Mothers' perceptions of children's problems with mathematics: A cross-national comparison.

American, Chinese, and Japanese mothers' perceptions of 1st- and 5th-grade children's problems with mathematics were examined in 2 studies. Significantly fewer American than Asian mothers at both grade levels believed that their child had experienced problems with mathematics. American mothers reported more mathematics problems related to basic calculation than did Asian mothers, and more Asian than American mothers perceived their child as having difficulty with applied problems. The findings suggest that American parents evaluate their children's mathematics skills less critically and hold lower standards of mathematics achievement for their children than do Asian parents