A Comparison of Mathematics Classroom Instructional Quality Between China and the United States

• In Event: Worldwide Perspectives in Teaching Mathematics

Abstract

Increased interest in studying China’s education system due to their success on international assessments inevitably leads to questions about instructional differences in both countries. Analyzing videotapes of middle school math classrooms from five urban districts in China and four urban districts in the U.S., we use the Instructional Quality Assessment rubrics to compare shared aspects of both countries’ reform agenda. We find that while teachers in both countries select similarly-rigorous tasks, teachers in China implemented the tasks emphasizing conceptual understanding over procedural competency. Furthermore, during whole-class discussions, math teachers in China asked students to provide evidence or reasoning, and students in those classes did so, more frequently than in U.S. classes.

Authors

• Emily C. Kern, Vanderbilt University

• Erin Craig Henrick, Vanderbilt University

• Thomas M. Smith, University of California - Riverside

• Paul A. Cobb, Vanderbilt University

• Cao Yiming, Beijing Normal University