A Comparative Study About Difficulty Of Primary Mathematics Textbooks In China And America

The content of "Graphics and Geometry" is the focus of research on mathematical textbooks nowadays. Difficulty study of this part is an important aspect of textbooks research. The ability of grasping the difficulty on textbooks is directly related to the student’s learning and teacher’s teaching. Therefore, to compare the difficulty of "Graphics and Geometry" in the elementary school mathematics is very necessary. In this study, Shi Ning-zhong’s curriculum difficulty models and Bao Jian-sheng’s mathematical problem difficulty model is used as the study of model which is used to compare three versions of elementary school mathematics textbooks’difficult in "Graphics and Geometry". In order to improve the written in our mathematical textbooks,we explore the advantage and disadvantage of writing about elementary mathematics textbooks in China or America.The author select Investigation (PSF edition textbooks, including SHM textbooks and teaching materials SAB) which is published by Pearson Scott Foresman, PEP and BNU Primary Mathematical textbooks for the study. We explore the different difficulty of "Graphics and Geometry" in three section versions of textbooks with studying on static text. And the following conclusions are obtained.(1)About the breadth of knowledge:US SHM textbooks’ knowledge of breadth is the largest, and BNU textbook take the second place, and PEP textbooks’knowledge of breadth is the least. SHM textbooks’knowledge is divided more detailed than Chinese textbooks. However, knowledge covering in SHM textbooks is narrower than Chinese textbooks. Three versions of the textbooks are focused on the intrinsic link between the different knowledge. But review and expansion of knowledge in different grades in SHM textbook is more obvious.(2) About the course of time and depth of knowledge:BNU textbooks’course time is the longest,and PEP textbook take the second place, and SHM textbooks is the least; and three version of the textbooks’depth of knowledge is different in different field, SHM textbooks’ depth of knowledge is the largest in the field of "Graphics recognition ", and BNU textbooks is the minimum; then again,PEP textbooks’ depth of knowledge about "Measurement" is the maximum, and SHM textbooks is the minimum.(3) The difficulty of the course content areas:SHM textbooks’ course content difficulty is far more than Chinese textbooks in "Graphics and Geometry".SHM textbooks emphasize the same knowledge’s study in different, and gradually deepen its understanding; PEP and BNU textbooks pay more attention to the writing of knowledge group. In the field of "Measurement", SHM textbook pay great attention to "relative measure", while the perimeter, area and volume formulas derivation and application are less involved. Chinese textbooks’attention about both side is opposite with American textbooks.(4) About exercise:US SAB textbooks’exercise amount is much more than Chinese textbooks.Beside, the difficulty value on computing and comprehensive knowledge in SAB textbooks is the lowest among three version of textbooks, and the difference is very obvious. In addition to, the difficulty value on background and comprehensive knowledge in three versions of textbooks are low, the difficulty value on recognition are high.Based on these findings above and the characteristics of each version, we recommend that Chinese primary school mathematics textbooks could detailed divide knowledge group, and increase reasonably the review part in writing, and increase appropriately the content of "relative measurement", as well as adding reasonably inquiry questions’ writtn.