A Comparative Study of the Mathematics Textbooks of China, England, Japan, Korea, and the United States

Abstract

As the textbook is the medium that articulates what should be taught in the curriculum, a study of the mathematics textbooks will reveal critical characteristics of both the intended and the implemented curricula in different countries, which may in turn reflect important differences between the cultural values in these countries. As shown above, differences in various aspects of the textbooks in East Asia and the West reflect dissimilar social and cultural values. As the textbook is a powerful means through which students acquire both knowledge and values, these textbook differences may in turn reinforce the underlying cultural differences. The discussions above also show that each of the Eastern and Western approaches has its own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, textbooks in the West may help students realize how useful mathematics can be in their lives, but if the link between a mathematical concept and the corresponding real life situation is not made clear, sometimes students may not be able to completely grasp the mathematical concept. By contrast, the East Asian textbooks may succeed in conveying ideas in an economical way, but they often fail to motivate students to learn. Therefore it is important to take a critical view of each approach. It is through a critical understanding of the differences between different cultures that we are able to learn from each other and to put the results of such comparative studies to better use in the future. © 2006, Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.