Toward Understanding the Influence of Curriculum Resources on Students’ Mathematics Learning: Cross-National Perspectives on What Matters Where, When, and for Whom

Abstract

Over several decades, international surveys of students’ mathematics achievement, such as TIMSS and PISA, have reported the generally superior performance of students in East Asian locales. Each of the chapters in this section of the book makes a contribution to the growing evidence base regarding mathematics education in East Asia. They do this either by examining selected aspects of mathematics curriculum in East Asian locales or by investigating characteristics of students and teachers in these countries that interact with curriculum as it is implemented in classrooms. Collectively they add nuance to our understanding of the superior performance of East Asian students on international assessments even as they challenge us to resist overly simplistic characterizations and overgeneralized attributions that may not apply in all East Asian settings.