While test anxiety has been studied extensively, little consideration has been given to the cultural impacts of children’s experiences and expressions of test anxiety. The aim of this work was to examine whether variance in test anxiety scores can be predicted based on gender and cultural setting. Three hundred and ninety-eight pupils in Grade 3 in China, Finland, and Sweden, each of which has different testing realities, completed the Children’s Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) results indicated that the Chinese sample scored more highly on the autonomic reactions component, whereas the Nordic sample scored higher on the off-task behaviors component. Significant interaction effects between gender and culture were also observed: The Nordic girls exhibited higher levels of autonomic reactions, but the opposite was seen in the Chinese sample, with boys reporting higher levels of the cognitive component. The conceptualization of test anxiety encompassing the off-task behaviors component does not appear to be universal for children. It is also suggested that gender differences vary as a function of culture. © 2015, Copyright © International School Psychology Association.

Mathematical tasks in tests are central to students’ learning.Research shows that there is a significant gap between mathematical tasks in national tests and teacher-made tests.In this pilot study we examineeighteenSwedish and Chinese teachers’ viewsonwhat constitutes of a good mathematicaltesttaskat thelowersecondary school level. E-Mail Interviewing is conducted by presenting sevenmathematical tasks from national tests inSweden and China, respectively. The preliminary results show that Swedish and Chinese teachers hold some common viewsonthecharacteristics of good mathematical test tasks, but they also show different viewson the cognitively demanding tasks. Implications of the results and the methodology informed by the pilot study are discussed.

Students’ different learning performance on mathematical problem solving across contexts has attracted a number of researchers’ interest. The study investigates the spatial orientation ability of primary school students in an outdoor situation, where six pairs of grade six students are asked to coordinate themselves physically in terms of given distances with respect to two given points. Their spatial orientation performance is evaluated quantitatively, in terms of the number of attempts needed to reach the target points, as well as qualitatively by analyzing their strategies as described in their answers to a questionnaire. According to our findings the students enjoy and perform remarkably well in the outdoor setting, an observation that leads us to suggest that engaging students in outdoor activities may enhance their learning of mathematics.

This article addresses how mathematics education in the People’s Republic ofChina, a unified and multinational country, is implemented to cope with thechallenges of cultural diversity. The article begins with a general overview ofethnic minority education, and then attempts to articulate the various mathematicalcultural practices in ethnic minority groups. The article then examines the reform,exploration, and development of mathematics education for ethnic minoritygroups, including curricula, teacher education, and studies in mathematics education.Finally, the authors propose a newstarting point for further implementation ofcultural diversity in mathematics education.

This study aims to examine values in effective mathematics lessons in Sweden from the perspectives of students in different groups and their teachers. By using methods with lesson observations, student focus group interviews and teacher interviews, it shows that instructional explanation and classroom atmosphere with quietness are shared-values of students and their teachers. The findings propose some crucial issues which related to how mathematics teaching could be adjusted to different students’ learning conditions and whether it needs more instructional explanation in mathematics teaching in Sweden.