Earticle

This study aim to reveal factors required for teacher-student interaction and student-student interaction based on literatures on studies of underachievers in mathematics for last 5 years, in which academic achievement and/or affective attitude towards mathematics of underachievers is enhanced. For the effective teacher-student interaction, it requires 1) simple and concise questions in which the content can be easily understood even by underachievers 2) sufficient time in which underachievers can understand learning contents and express it in his/her own languages and text, and 3) feedback of teachers on the problem solving process chosen by students or given learning contents. In addition, for the efficient student-student interaction, it is clearly shown that 1) an opportunity for students figuring out why they solved a question in that way, 2) an opportunity for students comparing each other’s answers and 3) a teacher who can correct improper mathematical terms of students and guide the misleading problem-solving process to a proper mathematical expression.

본 연구는 초등학교 수학 학습 부진 학생들의 진단평가 결과 및 교사와 학생들의 설문 결과를 바탕으로 초등학교 수학 학습 부진의 발생 경향을 분석하는데 목적이 있다. 본 연구 결과, 수학 학습 부진 학생들은 저․중학년에서 고학년으로 올라감에 따라 부진이 점차 누적 및 심화되어 나타나는 경향을 보였다. 이는 수학 학습 부진이 저학년 시기부터 시작되어 나타난 결과임을 의미한다. 또한, 단순히 총점수로만 부진 여부를 판별하는 현재의 방법에만 의존하기 보다는 영역별 점수 및 교사와 학생들의 인식 등을 종합적으로 고려할 필요가 있다. 현재의 방법이 또 다른 학습부진의 원인이 될 가능성을 인식할 수 있었다. 마지막으로, 수학 학습 부진 학생 지도를 담당하는 대다수의 교사들과 학생들은 수학 학습 부진의 원인이 학생들 자신의 내재적 요인에 의해 발생한다고 응답하였으며, 이는 수학 학습 부진 학생에 대한 교육적 처치 방안에 대한 연구를 통해 개선될 수 있음을 의미한다. 따라서 학생들이 초등학교 저학년 때부터 수학에 대해 긍정적이고 성공적인 경험을 하여 학습 결손이 생기지 않도록 지원해주어야 하며, 학생들의 객관적이고 체계적인 자료 분석에 바탕을 둔 지도 방법으로의 개선이 필요하다.

This research puts the purpose in examining the general trend of mathematics underachievers in the elementary school based on the analysis results of mathematics diagnostic assessment of mathematics underachievers and the recognition of teachers and students. To achieve research questions, this research analyzed the results of diagnostic assessment of mathematics underachievers from the third grade to the sixth grade of two elementary schools, Seoul, carried out in March, 2010. Results were classified according to grades and genders. Each analysis was performed under the standards of frequency and frequency level. Secondly, questionnaires were conducted, and general trend of mathematics underachievers were analyzed. Conclusion based on research results above can be drawn as follows:Firstly, as a result of analyzing the general trend of mathematics underachievers in the elementary school, mathematics underachievers appeared to be accumulated and intensified as their grade is ascended. Therefore, support and encouraging students to experience mathematics positively and successfully from the elementary school is needed. In addition, to prevent the accumulation of learning deficiency, preventive measures should be taken from the lower grades. Secondly, the possibility of accumulating learning deficiency due to the selection method in deciding underachieving only with total scores should not be disregarded. Therefore, since the accumulation of learning deficiency can be worked as a new factor of learning underachieving, the amendment of teaching methods in learning underachieving based on objective data analysis is required. Thirdly, teachers and students recognized that the learner is the main factor of mathematics underachieving. This indicates that mathematics learning difficulty is improved through the education of learners. Therefore, studies on mathematics underachievers should be activated, and the effective education program should be developed.

