Early Mathematics Learning and Teaching in Chinese Preschools: A Content Analysis of Teaching Reference Books for Preschool Teachers

Jin Sun,Han Qin,Alfredo Bautista,Qiaoping Zhang,Kerry Lee

doi:10.3390/math10010010

Jin Sun, Han Qin + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/math10010010

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Abstract

Since the 1980s, Chinese children have consistently been found to perform well in mathematics in cross-national studies of academic achievement. This study is one of the first to systematically examine Chinese children’s early mathematics learning experiences through a content analysis of eight sets of preschool teacher’s teaching reference books that are commonly used in China. A total of 2038 mathematics activities were selected from these classic teaching reference books and analyzed in terms of (i) suggested teaching approaches, (ii) the mathematical concepts covered, and (iii) their integration of a problem-solving component. The results showed that early mathematics teaching in Chinese preschools emphasize the mastery of key mathematical concepts and skills, while less attention is paid to the application of these key concepts in real-life and non-routine problem-solving settings. Collective teaching was found to be the major teaching mode for early mathematics activities in Chinese preschools, with teachers playing a leading role in the collective teaching activities described in the reference books. However, the teacher’s role is not described in detail in the learning corner activities, and few activities were found to integrate a problem-solving component. The implications of these findings for early mathematics education and the need for a more comprehensive review of mathematics education from the pre-primary to secondary stages are discussed.

Highlights

Published: 21 December 2021Mathematics is one of the most important components of children’s education and is of great importance in early learning and development [1]
The current study examined the content covered in early mathematics education and its suggested delivery in Chinese preschools through a content analysis of eight commonly used sets of preschool teaching reference books
To ensure that the results of the current content analysis were able to offer an in-depth understanding of the three aspects of early mathematics teaching in Chinese preschools, we developed a systematic coding framework using the suggested learning activities as the unit of analysis

Summary

Introduction

Published: 21 December 2021Mathematics is one of the most important components of children’s education and is of great importance in early learning and development [1]. When examining the findings of these international comparative studies more closely, it becomes clear that Chinese students’ outstanding mathematics performance primarily occurs in the subject-related mathematics test, which focuses on the mastery of key mathematical concepts and skills, such as number, shape, and measurement, and their applications. Their performance at problem solving, which places less emphasis on subject knowledge and more on identifying problem-solving scenarios, selecting relevant mathematics knowledge from knowledge reserves, and applying such knowledge to solve the problem identified, is less outstanding than their performance in the subject-related.

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