초등학교 수학에서 비의 값과 비율 개념의 구별에 대한 논의

A Discussion on the Distinction between 'The Value of Ratio' and 'The Rate' in Elementary School Mathematics

This paper focuses on the concepts of a value of ratio and a rate in elementary school mathematics. Although the concept of a value of ratio can be distinguished meaningfully from that of a rate by phenomenological analyses, this distinction is impossible at the elementary school level. Two concepts tend to be treated as identical, therefore they need to be classified by the other methods. By analyzing the series of mathematics textbooks from the first curriculum to the present 7th curriculum, this paper investigated how two concepts have been transposed into the products of school mathematics. In addition, we discussed how the difference of two concepts in the changing process of definitions have been presented clearly to the students. As a result, this paper concluded that the difference of two concepts has not been developed clearly for elementary students in general, except the textbook by the 7th curriculum. The definitions of two concepts were described obscurely so that the students may confuse the concept of a value of ratio with that of a rate. The role of a value of ratio needs to be reconsidered when it is applied to set proportional expressions. Therefore, this paper suggests not adhering to the terminology ‘value of ratio’ to present the ratio as a quotient or the rate as a fractional representation in school mathematics.