What Matters? Research Trends in International Comparative Studies in Mathematics Education

This book provides a unique international comparative perspective on diverse issues and practices in mathematics education between and among the US and five high-performing TIMSS education systems, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The book offers multiple perspectives on the important factors that contribute to mathematics teaching and learning in different educational systems and cultural contexts. Using large scale data generated by numerous international comparative studies, the book analyzes and provides context for various methodological perspectives.

The book raises compelling questions and issues for mathematics education researchers, leading to a critical examination of what can be learned from other education systems. Authors address four major research perspectives by critically examining cross-national similarities and differences, such as research on the influence of curriculum on student learning; research on institutional systems of math ematics teacher education; research on improving teacher knowledge and pedagogical approaches; and research using large-scale data. This collection of perspectives serves as a foundation for reviewing and analyzing the international comparative studies introduced in the book.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

What can we learn from textbook analysis?.- The characteristics of Chinese textbooks from the perspective of international comparative studies.- Intended treatment of fractions and fraction operations in mathematics curriculum from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.- A comparative study on the difficulty level of mathematics textbooks in junior high school.- Discursive approaches to teaching and learning mathematics in Korea and the U.S..- Uncovering the label "Asian" in international comparative studies in mathematics.- Commentary.- Knowledge expectations in South Korean and U.S. mathematics teacher preparation programs.- Secondary mathematics teacher preparation in China, Taipei, Singapore and the United States.- A comparative study on pre-service teacher training for secondary school mathematics in Japan and Korea.- Using TEDS-M data to build models for future secondary mathematics teachers' readiness to teach.- Commentary.- Cross cultural lesson planning and narrowing the teaching gap between the U.S. and Korea.- Enriching the ecosystem of educational cultures to enhance teacher preparation programs.- Adapting a Japanese model of student teaching to address the documented teaching gap between Japanese and US teachers.- Self-beliefs, academic behaviors and mathematics achievement: US vs. East Asian students.- Patterns of eighth grade students' mathematical cognitive abilities.- What do TIMSS studies show about math achievement inequality.- Teachers' values alignment strategies: a comparative study across Australia, Singapore, Sweden and the UK.- Examining the effect of teacher feedback over professional development on math instruction in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the USA.- Final Commentary.