A Comparative Analysis of Tasks of the 6th Grade Mathematics Textbooksin the USA and Türkiye

Mainali B., İpek A. S.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING, cilt.25, sa.1, ss.120-134, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 25 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: EBSCO Education Source, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.120-134
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Textbooks are the most tangible resource of learning opportunities offered to students. This study investigated the mathematical task concerningthe three dimensions: representation, contextual features, and cognitive demands of the 6th-grade textbook between the USA and Turkiye. The tasks in the learning domains of numbers andoperations, algebra,and geometry in the countries' mathematics textbooks were considered. Using content analysis methodology, the Chi-square test resultsrevealed significant differences between the textbooks of the two countries in terms of specific categories in three dimensions. In the three learning domains analyzed, the total number of tasks in the US textbook is more than in the TR textbook. Whereas verbal representations are used intensively in the TR textbook, the tasks in the US textbook show a more balanced distribution of representation types. Although intra-mathematical and low cognitive tasks were more intensively used in the tasks in the textbooks of the two countries, differences according to learning domains were remarkable. The study contributes to the discussions on improving the tasks in mathematics textbooks.Keywords: Mathematics textbooks, representations, contextual features, cognitive demand