교사가 수업에서 느끼는 큰 어려운 점 중의 하나는 배우고자 하는 의욕과 동기를 상실한 학습부진아를 수업에 참여시키는 것이다. 수학학습부진아는 평균 혹은 평균 이상의 능력을 가지고 있지만 교사의 노력에도 불구하고 수학 학습에 많은 어려움을 느낀 학생들이다. 이 학생들에 대한 수학학습지도 전략은 수학학습에 대한 동기를 부여하고 수학에서의 학업 성취도의 향상을 경험하게 하는 것이다. 본 연구는 수학학습 부진아들의 기초수학 학습지도 전략방안으로 거꾸로 교실 수업을 선택하고 이를 수학학습부진아 수업에 적용한 후 이 학생들의 수학에 대한 학업성취도와 수학적 성향에서의 변화를 분석함으로써 수학학습 부진아에 대한 거꾸로 교실 적용 가능성을 확인하고자 하였다. 연구의 결과, 첫째, 거꾸로 교실을 활용한 수학학습부진아의 기초수학 학습 지도 후 수학학업성취도에 긍정적인 유의미한 변화가 있음을 확인 할 수 있었다. 둘째, 거꾸로 교실을 활용한 수학학습부진아의 기초수학 학습 지도 후 수학에 대한 자신감, 융통성, 의지력, 호기심, 반성, 수학적 가치의식 등 수학적 성향에서도 유의미한 긍정적 변화가 있었다. 특히, 수학의 가치에 대한 생각과 수학문제 풀이에 대한 의지 부분에서 가장 두드러진 변화를 보였다.

Mathematics underachiever are average or above average in their intelligence but their actual achievement in mathematics did not coincide to their intellectual capabilities. The teaching strategy for them is to motivate them to try to study mathematics and to experience the improvement in their grade of mathematics. The purpose of this study is to examine how teaching underachievers in 10th grade using flipped classroom affects the scholastic achievement of students in mathematics and their mathematical effective domain, while providing both teachers and learners with useful information. Targets were compared before and after the flipped classroom for their the scholastic achievement and their mathematical effective domain. The results of this study indicate the following conclusions : First, when I taught basic math learning to underachievers using a flipped classroom, with commitment and practice power viewing video and cooperative learning for learner-centered, group members with active participation improved scholastic achievements and brought significant results. Second, the flipped classroom was led to positive effects in an affective domain. Results of the test in mathematical inclination has shown a positive impact in areas such as self-confidence, flexibility, will power, curiosity, reflection and mathematical value. In particular, it shows the most noticeable change, a commitment to math problem-solving and thinking about the value of mathematics. When seen through the results of this study, basic math tutoring in underachievers using flipped classrooms was proved to be as an effective way in improving students’ scholastic achievement and mathematical inclinations. Considering this research, we are looking forward to learning mathematics for underachievers who missed the opportunities of learning by providing them with basic mathematics teaching methods using flipped classroom in public school.

우리나라는 1990년대 기초학력 향상을 위한 다양한 정책 및 자료 개발을 수행해왔지만 여전히 기초학력 미달 학생을 구제하려는 노력이 요구되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 우리나라와 미국의 학습부진아 정책 및 수학학습부진아 관련 프로그램 운영 사례를 춘천시 교육청과 시애틀 교육청을 중심으로 비교 분석하고 그 교육적 시사점을 제시하였다. 이들 모두 수학학습부진아를 구제한다는 점에서 출발하지만, 구체적으로 운영하는 과정에서는 차이를 보였다. 본 연구는 이를 기초로 다음을 제안하였다. 첫째, 저소득층 급식, 낙인 효과 방지, 교사의 지도 시간 확보, 효과적인 재정 운영, 교사-강사 협조 등을 해결할 수 있는 방학 프로그램의 적극적인 활용, 둘째, 수학학습부진아들이 흥미를 갖고 탐구할 수 있고 교사들이 쉽게 활용할 수 있는 활동 중심의 상세한 교재의 필요성, 셋째, 자녀의 학습에 대한 관심을 유도하고 학부모와 교사 간 긴밀한 유대 관계 형성을 위한 구체적인 협력 방안, 넷째, 학습부진아 프로그램의 질적 향상을 위한 전문적인 평가 집단의 프로그램 분석.

Since the 1990s, Korea has been developing various policies and materials for the improvement of basic learning abilities. In this study, the cases of policies for underachievers in Korea and the US were compared and analyzed the programs for mathematics underachievers in elementary school with Chuncheon office of education and Seattle public schools. All of them started from the point of relief of underachievers, but they differed in the process of operating them specifically. This study suggests the followings. First, active utilization of vacation programs to solve problems such as low-income meal service, prevention of stigma effects, securing teacher's instruction time, teacher-instructor cooperation. Second, the necessity of detailed activity-centered textbooks that underachievers can explore with interest in mathematics learning and easy to use by teachers. Third, specific cooperation for inducing interest of their own children's learning and forming close ties between parents and teachers. Fourth, program analysis by a professional evaluation group to improve the quality of underachiever program.

