Overall, Chinese students had significantly higher mean scores than did U.S. students on both routine problem
solving (F(3, 542) = 53.27, P < .001) and non-routine problem solving (F(1, 542) = 46.17, P < .001). Table 1 shows the
mean scores of Chinese and U.S. students on each component of routine problem solving. Chinese students had significantly
higher mean scores on three of the components (translation, planning, and execution). There was no significant
difference in mean scores on the integration component between the Chinese and U.S. students. The biggest difference
between the two groups occurred on the execution component, with the Chinese students outperforming the U.S.
students in success rate, 88–48%. The performance differences between Chinese and U.S. students on routine problem solving were similar to those reported in previous cross-national studies in which Chinese students far outperformed
their U.S. counterparts on routine problem solving tasks