본 연구의 목적은 생활 문제 중심의 수학교육에 바탕을 둔 소집단 이야기나누기가 유아의 수연산 능력 발달에 미치는 효과를 밝히는 데 있으며, 이야기나누기 속에서 나타나는 유아들의 비형식적 수연산 책략을 알아보는 것이다. 만 5세 유아를 대상으로 생활에서 자주 경험하는 수와 관련된 주제를 정하여 이를 드러낼 수 있는 상황과 모형을 유아들에게 제시하고, 상황에 포함된 수연산 문제를 이야기나누기를 통해 해결하는 실험을 실시하였다. 그 결과 생활 문제에 바탕을 둔 소집단 이야기나누기는 수연산 중, 특히 빼기와 곱하기에 효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이야기나누기에서 유아들이 수학적 문제해결을 위해 사용한 수연산 책략의 양상은 더하기의 경우 모두 세기 책략과 알고 있는 구구 사용하기 책략을, 빼기의 경우 1 : 1 대응 책략과 덜어내기 책략을, 곱하기의 경우 직접적 수세기 책략과 비공식적 계산하기 책략을, 나누기의 경우 직접적 수세기 책략을 가장 많이 사용한 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 그 외 책략들 역시 과거 연구들에 비해 높은 비율로 사용하였으며 곱하기와 나누기의 경우 실험 횟수가 증가할수록 사용한 책략의 수가 증가한 것으로 나타났다.

The purpose of this study is ⑴ to investigate the effects of a small group discussion program based on real life problem solving on young children's number operations ⑵to analyze the strategies children use to solve problematic situation during small group discussions. The subjects were twenty-four 5-year-old children (12 control group children and 12 experimental group children) attending a child care center in Seoul, Korea. All were from middle SES families. Pre-and post-tests, designed to assess young children's grasp of number operations, were administered. Manipulative materials, such as an attractive zoo model complete with objects representing animals and people were also designed for this study and used by the children in the small group discussions. The researcher visited the center 16 times (2 times a week for 8 weeks) and guided small group discussion on children's familiar real world experiences featuring situations that included various number operations. Each group discussion session with 6 children took about 20 minutes. During the discussion, children were presented with the zoo manipulative materials. The discussion centered on a problematic situation likely to happen at a zoo and always included various number operations. The study's results: ⑴ The small group discussions based on realistic situations had significant effects on young children's abilities to perform number operations, especially in subtraction and multiplication. ⑵ The strategies the children used in their problem solving during the small group discussions were more various than those found in other studies dealing with children's solution strategies in number operation.

The purpose of this study is ⑴ to investigate the effects of a small group discussion program based on real life problem solving on young children's number operations ⑵to analyze the strategies children use to solve problematic situation during small group discussions. The subjects were twenty-four 5-year-old children (12 control group children and 12 experimental group children) attending a child care center in Seoul, Korea. All were from middle SES families. Pre-and post-tests, designed to assess young children's grasp of number operations, were administered. Manipulative materials, such as an attractive zoo model complete with objects representing animals and people were also designed for this study and used by the children in the small group discussions. The researcher visited the center 16 times (2 times a week for 8 weeks) and guided small group discussion on children's familiar real world experiences featuring situations that included various number operations. Each group discussion session with 6 children took about 20 minutes. During the discussion, children were presented with the zoo manipulative materials. The discussion centered on a problematic situation likely to happen at a zoo and always included various number operations. The study's results: ⑴ The small group discussions based on realistic situations had significant effects on young children's abilities to perform number operations, especially in subtraction and multiplication. ⑵ The strategies the children used in their problem solving during the small group discussions were more various than those found in other studies dealing with children's solution strategies in number operation.