It is necessary that at any rate we try to decrease underachievers by learning deficiency in mathematics to extreme limits under circumstances that mathematics becomes more requisite daily in the 21st century's informative society. However, the traditional teaching method causes a lot of problems in elevating the needed ability for the newly changing society. Accordingly, for the purpose of letting underachievers by learning deficiency have much interest in mathematics, seek the qualitative elevation, have the feelings of self-confidence and accomplishments, escape from desperation, and also teachers choose the activities of small groups, design teaching plans, apply those to teaching-learning activities and finally verify the effect, this researcher sets up a hypothesis as follows: 1. The teaching method through small groups will be effective for the accomplishments of underachievers in mathematics. 2. Its method will bring out the meaningful change in the emotional areas of mathematics. Therefore, so as to prove the above hypothesis, the results through the theoretical approach and practicing teaming by small groups have turned out to be positive.

본 연구는 초등수학 학습부진아들의 수학불안요인을 분석해봄으로써 이들의 수학불안요인 처치의 중요성을 인식하고 이에 대한 해결방안을 모색하는데 도움을 주기 위한 것이다. 이를 위해 본 연구에서는 부산광역시에 소재하고 있는 가, 나, 다 급지별로 2개 학교씩 6개 초등학교 4, 5, 6학년 수학학습부진아 308명을 대상으로, 이들이 느끼는 수학불안요인과 학년별, 성별 차이에서 비롯되는 불안요인을 분석하였다. 그 결과 첫째, 수학학습부진아들의 경우 수학불안요인에서 수학교과 요인, 학습자 태도 요인, 환경 요인, 교사 요인의 순으로 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 학년에 따른 수학불안에서는 4, 5학년에 비해 6학년의 수학불안이 모든 요인에서 높게 나타났다. 셋째, 성별에 따른 수학불안요인에서는 전반적으로 남학생보다 여학생의 수학불안이 높게 나타났다. 특히 수학의 추상성, 수학교육과정, 시간부족 요인은 남학생보다 여학생의 불안이 높게 나타났으나, 교사 권위 요인은 여학생보다 남학생이 높게 나타났다. 이처럼 초등수학 학습부진아들의 수학불안은 학년 및 성별에 따라 그 차이를 보이고 있으며, 일반초등학생들과 비교했을 때 학습부진아들이 느끼는 수학불안이 높다는 사실로부터 수학불안이 초등수학에서 학습부진의 원인 가운데 하나임을 확인할 수 있다.

This study is to recognize importance of casing anxiety on mathematics for underachievers and to examine a plan to solve a problem with anxiety, by analyzing factors which make underachievers anxious on the mathematics. First, we analyze factors which make mathematical underachievers anxious on the mathematics. Second, we compare and analyze a level of anxiety on the mathematics and factors which cause anxiety on the mathematics according to their grade and gender. This study's participants were 308 mathematical underachievers at 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, studying at six different elementary schools in three different areas. The results of factors which make mathematical underachievers anxious on the mathematics obtained from the survey are as follows. First, in the top-category factor, mathematical underachievers are influenced by following factors in order, which are a mathematic subject, learner's attitude, environment, and a teacher. Second, in the factor of making students anxious on the mathematics according tn their grade, although the mathematic anxiety of students at 6th grade is higher than students at 4th and 5th grade, in the anxiety differences between the different grades. Third, in the factors which make the students anxious on the mathematics according to their gender, female students show more anxiety than male students. In summary, an anxiety of the underachievers at the elementary schools are different in the top and sub-category factor, according to their grades and their gender. It is shown that the underachievers feel more anxiety compared to normal elementary schools, and therefore the anxiety on the mathematics is one of the causes of under-achievement of the mathematics.

본 연구에서는 중학교 3학년 수학학습부진아가 함수 분야에서 나타나는 어려움과 이에 대한 지도방안에 대해 알아보고자 하는 목적으로 좀 더 심층적인 학습 부진 요인을 알아보기 위해 설문지, 인터뷰, 녹음과 관찰 등을 통한 사례연구를 하였다. 그 결과 수학학습부진아는 일반 학생들이 겪고 있는 어려움과 유사한 어려움을 겪고 있었다. 다음으로 수학학습부진아는 일반 학생들이 겪고 있는 어려움과 차이를 보이는 어려움으로 문제를 이해하는 데 어려움, 선수 학습 결손으로 인한 어려움, 형식화하여 답을 찾으려고 하는 어려움, 대수 기호의 구분을 정확히 하지 못함으로써 겪는 어려움 그리고 두 점을 지나는 직선의 기울기를 구하는데 있어 어려움을 겪는 것으로 나타났다.

