A cross-national comparison of curricula in China and the US in terms of cognitive complexity: The case of one dimensional equation

Volume 7, Issue 2, April 2022     |     PP. 55-71      |     PDF (434 K)    |     Pub. Date: May 8, 2022
DOI: 10.54647/education88340    100 Downloads     5307 Views  

Author(s)

Yihan Ye, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China
Yiqian Jiang, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China
Shiqian Zhu, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China
Xiaole Qian, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China
Suijun Jia, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China
Lixia Ye, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China

Abstract
The holistic level of conceptual understanding and teaching have been an issue of national concern in China. To describe the results of years of improvement in Chinese textbooks, this research examined the California textbook named Algebra1(A1) and Chinese textbooks of people’s edition(C1) and Zhejiang edition(C2). This study refers to Webb’s depth of knowledge framework and Son and Senk’s cognitive expectation feature, which is used to examine the level and kind of problems presented in the three textbooks. Referring to the breadth of cognitive complexity, C1 and C2 focus more on the cultivation of students’ way of thinking and logic, and A1 prefers letting students to perform an algorithm. Besides, referring to the depth of cognitive complexity, A1 is more challenging than C2, but less challenging than C1. Finally, we discuss the inspiration of these results for teachers, students, related researchers and material developers.

Keywords
Textbook analysis; One dimensional equation; Comparative study; Cognitive demands; Problems

Cite this paper
Yihan Ye, Yiqian Jiang, Shiqian Zhu, Xiaole Qian, Suijun Jia, Lixia Ye, A cross-national comparison of curricula in China and the US in terms of cognitive complexity: The case of one dimensional equation , SCIREA Journal of Education. Volume 7, Issue 2, April 2022 | PP. 55-71. 10.54647/education88340

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