Preface.- Chapter 1 Introduction: Chinese Students Outperform in Mathematics.- Chapter 2 Review of the Literature: Factors contributing to Achievement Gap.- Chapter 3 Research Methodology: Exploring Research Questions.- Chapter 4 Document Analysis of Australian Mathematics Curricula and Assessment.- Chapter 5 Document Analysis of Chinese Mathematics Curricula and Assessment.- Chapter 6 A Comparison of Australian and Chinese Mathematics Curricula and Assessment.- Chapter 7 Case Study of Sydney Primary School A1, Australia.- Chapter 8 Case Study of Sydney Primary School A2, Australia.- Chapter 9 A Case Study of a Guangzhou Primary School, China.- Chapter 10 Conclusions and Implications: Improve Students' Achievement in Mathematics.
Dr Dacheng Zhao is the Director of Sino-Aussie Unique Collaborative Centre for Educational Studies and Services (SUCCESS), and the Director and Editor-in-Chief of Aussie-Sino Studies. He is also a PhD supervisor at University of Western Sydney and the Principal of Hua Xia Chinese Language and Culture School (Penrith). He has published four single authored books (in Chinese) and more than one hundred research papers in the areas of mathematics education, assessment and curriculum, international and comparative education, and teacher education, etc. His work arms at building a Bridge of Understanding and Collaboration (based on sharing knowledge) between the East and the West in generally, between Australia and China in particularly.
This book shares insights into the achievement gap in mathematics between East Asian and Western countries, and the ways to improve students’ mathematics achievements. Especially, it highlights the importance to integrate case studies with large-scale international comparative studies in general, and comparative studies of mathematics education in particular. This book is a must-read for mathematics teachers, mathematics educators, educational researchers, education administrators, curriculum developers, assessment designers, and student teachers who are interested in mathematics education and how to improve students’ mathematics achievements.