Comparing the development of the multiplication of fractions in Turkish and American textbooks

Kar T., Guler G., Sen C., Ozdemir E.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol.49, no.2, pp.200-226, 2018 (ESCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 49 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2018
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/0020739x.2017.1355993
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.200-226
  • Keywords: Multiplication of fractions, mathematics textbooks, curriculum, instruction, MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS, ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS, TEACHERS, KNOWLEDGE, JAPAN, OPERATIONS, DIVISION, US
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study analyzed the methods used to teach the multiplication of fractions in Turkish and American textbooks. Two Turkish textbooks and two American textbooks, Everyday Mathematics (EM) and Connected Mathematics 3 (CM), were analyzed. The analyses focused on the content and the nature of the mathematical problems presented in the textbooks. The findings of the study showed that the American textbooks aimed at developing conceptual understanding first and then procedural fluency, whereas the Turkish textbooks aimed at developing both concurrently. The American textbooks provided more opportunities for different computational strategies. The solutions to most problems in all textbooks required a single computational step, a numerical answer, and procedural knowledge. Furthermore, compared with the Turkish textbooks, the American textbooks contained a greater number of problems that required high-level cognitive skills such as mathematical reasoning.