Effects of an ancient Chinese mathematics enrichment programme on secondary school students' achievement in mathematics

Ancient Chinese mathematics has been the focus of many research studies and scholarly works from a historical perspective. However, no move has been made to investigate its role in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This pilot study examined the effects of an Ancient Chinese Mathematics Enrichment Programme (ACMEP) on the academic achievement of second-year students from a secondary school in Singapore - a strand of a principle study with the intent of investigating the possible roles of ancient Chinese mathematics in the Singapore secondary school mathematics curriculum. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the difference in mean scores on a variety of formal assessments in mathematics between students who participated in the ACMEP and those who did not. In addition, the scores on formal assessments of other relevant subjects were analyzed to further investigate the ACMEP's scope of influence. © National Science Council, Taiwan 2006.