• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.451-467
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• 2017

This study examined how the distributive principles(DP) works in our elementary school textbooks and work books to figure out the implications for developing the elementary mathematics curriculum and textbooks. For this purpose, Chinese and Japanese elementary textbooks were reviewed and five criteria for the analysis of Korean textbooks and workbooks were prepared by the review. The analysis showed that Korean textbooks and work books are inefficient to handle DP in many ways. Based on these findings, this study suggested that the DP should be codified into the curriculum and explicitly dealt with in elementary math textbooks.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.655-676
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• 2008

This paper analyzed contents related to statistics in the 7th elementary mathematics curriculum in conjunction with main changes in the recent revised curriculum. This paper then provided detailed analyses of textbooks and workbooks in terms of main contents, instructional methods of graphs, and comprehension of graphs required to students in order to look closely at how such instructional materials would put the vision of the curriculum into action. It is expected that the issues and suggestions stemming from this analysis are informative in constructing new textbooks and workbooks.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.329-350
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• 2017

This paper examined vocabulary used in elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks for the grade band of 5~6. This study focused on the adequacy of vocabulary using 9-degree of semantic difficulty. The results of this study showed that most vocabulary in the textbooks and workbooks was adequate for the target grades. In some cases, however, vocabulary that was supposed to be difficult for the fifth and sixth graders was employed in a way that the meaning of such vocabulary was difficult for students to infer in the given context. The most frequent vocabularies in the main activities of the mathematics textbooks included 'method', 'investigate', 'number', 'communicate', and 'represent'. Based on these results, this study provides 5~6 grade textbook writers with implications on what to further consider in dealing with vocabulary in instructional materials.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.285-304
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• 2009

The operations of fractions are the main contents of number and operations in the elementary mathematics curriculum. They are also difficult for students to understand conceptually. Nevertheless, there has been little study on the addition and subtraction of fractions. Given this, this paper explored the connection between the national mathematics curriculum and its concomitant textbooks, the adequacy of when to teach, and the method of constructing each unit to teach addition and subtraction of fractions. This paper then analyzed elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks by three parts aligned with the general instructional flow: 'introduction', 'activity', and, 'exercise'. First, it was analyzed with regard to the introduction part whether the word problems of textbooks might reflect on students' daily lives as intended, how different meanings of operations would be expected to be taught, and how the subsequent activities were connected with the original word problems. Second, the main analysis of activity part of the textbooks dealt with how to use concrete or iconic models to promote students' conceptual understanding of operations and how to formalize the calculation methods and principles with regard to addition and subtraction of fractions. Third, the analysis of the part of exercise in the textbooks and workbooks was conducted with regard to problem types and meanings of operations. It is expected that the issues and suggestions stemming from this analysis of current textbooks and workbooks are informative in developing new instructional materials aligned to the recently revised mathematics curriculum.

• School Mathematics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.345-359
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• 2004

Many researchers have studied students' error patterns in learning mathematics but the results haven't much effected on teaching situation. This paper is to find out how the results have been reflected on 6th and 7th Korean elementary school mathematics textbooks, workbooks, and teachers' guide books. The focuses of analysis are the four; (a)Type of materials, (b)Type of problems, (c)Type of errors and number of rela- ted problems, and (d)organization and explanation type. Results indicate that both 6th and 7th materials don't use effectively students' error patterns to teach computation, in particular, 7th textbooks scarcely treat them. It suggests that we should grope a way to use the fruitful results of this area to teach mathematics effectively.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.81-100
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• 2017

The concept of variable is a big idea to develop algebraic thinking. Variable has multiple meanings such as the unknown, a tool for generalization, and the relationship between varying quantities. In this study we analyzed in what ways the meanings of variable were presented in the current elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks. The results showed that the most frequent meaning of variable was 'the unknown', 'a tool for generalization', and 'the relationship between varying quantities' in order. A close look at the results revealed that the same symbol was often used in representing different values of variable as the unknown. In taking variable as a tool for generalization, questions to provoke generalization were sometimes included not in the textbooks but in the teachers' manuals. The main focus in dealing with variable as the relationship between varying quantities was on finding out the dependent values compared to the independent ones. Building on these results, this study is expected to suggest implications for how to deal with variable concept in elementary mathematics instructional materials.

• School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.723-743
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• 2009

This paper analyzed the main contents of multiplication and division of fractions in elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks aligned to the national mathematics curriculum. This paper first explored the adequacy of when to teach the contents, the connection of instructional flow across grades, and the method of constructing a unit to teach multiplication or division of fractions. This paper then analyzed in detail the contents with regard to the types and frequency of word problems, the types of visual models and frequency, and the process of formalizing the calculation methods and principles. It is expected that the issues and suggestions stemming from this analysis of current textbooks and workbooks are informative in developing new instructional materials aligned to the recently revised mathematics curriculum.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2014

This study analyzed in what ways the instructional materials have been dealing with the fraction as quotient, since the seventh national mathematics curriculum. An analysis of this study urged us to re-consider the content related to the fraction as quotient. First, the fraction as quotient has weakened in the current mathematics textbooks and workbooks in comparison to those developed under the previous curriculum. Second, the contexts of whole number division taught in grades 3 and 4 were not naturally connected to those of the fraction as quotient taught in grade 5. Third, the types of word problems, visual models, and partitioning strategies in the textbooks and the workbooks were partial, and the process of formalization was limited. Building on these results, this study is expected to suggest specific implications which may be taken into account in developing new instructional materials in process.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.903-922
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• 2016

This paper examined vocabulary in elementary mathematics textbooks and workbooks for the grade band of 3~4. This study focused on the adequacy of vocabulary using 9-degree of semantic difficulty. The results of this study showed that about three to eight percent of vocabulary with difficulty for students in grades 3~4 was employed. Whereas some difficult vocabularies were used along with the picture that helps students understand their meanings, others were presented without any illustrative tools. The most frequent vocabularies in the main activities of the mathematics textbooks included 'investigate', 'represent', 'number', 'how many', and 'method'. Based on these results, this study provides textbook writers with implications on what to further consider in dealing with vocabulary in instructional materials.

• School Mathematics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.341-364
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• 2006

This paper analyzed contents related to problem solving in the 7th elementary mathematics curriculum in conjunction with main changes in the next curriculum under discussion. This paper then provided detailed analyses of textbooks and workbooks in terms of principal contents, problem solving strategies, content areas, and problem types in order to look closely at how such instructional materials would put the vision of the curriculum into action. It is expected that many issues and suggestions stemming from the analyses will serve basic information to develop next curriculum and its concomitant instructional materials in a way to fostering students' problem solving ability.