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Guided by Shulman, 1986 and Shulman, 1987 tripartate model of teacher expertise [subject matter knowledge (SMK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and general pedagogical knowledge (GPK)], the present study examined 162 U.S. and Chinese 3rd grade mathematics teachers' expertise in teaching fractions. Results show that U.S. teachers lag significantly behind Chinese teachers in SMK (concepts, computations, and word problems) and in some areas of PCK (e.g., such as identifying important points of teaching the fraction concepts and how to ensure students' understanding). Although the Chinese teachers performed poorly in comparison to their U.S. counterparts on a test designed to measure GPK (e.g., psychological and educational theories and applications), its poor reliability calls these results into question. The implications of this study are discussed in terms of practical ideas for teacher training in the U.S. and China. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

A diagnostic model for large-scale assessment was applied to TIMSS data to compare mathematics performance of eighth graders from three countries--the US, Singapore, and Israel. Compared were attribute mastery probabilities for content, skills and cognitive processes underlying students' performance on the 1999 TIMSS-R mathematics test. Also compared were the proportions of students from the three samples in each of eight hierarchically ordered clusters of knowledge states. The results indicated significant differences in favour of the Singaporean sample on most attributes underlying the test. The results were discussed in light of the cultural context of education in the respective countries.

Asian Americans are commonly perceived as the diligent and high-achieving “model minority.” This positive stereotype has negative consequences for this ethnic minority group because it trivializes their social and mental health problems. This image of success has made many overlook the true nature of the struggles many Asian American families have to face in the United States. Scientific literature suggests that Asian American children experience major adjustment problems in school including loneliness, isolation, withdrawal, rejection, anxiety, low self-esteem, and interpersonal distress. Cultural barriers exist between the Asian and the dominant society and influence Asian Americans' cognitive appraisal and coping choices when personal and emotional problems arise. These barriers also prevent clinicians from identifying and subsequently providing effective mental health services for Asian American children and their families. In this article, the authors examine the Asian cultural conceptions of mental health and various cultural barriers in an attempt to promote cultural understanding and competence among clinicians working with Asian American children and their families. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research directions are provided. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]