This study examined Canadian and Chinese first, fourth, and seventh graders to determine sex-related, culture-related, and age-related differences in writing topics. Children were asked to pretend they were animals and write stories about the animals' adventures. Both countries showed gender and age differences in choice of animals which reflected…

Compares the cognitive representation of number of 24 American, 25 Chinese, 24 Japanese, and 40 Korean first-graders, and 20 Korean kindergartners. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean children preferred to use a construction of tens and ones to show numbers, whereas English-speaking children preferred to use a collection of units. (RJC)

This study examined content and conventions of stories made up by 6- and 7-year-olds from China, Hungary, and Sweden. Analyses revealed qualitative differences in children's life worlds, which could be related to their cultural backgrounds. The study also explored the origin of characters in the stories, characteristic plot events, and cultural…

Reports that teaching elementary mathematics requires a much deeper mathematical knowledge than most experts have believed and that teachers must receive the training, textbooks, time, and support needed to develop this knowledge. Notes that U.S. mathematics teachers' knowledge is not nearly as robust as that of Chinese mathematics teachers, and…

In a special interview, Vice Director Zhu Muju of the Basic Education Department of the Ministry of Education in China, talks of environmental education. In this interview, the director discusses: (1) how environmental education classes are offered in elementary and middle school; (2) environmental education teaching materials should be designed…

This article presents the historical review of environmental education in China. As China's economy began to grow, environmental pollution and ecological destruction initially appeared locally in the early 1980s. These local environmental issues were primarily managed and controlled by state and local environmental protection agencies. In…

Teacher education in China has entered an important period of transformation which requires institutional innovation and systematic construction. Teacher education institutions should be gradually reshaped to meet the needs of elementary and secondary schools that are run on an autonomous basis. A system of teaching qualification certification and…

This document is 7th in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series. The mathematical performance of (n=250) U.S. 6th-grade students from both private and public schools and (n=425) Chinese 6th-graders from both key and common schools was examined on multiple-choice tasks assessing computation and simple problem solving, and…

A recent study (Liu, 2005a, 2005b) revealed a limited number of alternative models of the universe held by young students in Taiwan and in Germany. In line with the previous findings, these alternative models frequently fall into two groups: earth-centred and sun-centred views, which draw a correspondence to the ideas in the European history of…

This paper examines the characteristics and status of China's primary school teachers and their ability, as members of the intelligentsia, to exert political influence in the formation of educational policy. It is concluded that, in periods when educational policy is of high concern, these teachers have little influence. (SJL)

Demonstrates that East Asian children (EAC) do engage in some forms of self-enhancing illusions. Responses from 4,000 elementary school students reveal EACs see themselves as possessing more positive attributes than others. Variations in self-enhancing illusions were found for age, gender, and region of residence. Results are discussed in terms of…

Cultural differences in the amount of time spent on homework and in beliefs and attitudes about homework were investigated through interviews with elementary school students, their mothers, and their teachers in China, Japan, and the United States. (PCB)

Discusses Chinese early childhood educators' responses to a conference presentation by an American practitioner, noting how Chinese educators' questions revealed an interest in sharing information and developing communication between the two countries. (JPB)

This article examines discourses of cultural knowledge and ideology in Chinese language textbooks currently used for primary school students nationwide in China. Within the framework of critical curriculum theory and using critical discourse analysis, this article critically investigates how discourses of cultural knowledge are constructed and…

This book is part of an international series developed as a collaboration among the author, the illustrator, an advisory group of elementary school teachers and an aademic specialist on the subject. This volume provides in brief and simple terms some facts about the geography, history, and daily life of China. Some of the questions this book seeks…