Running head: MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

Difference of Mathematical Learning Methods between

Chinese and American High School Students
Literature Review
Yifan Wei
Purdue University

Author Note
Yifan Wei, freshman, Department of Mathematics, Purdue University
The report was supported by Kyongsong Park
Correspondence of this article should be addressed to Yifan Wei, Department of
Mathematics, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Contact: wei164@purdue.edu

Difference of Mathematical Learning Methods between

Chinese and American High School Students
Literature Review

MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

Introduction
Nowadays, many Chinese high school students choose to study abroad in
America to finish theirs higher educations. When they study mathematics, these
international students from China find that American high school students
mathematical learning methods are different from Chinese high school students
mathematical learning methods. Some international students from China are not
convinced whether they should change their mathematical learning methods, while
other international students from China keep using the mathematical learning methods
which they develop in China. Mathematical learning methods are important because
they can help high school students in both China and America learn mathematics well.
So it is important to figure out the difference of mathematical learning methods
between Chinese and American high school students, and what cause the difference. I
read three published articles which illustrate the topic I chose. These three articles
develop three viewpoints respectively.
Literature Review
Andrew J. Fuligni and Harold W. Stevenson, who were from the University of
Michigan, conducted a survey titled Time Use and Mathematics Achievement among
American, Chinese, and Japanese High School Students. The data used in this article
were supported by National Science Foundation and National Science Council.
Through the data, it was obvious that Chinese high school students spent much more
time in school than American high school students with 50 hours and 36 hours a week
respectively (Fuligni and Stevenson P834). On the other hand, Chinese high school
student preferred to attend academic activities such as Olympic Mathematics instead
of socializing with their friends in their leisure time, while American high school
students loved to participate in sports activities such as basketball. These phenomena

MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

indicated that the time Chinese high school students spent on mathematics were more
than that of American high school students. When we asked students specifically
about mathematics, Chinese students reported spending significantly more time
studying mathematics than the Japanese and Americans., said by Fuligni and
Stevenson (1995). When comparing the score high school students got in the math
exams, Chinese high school students perform far better than American high school
students. Spending a lot of time on mathematics is one kind of learning methods
which can help high school students in both American and China perform well in
mathematical learning. It seemed that Chinese high school students were more willing
to apply this methods.
Beside discussing the time use of studying mathematics, Harold W. Stevenson
also released another article titled Motivation and Mathematics Achievement: A
Comparative Study of Asian -American, Caucasian -American, and East Asian High
School Students with Chuansheng Chen who came from University of California,
Irvine. In this article, Stevenson and Chen (1995) pointed out that the background and
culture difference extremely influenced childrens development of mathematical
learning methods. Confucian doctrine, which has had a pervasive influence in East
Asia, emphasizes the malleability of human behavior and the importance of effort as
the route to accomplishment., said by Stevenson and Chen (1995). Confucian
doctrine represented traditional Chinese values such as obeying their parents and
teachers. In China, children were taught to obey what parents and teachers said in
childrens early age. When children grew up and were admitted into high school, they
still held the belief that they should listen to their teachers. Because of this
phenomenon, most Chinese high school students gained mathematical learning
methods from their teachers. For example, if teachers asked students to do a lot of

MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

exercises, most Chinese high school students would finish them with few complaints.
However, American high school students had different backgrounds with Chinese
high school students. They were free to choose the mathematical learning methods
while studying mathematics.
Another two researchers, whose name were Jian Wang and Emily Lin, did not
agree with the viewpoints that Confucian doctrine extremely influenced Chinese high
school students mathematical learning methods. They pointed out what extremely
influenced Chinese high school students was Chinese high school students
expectation to the score that they got in the math exams. In China, if high school
students wanted to be admitted into good university, they must get high score in
college entrance examination (CEE). Mathematics score occupied big parts in the
total score of CEE. Teachers could teach students the mathematical learning methods
that could help students improve their scores in math exams. So students tended to
obey what their teachers said in order to perform well in math exams. Whats more,
the number of Chinese high school students who would attend CEE was tremendously
quantitative, which was about 7 million each year. By comparison, the number of
American high school students who attended Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) each
year was only 1.5 million. With the extremely academic pressure and competition,
Chinese high school students had no choice but listened to their teacher so that they
would not be exceeded by their peers. On the other hand, the high school teachers in
China put more emphases on teaching students the skills of finding answers of
mathematical problems and how to respond to mathematical exercises rapidly. So
Chinese high school students developed mathematical learning methods which could
help them figure out answers of mathematics exercises quickly instead of helping
them get deeper understanding of the mathematical knowledge that they learned

MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

(Wang and Lin P6-P7). In America, high school students and teachers did not focus
too much on the score that students got in the exams. Students could choose their
favorite way to learn mathematics. Though American high school students did not
perform better in mathematical exams than Chinese high school students, American
high school students got profound understanding of the mathematical knowledge that
they learned (Wang and Lin P8-10).
Conclusion
The view of Stevenson and Fuligni about mathematical learning methods
difference between Chinese and American high school students is that Chinese high
school students are willing to spend more time studying mathematics than American
high school students. Stevenson also holds another viewpoints that Confucian
doctrine extremely influenced Chinese high school students mathematical learning
methods with his partner Chen. That is, Chinese high school students prefer to listen
to their teachers while American high school students prefer to study by themselves.
Jian Wang and Emily Lin thought that Chinese high school students prefer to listen to
their teachers is true but it does not matter the Confucian doctrine. What influence
Chinese high school students mathematical learning methods are the Chinese high
school students high expectation to the score that they get in the math exams, and the
number of high school students who attend the CEE every year. These three articles
help me figure out the difference of mathematical learning methods between Chinese
and American high school students, and the reason that cause such difference.

MATHEMATICAL LEARNING METHODS

References
Chen, C., & Stevenson, H. W. (1995). Motivation and mathematics achievement: A
comparative study of AsianAmerican, CaucasianAmerican, and East Asian high
school students. Child Development, 66(4), 1215-1234
Fuligni, A. J., & Stevenson, H. W. (1995). Time use and mathematics achievement
among American, Chinese, and Japanese high school students. Child
Development, 66(3), 830-842
Wang, J., & Lin, E. (2005). Comparative studies on US and Chinese mathematics
learning and the implications for standards-based mathematics teaching reform.
Educational researcher, 34(5), 3-13