Analyzed how computation is developed in three Japanese primary-grade textbook series by focusing on differences in presentation. Found that goals are similar but the methods and materials of presentation are very different, and that a much higher level of computational facility at the end of grade three is expected of Japanese students than of…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study Video Study of Teaching compared teacher development systems in the U.S., Japan, and Germany. Findings indicated that many American teachers believe they are changing the way they teach while they retain traditional practices. A research and development system was proposed for improving…

Presents conceptual analysis of U.S. and Japanese early education discourse, contrasting cultural assumptions and views of self that inform each context. Finds Japan holds progressive, child-centered but not developmentalist views that promote self in terms of cultural values; the United States emphasizes the individual child defined by…