Chapter 6: Development Of Children’S Mathematical Thinking In Early School Years

In the last decade or so, the teaching of mathematics has undergone major reform worldwide. A major catalyst for these reforms was the publication in the 1990s of results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS] (Garden, 1996, 1997; National Center for Educational Statistics, n.d.). International comparisons of mathematics achievement showed that students from many western countries performed poorly relative to those from Asia (i.e., Korea, Singapore, Japan, & Hong Kong). For example, Scotland, England, and New Zealand were substantially below the international average at Years 4 and 5 (Grades 3 and 4), and performance at Years 8 and 9 (Grades 7 and 8) was little better. The positioning of Australia, Canada and the United States at or below the international average was disappointing for those nations also.