Strength in Numbers: Learning Maths in Japan and England

Raising mathematical achievement among school-children in England is high on the political agenda. Large-scale international studies of mathematical achievement have established that Japanese school-children consistently outperform their English counterparts, and this is now apparent among children as young as 8Ð9 years old. This book examines at what precise age these differences first begin to emerge, and contrasts the ways in which mathematical knowledge is developed in the early years of schooling in England and Japan. The effect of pre-schooling experience on children's development in the first years of school is also considered Ways to improve children's understanding of number structure through a consistent approach to developing both conceptual understanding and procedural competence are identified and discussed.

(£12.99 + postage, paperback, NIESR, ISBN 0 9526213 6 3)

Available from the <a href="mailto:pubs@niesr.ac.uk">NIESR Publications Office</a>