The Article
Researcher Leland Cogan and University Distinguished Professor William Schmidt draw on curriculum data from teachers, textbooks, and curriculum standards collected in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to document cultural differences in what mathematics students study in eighth grade.

Findings
Cogan and Schmidt explore the cultural differences represented by the three expressions of curriculum instantiations: the intended curriculum, which is found in official content standards; the potentially implemented curriculum, which is represented by textbooks; and the implemented curriculum, which is measured by teachers' reports of the amount of time they taught specific topics. Cogan and Schmidt analyzed TIMSS data on eighth-grade mathematics from 36 countries. The analysis of the data led them to two conclusions. The first is that it is quite clear that there are different definitions for what is studied by eighth-grade students. In fact, the researchers point out that the mathematics that students study in one country can look quite different from what students in another country study. For example, the researchers found that the number of mathematics topics included in eighth-grade curricula ranged from a few more than 10 (Japan, the Russian Federation) to 44 (Iran, USA). “The differences in what constitutes eighth-grade mathematics are quite likely not inconsequential – not only for how students might perform on any given assessment but for their future learning as well.” The second conclusion is that even though countries may strive to have alignment across the three curricular expressions of curriculum, there remains some variation in the definition of what constitutes eighth-grade mathematics within any one country. The various patterns of alignment observed in different countries are evidence of the different policy levers in place in each country. For the researchers, this finding “accentuates the folly of adopting in a wholesale fashion the curricular patterns observed in an alien culture. Clearly we can learn from other cultures, but these lessons must be thoughtfully analyzed and creatively translated into our own unique cultural context for education. Failure to recognize the cultural nature of schooling and measures of it precludes useful insights and conclusions being developed for improving educational policies and practice.”

What It Means To You
Have you considered how other countries approach mathematics teaching and learning? Are there approaches that might be helpful in helping students in your district learn the subject matter? How thoughtful have parents, educators, administrators and public policy officials been in considering the many different cultural approaches to school mathematics?

For More Information
Cogan, L.S. & Schmidt, W.H. (2002). “Culture shock: Eighth-grade mathematics from an international perspective.” Educational Research and Evaluation, (8)1, 13-39.

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