The purpose of this study is to know what is the difficulties that mathematics underachievers are suffering from the area of mathematical function and how to overcome this difficulties. For this study, we have selected two mathematics underachievers and carried out the inspection. The mathematics underachievers have undergone the difficulties of understanding mathematical problems, the difficulties from the deficit of prerequisite and basic learning, the difficulties of finding the answer typically and the difficulties of classifying an algebraic symbol, the difficulties of calculating the gradient of the straight line passing through two points.

The study investigated academic performance of underachievers in junior mathematics in Ibadan using motivational enhancement therapy and academic self-efficacy training in enhancing academic performance of junior secondary school students in Ibadan. To ascertain the degree of its effectiveness, a randomized sample of 90 junior secondary school students with 30 participants in each from three different junior schools in three different local government areas in Ibadan were chosen The quasi-experimental study employed a randomized sample that undertook training in motivational enhancement therapy and academic self-efficacy training compared with control group. Mathematics achievement tests prepared by National Examination Council (NECO) for 2017 and 2018 objective mathematics papers were used together with parental academic support Scale with reliability coefficient of 0.72. A pair of pre-test and post-test data was obtained from each participant who formed the basis of the findings using ANCOVA for data analyses. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at α = 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that there were significant differences in the treatment with motivational enhancement therapy being more significant in enhancing mathematics achievement among junior school students. Also, the results showed that gender and parental support have to do with enhancement of academic performance among junior secondary school students. It was therefore concluded that motivational enhancement therapy and academic self-efficacy training can be used to enhance junior mathematics academic performance of underachievers and recommendations are also offered.

본 연구는 수학 학습부진아들이 중학교 함수를 재학습하는 과정에서 나타나는 오류를 사례별로 분석하여 그 원인을 수학과 특성, 함수학습에서의 오류 유형 등과 결부시켜 논의를 하였다. 수학 학습부진아들은 일반적으로 학생들이 다 알고 있을 것으로 생각되는 가장 기본적인 내용에서 학습에 문제가 생길 수 있고, 주어진 문제에서 요구하는 풀이나 답이 무엇인지 정확하게 인식하지 못하여 자신에 옳다고 생각하는 부분까지만 풀거나 주어진 문제를 해석하는 데에 있어 자신이 생각하기 편리한대로 해석하여 문제를 해결하지 못하는 경우가 있다. 따라서 교사는 문제를 해결하는 과정에서 문제가 요구하는 것이 무엇인지 학생들에게 질문하고, 문제를 이해하고 계획을 세우는 단계에서 무엇을 구해야하는지 학생 스스로 알 수 있도록 돕고, 학생들이 이해할 수 있는 구체적인 상황이나 현실적인 문제에서 시작하여 그 내용을 이해시킨 후 특수한 예를 통해 일반화할 수 있도록 지도하는 방법 등 수학 학습 개선 방향을 제시할 수 있다.

The study aims to figure phenomena and changes that underachievers in mathematics show in the process of learning a function. It is necessary to remind basic concepts once again in advance at a time of teaching underachievers in mathematics to check what they have difficulties in learning for further teaching later on. Five participating students said that teachers' detailed explanation was more helpful, and they found it difficult to learn tables, graphs and formulas at first, but as time progressed, they naturally accepted them. In this regard, it is necessary to use various expressions and means to teach underachievers in mathematics.

