A Study On The History Of Mathematics Textbooks In The Modern And Contemporary China

As the main carrier of mathematics curriculum, mathematics textbooks are the main way to carry out mathematics education. The mathematics textbooks in different periods reflect to some degree the development situation of those periods. Mathematics textbooks reflect not only ideas about mathematics education but also the situation of the society development and the change of people. Especially, the reform of mathematics textbooks is the core of the reform of mathematics curriculum as well as one of the focus points of mathematics education development.Our country has spent more than one hundred years in compiling mathematics textbooks of both primary schools and high schools. It has accumulated abundant experience and has also experienced some failure. Inheriting the excellent tradition and learning from the advanced experience is necessary for compiling textbooks. Therefore, it is an important subject to study the history of the development of textbooks. Our country has developed many new textbooks now. How about them? Is there still anything to be improved? How can we compile excellent textbooks? All of these are concerned.Based on the study of theory and evidence, the paper manages to show the development history of the late modern time mathematics textbooks by literature retrieval way and text analytic method. The paper focuses on making up the mathematics textbooks published in the late modern times and analyzing some typical mathematics textbooks.The paper consists of five parts. Part One: textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty. According to the clue of the change of mathematics education system in the late Qing Dynasty, the paper shows mathematics textbooks in the period of Tongwenguan and at the beginning of the late Qing Dynasty. Part Two: mathematics textbooks in the period of the Republic of China. During the period of the Republic of China, mathematics education system changed a lot. At the same time, mathematics textbooks changed a lot, too. By analyzing bibliographies and contents in the used textbooks, the paper demonstrates the changing course of mathematics textbook contents and the effect caused by exterior factors.Part Three: textbooks in modern times. Since the People's Republic of China was founded, Chinese mathematics education has experienced different development phases such as the learning from Soviet Union period, Culture Revolution period, reform and open period and so on. By illustrating mathematics textbooks in different periods, the paper shows the modern development course of the mathematics education.Part Four: mathematics educators and mathematics textbooks in the late modern times. By introducing the work on mathematics textbooks done by Fu Zhongsun, Hu Dunfu, Wu Zaiyuan, Yu Ziyi, Zhong Shanji and so on, the paper demonstrates the contribution in mathematics textbook development made by the mathematics educators.Part Five: discussion of textbook reform from the development history of mathematics textbooks. By comparing and analyzing high school mathematics textbooks published by Beijing Normal University Press and People's Education Press, the author finds out the deficiency and puts forward some suggestions and thought according to the author's own work practice.