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Cai, Jinfa – Mathematics Education Research Journal, 1998
Explores the mathematical problem posing and problem solving of U.S. (N=181) and Chinese (N=223) sixth-grade students. Reports that while Chinese students outperform U.S. students on computational tasks, there are many similarities and differences between U.S. and Chinese students in performing relatively novel tasks. Discusses the direct link…
Descriptors: Computation, Cross Cultural Studies, Foreign Countries, Grade 6
Cai, Jinfa – 1995
Open-ended tasks were used to examine gender differences in complex mathematical problem solving. The results of this study suggest that, overall, males perform better than females, but the gender differences vary from task to task. A qualitative analysis of student responses to those tasks with gender differences showed that male and female…
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Elementary School Students, Grade 6, Intermediate Grades
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Cai, Jinfa – Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 1995
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…
Descriptors: Elementary Education, Elementary School Students, Foreign Countries, Grade 6
Cai, Jinfa – Phi Delta Kappan, 2001
Suggests ways researchers can use international comparisons to improve student learning, using math performance of U.S. and Chinese sixth-graders on four types of tasks. Chinese students did better on computation; U.S. students excelled at process (open performance) assessment tasks. U.S. kids need to develop symbolic and algebraic thinking. (MLH)
Descriptors: Algebra, Comparative Education, Cross Cultural Studies, Cultural Differences
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Cai, Jinfa; Silver, Edward A. – Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 1995
Only 25% of fifth- and sixth-grade Chinese students (n=186) correctly solved a division-with-remainder computation task, about the same success rate as with American students, and only one-sixth of the students could interpret the result. (MKR)
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Cross Cultural Studies, Division, Elementary School Students
Cai, Jinfa – 1997
Cross-national studies in mathematics have consistently reported that U.S. students do not perform as well as Asian students on tasks requiring the application of mathematical knowledge and skills routinely learned in school. Recent studies have shown, however, that for tasks assessing relatively novel and complex problem solving, performance…
Descriptors: Comparative Education, Computation, Elementary School Mathematics, Foreign Countries
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Cai, Jinfa – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1997
The contributions of open-ended tasks in examining students' mathematical performance were studied with 250 U.S. and 425 Chinese sixth graders. Open-ended tasks allow for analysis of student performance that cannot be assessed solely by percent correct or incorrect, but they pose many problems, such as those of translation. (SLD)
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Computation, Cross Cultural Studies, Elementary School Students
Cai, Jinfa; Moyer, John C. – 1995
This study used an open-ended problem-solving approach to teaching and assessing middle school students' understanding of the concept of arithmetic average. Three main results of this study show evidence of positive instructional impact on students' understanding of the concept of average: (1) the number of students who gave correct answers…
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Concept Formation, Grade 6, Grade 7
Cai, Jinfa; Moyer, John C.; Grochowski, Nancy J. – 1997
Two studies are reported that explore the effectiveness of instruction in promoting students' conceptual understanding of the average concept using a leveling model and an open-ended problem-solving approach. One teacher and her 46 sixth-grade students participated in the first study. One year later, the second study was conducted with the same…
Descriptors: Algorithms, College School Cooperation, Comprehension, Concept Formation