일선 교육현장에서 학습부진아를 줄이기 위해 다양한 제도를 도입하고 있으나 수학교과부진 학생의 수는 좀처럼 줄어들지 않고 있다. 또한 수학학습부진학생으로 선정되고 나면 선행학습의 실패가 후속학습의 결손으로 이어져 학습된 무기력감 갖게 된다. 이에 본 연구에서는 자기교시훈련 프로그램을 수학학습부진 학생들에게 실시하여 가장 어려워하는 영역 중의 하나인 이분모분수의 가감산 문제해결능력과 자신감 향상의 변화를 알아보는데 목적을 두었다. 연구 대상 학생으로 초등학교 5학년에 재학 중이며, 사칙연산과 독해력은 갖추었으나 이분모분수의 가감산 문제해결에 어려움을 보이는 수학학습부진아 3명을 선정하였다. 자기교시훈련이 수학학습부진아의 이분모분수 가감산 문제해결능력에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위하여 대상자간 중다기초선 설계를 사용하였으며, 자신감의 변화 수준을 알아보기 위하여 사전 검사와 사후 검사를 실시하였다. 연구 결과에서는 자기교시훈련 프로그램에 참여한 수학학습부진아 세 아동은 이분모분수의 가감산 문제해결능력에 뚜렷한 향상을 보였다. 그리고 유지 검사에서도 그 효과는 지속되었다. 또한 자기교시훈련 프로그램 실시를 통해 대상 학생들의 자신감도 향상되었다.

This study was purposed to search the effect of self-instruction on problem solving for subtraction which is one of the difficult domain for students and self-efficacy for the underachievers in Math. As the participants of the study, three students were selected with leaning problems in Math. They are 5th grades elementary school students who get ready to four fundamental arithmetic operations and reading comprehension, but have problem at uncommon denominator fraction addition and subtraction ability. As for research design, multiple baseline across subjects design and pre-post test design were applied to investigate the improvements and compare the rating scores of self-efficacy. At a result of this study, three underachievers in Math. who participated to self-instruction program were found of certain improvement for uncommon denominator fraction addition and subtraction abilities. Also the effects of the program was maintained. The rating scores of self-efficacy were improved by the self-instruction program. Through the study, consideration of limitation and suggestion for further study are as follows. First, the participants of this study were only three underachievers in Math., so that is not enough for generalization. Second, it is required of the application to other Mathematics fields besides fraction field and to the students with other difficulties.

본 연구는 초등학교 4학년 시기 수학 학습부진을 경험한 학생들이 가정배경과 가정의 교육적 지원에 따라 이후 학업성취도에서 어떤 차이를 보이는지 분석하고자 했다. 일반적으로 학습부진은 학습장애의 결과 혹은 취약한 가정환경의 부정적 결과로 이해되고 있다. 그러나 수학 학습부진은 교과의 특성상 초등학교 고학년 시기에 교육과정이 심화됨에 따라 학습에 대한 부담이 가중되기 때문에 나타나는 경우가 많다. 이를 극복하는 데 있어서 가정의 사회경제적 자원을 기반으로 한 교육적 지원이 중요한 역할을 할 것으로 가정하고 이원확률효과 모형을 적용한 종단분석을 실시하였다. 서울교육종단연구 초4 패널의 1-6차년 자료를 활용하여 분석한 결과, 초등학교 4학년 시기에 학습부진을 경험한 학생 중 어머니가 초대졸 이상의 높은 교육수준을 가지고 있고 편모가정이 아닌 경우, 가정에서의 교육적 지원을 늘린 경우 학습부진을 극복하고 중학교 이후 평균 이상의 성취도를 보일 가능성이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 가정에서의 자녀학습지원은 어머니의 교육수준이 낮은 경우 그 효과가 반감되는 것으로 드러나 가정배경에 따라 학습부진 극복에 있어서의 교육적 지원 효과가 상이하게 나타날 수 있음이 밝혀졌다. 한편, 학습노력 및 수학수업태도와 교우관계가 수학 학습부진을 경험한 학생들이 학업성취도를 향상시키는 데 유의한 변인으로 드러났다. 이를 바탕으로 학습부진 학생에 대한 대책과 관련된 제언을 더하였다.

This study analyzed the effects of family educational support and family background on the change of achievement in mathematics from 5th grade to 9th grade among the students who were grouped into the underachievers at 4th grade. Even though underachievement has been considered the results mainly found among the group of disadvantaged families, poor performance in mathematics at 4th grade often occurs regardless of family background due to the rapidly rising difficulty in mathematics at that time. We assumed that family background and family educational support would become significant resources to overcome underachievement in mathematics. In the main analysis, a two-way random effect model was employed. Using the SELS (Seoul Education Longitudinal Survey), the result showed that high level of maternal education, two-parent family, and high amount of family educational support were significantly effective for improving math achievement during the period of analysis among students who underachievers at 4th grade. In addition, a high level of maternal education accelerated the effect of family educational support. Meanwhile, individual effort on math learning, in-class attitude, and peer relationship were significant in explaining the improvement of math achievement among underachievers. Particularly, since in-class attitude was more significant among the group of students whose mothers attained junior college degrees or less than the counterpart group of students, the finding showed the significance of the policy targeting underachievers with underprivileged family background.

