural number)÷(natural number) by the re-statement of the problem.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.117-134
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• 2020

Based on the current curriculum, students learn the concept of fraction in the 3rd grade for the first time. At that time, fraction is introduced as whole-part relationship. But as the idea of fraction expands to improper fraction and so on, fraction as measurement would be naturally appeared. In that situation where fraction as whole-part relationship and fraction as measurement are dealt together, it is necessary for students to get experiences of understanding and exploring unit and whole adequately in order to fully understand the concept of fractions. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze how to deal with unit fractions, how to implement activities to find the standard of reference from the part, and what visual representations were used to help students to understand the concept of fractions in elementary mathematics textbooks from the 7th to the 2015 revised curriculum. And we analyzed 60 3rd graders' understanding of finding and drawing the whole by looking at the part. Several didactical implications for teaching the concept of fractions were derived from the discussion according to the analysis results.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.113-127
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to justify the fraction division algorithm in elementary mathematics by applying the definition of natural number division to fraction division. First, we studied the contents which need to be taken into consideration in teaching fraction division in elementary mathematics and suggested the criteria. Based on this research, we examined whether the previous methods which are used to derive the standard algorithm are appropriate for the course of introducing the fraction division. Next, we defined division in fraction and suggested the unit-circle partition model and the square partition model which can visualize the definition. Finally, we confirmed that the standard algorithm of fraction division in both partition and measurement is naturally derived through these models.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.783-802
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to explore in detail students' understanding of fraction as quotient. A total of 158 sixth graders in 6 elementary schools were surveyed by 8 tasks in relation to fraction as quotient. As a result, students used various partitioning strategies to solve the given sharing tasks such as partitioning the singleton unit, the composite unit, or the whole unit of the dividend. They also used incorrect partitioning strategies that were not appropriate to the given context. Students' partitioning strategies and performance of fraction as quotient varied depending on the given contexts and models. This study suggests that students should have rich experience to partition various units and reinterpret the context based on the singleton unit of the dividend.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.59-75
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• 2017

This study analyzed the $6^{th}$ graders' constructions about fraction operations and schemes and figured out the relationships quantitatively between operations and schemes through the written test of 432 students. The results of this study showed that most of students could do partitioning operation well, however, there were many students who had difficulties on iterating operation. There were more students who constructed partitioning operation prior to iterating operation than the opposite. The rate of students who constructed high schemes was lower than that of students who constructed low schemes according to the hierarchy of fraction schemes. Especially, there were many students who construct partitive unit fraction scheme but not partitive fraction scheme, because they could compose unit fraction but not do iterating it. And there were the high correlations between fraction operations and schemes. Given these result, this paper suggests implications about the teaching and learning of fraction.

• School Mathematics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.123-138
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• 2006

The fraction concept consists of various meanings and is one of the more abstract and difficult in elementary school mathematics. This study intends to analyze the fraction concept from historical and psychological viewpoints, to examine the current elementary mathematics textbooks by these viewpoints and to seek the direction for improvement of it. Basic ideas about fraction are the partitioning - the dividing of a quantity into subparts of equal size - and about the part-whole relation. So these ideas are heavily emphasized in current textbooks. However, from the learner's point of view, situations related to different meanings of fraction concept draw qualitatively different response from students. So all the other meanings of fraction concept should be systematically represented in elementary mathematics textbooks. Especially based on historico-genetic principle, the current textbooks need the emphasis on the fraction as a measure and on constructing fraction concept by unit fraction as a unit.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.199-219
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• 2011

In this thesis, we designed a experimental learning-teaching plan of 'decimal fraction concept' at the 4-th grade level. We rest our plan on two basic premises. One is the fact that a essential concept of decimal fraction is 'polynomial of which indeterminate is 10', and another is the fact that the origin of decimal fraction is successive measurement activities which improving accuracy through decimal partition of measuring unit. The main features of our experimental learning-teaching plan is as follows. Firstly, students can experience a operation which generate decimal unit system through decimal partitioning of measuring unit. Secondly, the decimal fraction expansion will be initially introduced and the complete representation of decimal fraction according to positional notation will follow. Thirdly, such various interpretations of decimal fraction as 3.751m, 3m+7dm+5cm+1mm, $(3+\frac{7}{10}+\frac{5}{100}+\frac{1}{1000})m$ and $\frac{3751}{1000}m$ will be handled. Fourthly, decimal fraction will not be introduced with 'unit decimal fraction' such as 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, ${\cdots}$ but with 'natural number+decimal fraction' such as 2.345. Fifthly, we arranged a numeration activity ruled by random unit system previous to formal representation ruled by decimal positional notation. A experimental learning-teaching plan which presented in this thesis must be examined through teaching experiment. It is necessary to successive research for this task.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.87-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore how units-coordination ability is related to understanding fraction concepts. For this purpose, a teaching experiment was conducted with one fourth grade student, Eunseo for four months(2019.3. ~ 2019.6.). We analyzed in details how Eunseo's units-coordinating operations related to her understanding of fraction changed during the teaching experiment. At an early stage, Eunseo with a partitive fraction scheme recognized fractions as another kind of natural numbers by manipulating fractions within a two-levels-of-units structure. As she simultaneously recognized proper fraction and a referent whole unit as a multiple of the unit fraction, she became to distinguish fractions from natural numbers in manipulating proper fractions. Eunseo with a reversible partitive fraction scheme constructed a natural number greater than 1, as having an interiorized three-levels-of-units structure and established an improper fraction with three levels of units in activity. Based on the results of this study, conclusions and pedagogical implications were presented.