A Comparative Study On Mathematical Culture In Chinese And Ameirican High School Mathematics Textbook

In recent years, the mathematical culture gets more and more attentions in the field of mathematical education. However, there is a contradictory phenomenon that between the educational value and teaching situation in mathematical culture,which appears "high evaluation, low application". So we should well solve the problem on how to embody mathematics cultural value into education and teaching.In this study, there are two versions of senior high school mathematics textbooks been taken as the objects, which are the version of People's Education Press(PEP) and Prentice Hall Press(PHP) in the United States. Then I classified the mathematics culture of the item of textbooks and examined the way of various types of mathematical culture used in textbooks drawing on the analytical framework of mathematical culture.Base on the research, the following conclusion are given:1. PHP has most numbers of items of mathematical culture, a total of812. Mathematical culture mainly appears in examples and exercises which accounts for about90%of the whole mathematics culture, only10%in the non-textbook and introduced. The culture of mathematics and real life is the most, personal and public life distribute more balance, however, mathematics in science and technology mathematics in arts and humanities?history of mathematics distribute unbalance and show a trend of gradually decreasing;2. The history of mathematics in PHP is dominant showing, the level of use is mostly in the complementation level, and the duplication level is not significant, the accommodation level is the least, for most other method of using mathematics culture is separability, while inseparability method is less adopted.3. The mathematical culture of "exponential and logarithmic function"?"trigonometry" and "series" chapter has different distribution in the PHP and PEP. In "exponential and logarithmic function" chapter, the mathematics culture distribution between the PHP and PEP are similar, mainly in the social life and economic life; With the methods of using mathematical culture, the PHP is better than the PEP. In "trigonometry" chapter, method of using mathematics culture in PEP is better than PHP, the commonalities between PHP and PEP is to focus on mathematics in life and the Mathematics in Science and Technology; In "series" chapter, the PEP in the level of use the history of mathematics and the distribution of other mathematical culture is better than the PHP; but from the overall distribution of mathematical culture, the PHP is better than the PEP.Based on the conclusions, the following opinions and suggestions are given:Concerned about the distribution and the method of using mathematics culture in each column in the process of development of textbooks. When we add the mathematical culture content, we need focus on the method of using mathematics. The history of mathematics should be blend into textbook.