Brief Report: Solution Processes and Interpretations of Solutions in Solving a Division-with-Remainder Story Problem: Do Chinese and U. S. Students Have Similar Difficulties?

Abstract

During the past several decades, there has been considerable attention to crossnational comparisons of mathematics achievement. A number of studies have examined the performance in various mathematical topic areas by students from different countries (e.g., Lapointe, Mead, & Askew, 1992; Robitaille & Garden, 1989; Stevenson et al., 1990; Stigler, Lee, & Stevenson, 1987). In general, when crossnational studies in mathematics have included samples of Chinese and U.S. students, the findings have been that Chinese students perform mathematical tasks at much higher levels of proficiency than U.S. students (e.g., Lapointe et al., 1992; Stevenson et al., 1990).