Comparative Analysis of Mathematics Teaching Programs in Primary School from the Standpoint of the Cultural-Historical Activity Approach

Abstract

In the Russian Federation, 11 mathematics training programs were recommended for implementation in the 2020—2021 elementary school curriculum. The large number of programs raises the question of how they differ, a question which is relevant for both school administrators and primary school teachers, and parents. This article applies the criteria developed in the mainstream of the Cultural-Historical Activity approach to learning, to analyze the most significant differences in the mathematics programs from a psychological point of view. We have analyzed the methodological materials in mathematics and textbooks in the following programs for grades one through five: “School of Russia”, “The system of D.B. Elkonin — V.V. Davydov” (the programs of both E.I. Alexandrova, and V.V. Davydov and V.F. Gorbov), “Learning to learn”, and “Perspective”. Our study showed that the most significant differences between the programs concerned the type of concepts proposed for assimilation; the type of actions by which these concepts were to be assimilated and practiced; and how the means of these actions were provided. The selected criteria corresponded most closely to the program of E.I. Alexandrova, which was created within the framework of the educational complex “The system of D.B. Elkonin — V.V. Davydov”.