The effect of three forms of culture on mathematics achievement : country, ethnicity, and individual

Abstract

East Asian students have consistently outperformed their counterparts across the world, including those from Western countries, in mathematics achievement in international large-scale assessments. National culture has been suggested as a possible cause for their superior performance, but so far, insufficient quantitative research has been conducted to examine whether and how national culture influences mathematics achievement. Additionally, past studies have mainly investigated the effect of culture on mathematics education by comparing Eastern and Western countries, with few researchers studying the relationship in other cultural groups, like Africa, Latin American, etc. Moreover, in addition to national culture, there are many other forms of culture, such as ethnic and individual-espoused culture. While existing literature has confirmed the validity of these forms of cultural variations and the necessity of considering them in explaining social phenomena, it is surprising that their impact on mathematics education has rarely been investigated.

Therefore, the general aim of this study is to quantitatively investigate the effect of different forms of culture – country, ethnicity, and individual – on students’ mathematics achievement. Hofstede's cultural typology was employed to conceptualise culture as comprising five dimensions: individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity versus femininity, and long-term versus short-term orientation. The study consists of three sub-studies. Study 1 examined the effect of national culture on students' mathematics achievement. Results indicate that national culture explained considerable variance in national mathematics performance, and that long-term orientation had positive effects on mathematics achievement. Study 2 sought to validate a questionnaire assessing middle school students' individual-espoused cultural values. The results demonstrate both the reliability and validity of the scale, as well as its measurement invariance across ethnic groups. Study 3 examined the relationship between individual-espoused cultural values and mathematics achievement, and compared the cross-ethnic differences between Chinese Han and Hmong students. The results show that uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and long-term orientation had no influence on students’ mathematics achievement in either ethnic group; power distance negatively predicted mathematics achievement in both groups; and individualism had a positive association with mathematics achievement among Chinese Hmong students, but no influence on Chinese Han students' achievement. More interestingly, the positive correlation between individualism and mathematics achievement in the Hmong group could be explained by students’ intrinsic value in mathematics.

In summary, this study demonstrates the importance of examining the effects of different forms (e.g., nationality, ethnicity, and individual) of cultural values on mathematics achievement. A framework describing the interplay between culture and mathematics education is proposed to advance future explorations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, along with the limitations of and future directions for the research.