The purpose of this study is to examine meaning, factors, and diagnostic method of underachievers in mathematics and to propose the idea of the individualized teaching method for underachievers. For the first purpose, previous literatures on underachievers are reviewed. For the second purpose, this study described the procedure of developing the individualized instructional program, and the method of diagnosing and prescribing errors in mathematics. In the future, individualized instructional program need to be developed based on correct diagnosis of factors effecting under achievement for the effective teaching of underachievers.

In this paper, we verified the effect and appropriateness of the scheme to cure the math. disliking disposition which is the cause of underachievement in learning. We choose 3 middle schools as the subject of experiment for this research. Each experiment class consists of 27∼30 students(underachievers) whose final test results of 1st school year in the middle school are 30∼60 points. In this case, we also select some middle level students whose test results are more than 60 points for the normal experimental condition. For this research, we developed the suitable test materials to cure the mathematics disliking disposition of underachievers. We applied those test materials to the experiment schools during 2.5 months and we analysed the variation of disliking disposition, the variation of math. dislike students' number and the cure rate of the math. disliking disposition. From the results of this experimental study, we find that the factors of teacher and math recognition environment have only the significant difference of math. disliking disposition between experiment class and comparison class under the 5% significance level in one middle school. We understand that this results caused by teachers' careful advice and guidance in that middle school. We also find that the number of student who dislike mathematics decreased in two middle schools. Furthermore 50% of math. disliking dispositions are cured for 9 disliking factors in the lower grade group(the group of underachievers) and as a whole, we can see that 50% of cure rate for the 7 factors of math. disliking in two middle schools. So we can understand that the experiment of our research was performed successfully in two middle schools. In this research, we find out that the scheme to cure the disliking dispositions for the factors of math. disliking depends on the factors of teacher who take charge of cure. So teachers must take interest in and must have careful concern to students and their math. disliking.

일지쓰기 활동은 수학적 내용을 글로 표현함으로써 수학적 능력 향상 및 즐거운 수학 학습을 가능하게 하고, 수학동화의 사용은 수학에 대한 흥미와 긍정적인 태도 형성에 도움이 되는 교수방법이라고 보고되어 왔다. 이에 본 연구는 수학동화를 이용한 일지쓰기 활동이 수학교과학습부진아의 수학성취도와 수학 학습태도에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해, 서울 소재 초등학교에 재학 중인 4학년 수학교과학습부진아 45명을 대상으로 21회기에 걸쳐 실험집단Ⅰ에게는 수학동화를 이용한 일지쓰기 활동, 실험집단Ⅱ에게는 일지쓰기 활동, 통제집단에게는 전통적 수학 교수활동을 실시하였다. 세 집단에게 사전․사후검사를 실시하여 공분산분석을 한 결과, 수학성취도는 실험집단Ⅰ이 통제집단보다 유의하게 향상되었고, 실험집단Ⅱ보다 크게 향상된 경향성을 보였으며, 전반적 수학 학습태도에서는 실험집단Ⅰ이 다른 두 집단보다 유의하게 향상된 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 교육현장에서 수학교과학습부진아의 수학 학습태도와 수학성취도를 향상시키고자 할 때, 수학동화를 이용한 일지쓰기 활동을 적용해 볼 수 있음을 시사한다.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the journal writing using the math fairy tales on the academic achievement and learning attitude in mathematics of elementary math underachievers. The subjects were 45 elementary math underachievers and were divided equally into three groups: the experimental group I with journal writing using the math fairy tales, the experimental group II with journal writing, and the control group with traditional math lessons. Through pre- and post-test, the data were analyzed by ANCOVA using the pre-test scores as covariates. As a result, the experimental group I appeared to improve significantly more than the control group on mathematical achievement and showed more positive tendency of improvement than the experimental group II. The experimental group I exhibited higher improvement than the other 2 groups on overall learning attitude in mathematics. These results imply that the journal writing using math fairy tales is more effective than the mere journal writing or traditional learning strategy.