In Search of an East Asian Identity in Mathematics Education

East Asian students have consistently outperformed their counterparts in Western countries in recent international studies of mathematics achievement. However, these countries do not seem to have an established theory of mathematics education, and their teaching has been criticized as traditional and old fashioned. In search of an East Asian identity in mathematics education, this paper discusses the features of the East Asian mathematics education and their underlying values in contrast to features and values in the West. These are presented in terms of six dichotomies,namely, product versus process; rote learning versus meaningful learning;studying hard versus pleasurable learning;extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations;whole class teaching versus individualized learning; and competence of teachers:subject matter versus pedagogy. It is argued that these features are based on deep-rooted cultural values and paradigms. A characterization of these features and an analysis of the underlying values are essential in this search for an East Asian identity in mathematics education. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A study of the relationship between child abuse and drug addiction in 178 patients: Preliminary results

Social histories and demographic data were collected on 178 patients—101 in the United States and 77 in Australia—in treatment for drug/alcohol addiction. The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which a correlation exists between child abuse/neglect and the later onset of drug/alcohol addiction patterns in the abuse victims. The questionnaire explored such issues as family intactness. parental violence/abuse/neglect, parental drug abuse, sibling relationships and personal physical/ sexual abuse histories, including incest and rape. The study determined that 84% of the sample reported a history of child abuse/neglect.     

Counseling Children in Crisis Based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs

This article addresses how Maslow's hierarchy of basic human needs can be used as a framework for cross-cultural counseling with children in crisis; that is, children of the world who are unable to fulfill adequately their basic human needs because of extreme circumstances such as natural disaster, violence, various forms of child abuse, extreme poverty, lack of school and community resources, and emotional abandonment. Assessment of child needs is discussed and counseling strategies are presented; strategies that include supportive counseling techniques, crisis intervention techniques, program development, delivery of social services and resources, referral to helping agencies, and counselor consultation with parents and other significant adults in the lives of children.     

A Useful Example when Teaching Hypothesis Testing

This article describes an example which is useful when teaching hypothesis testing in order to highlight the interrelationships that exist among the level of significance, the sample size and the statistical power of a test. The example also allows students to see how what they learn in the classroom directly affects the content of some of the commercials that they watch on television.     

Scientific practice and the tradition of advocacy in special education

The purpose of this discussion is to describe and contrast several tenets of scientific behavior and practice with the behaviors and practices associated with advocacy. We argue that scientists must focus their efforts on solvable problems, consider their efforts to be uncertain, and present their findings dispassionately, so that others might judge the evidence for themselves. Advocates, in contrast, must confront the problems facing the people for whom they have concern over whether the problems appear to be solvable or not. Furthermore, advocacy requires a certainty of conviction that leads to the promotion of particular positions and their adoption by others. We suggest that although special education's roots are more closely aligned with advocacy than with science, its future depends on its ability to adopt a more fully scientific approach to practice. We conclude with a discussion of how the assignment of test accommodations to students with disabilities illustrates the tension between science and advocacy.     

Mathematics achievement of Mainland immigrant students in Hong Kong

One of the main features of globalization is the increasing mobility of population. As an immigrant society, Hong Kong has witnessed waves of Mainland Chinese arrivals and assimilation into her mainstream, particularly around the change of sovereignty period. School-aged children constitute a substantial fraction of the new population. Given their potential impact on Hong Kong's present and future, how these immigrant youngsters perform in school has always been a concern to the public as well as the government. This study compared Hong Kong 8th-graders' mathematics performance in the four rounds of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study by their immigrant status. The results showed that the first-generation immigrant students' performance had obvious retrogression compared to native students in the past years. Among the natives, non-local-born students with only their father born in Hong Kong had the most similar performance as the first-generation immigrants. The causes for the differences are explored from both internal and external perspectives.     

Relationship between language proficiency and growth during reading interventions

Many English language learners (ELLs) experience difficulties with basic English reading due in part to low language proficiency. The authors examined the relationship between English language proficiency and growth during reading interventions for ELLs. A total of 201 second- and third-grade students with a variety of home languages participated. The students were identified as needing a targeted intervention, because scores on the fall oral reading fluency screening measure fell below the benchmark criterion. Thus, all participating students received reading interventions approximately four times each week throughout the school year. Results indicated that those students identified in the lowest English proficiency stage on the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) made the highest growth as indicated in the spring benchmark assessment, and the ACCESS score added negligible variance beyond baseline reading skills. Implications for practice and research are discussed.