Chinese Cultural Group Students’ Mathematical Problem Posing in Tasks with a Cultural Context and Without a Cultural Context

This study examined characteristics of Chinese cultural group students’ mathematical problem posing and the impact of cultural contexts on students’ mathematical problem posing. Forty-four (N = 44; girls: 68.2%; boys: 31.8%) fifth-grade cultural group students from a province in Southwest China responded to a four-task-based questionnaire and posed mathematical problems based on given problem situations, two with a cultural context and two without a cultural context. Characteristics of mathematical problem posing were analyzed through the total numbers, appropriateness, difficultly, and flexibility levels of the problems posed by the students. Results show that Chinese cultural group students were capable of posing a considerable number of mathematical problems; the medium and large effect sizes show that cultural contexts impact students’ problem-posing performance. Practical implications of the study and possible further studies are discussed.