A comparative study on the application of Neo-Confucian principles in the mathematics teaching and learning in Chinese high schools and public high schools in Metro Manila

Abstract

It is a fact that proficiency in Mathematics implies a lot of advantages and is applied in almost all fields of work. The Philippines, as opposed to its neighboring Asian countries, is lagging in terms of Math proficiency. At the local level, Chinese high schools seem to perform better than normal public high schools in Mathematics, as manifested in local and international Math competitions. According to various literatures, Chinese schools ascribe their high competence level to the Neo-Confucian tradition of excellence. This research aims to determine whether Neo-Confucian principles in Mathematics teaching and learning is really applied in Chinese high schools and/or can be applied in public high schools in Metro Manila. In this research, a stratified probability sampling method was employed to survey students from two Chinese high schools and two public high schools in Metro Manila. Moreover, Math teachers from these institutions were interviewed. Results show that while some Neo-Confucian principles contribute to the good performance of Chinese schools, other attributes in teaching and learning Mathematics which can be traced from the West are also important. The Philippine educational system, especially in Mathematics should integrate these two traditions while localizing it to better suit the teaching methods of Math teachers and learning capacities of Filipino students. This research can serve as a guide to government officials and practitioners of secondary education on how to further improve teaching methods and means especially in Mathematics in order to deliver better education to the majority of the Filipino youth.