Curriculum sequencing and the acquisition of clock reading skills among Chinese and Flemish children

The present study reexamines the adoption of clock reading skills in the primary mathematics curriculum. In many Western countries, the mathematics curriculum adopts a number of age-related stages for teaching clock reading skills, that were defined by early research (e.g., Friedman & laycock, 1989; Piaget, 1969). Through a comparison of Flemish and Chinese student’s clock reading abilities, the current study examines whether these age-related stages are a solid base for teaching clock reading skills. By means of both quantitative (ANOVA’s) and qualitative (textbook analysis) methods, the present study indicates that the alternative way of teaching clock reading skills in China, i.e., at the age of six instead of staggered out over several grades, results in a two years earlier acquisition of clock reading skills. This indicates that the previously age-related stages in children’s acquisition of clock reading are not universal, nor the most effective way to teach these skills to young children.