An investigation into the nature of mathematics textbooks at junior cycle and their role in mathematics education

This research study is aimed at improving the quality of the mathematics textbooks available for junior cycle students. It is widely agreed that there is room for improvement with regard to the quality of mathematics at both junior and senior cycle level in Ireland. One such area which can be improved is the e ectiveness of the resources available in both junior and senior cycle mathematics classrooms. While the TIMSS report (Valverde et al., 2002) has explored textbooks on an international scale, minimal research (minor role in TIMSS Report) has been carried out on Irish mathematics textbooks. Considering the level of responsibility shouldered by mathematics textbooks, there is an obvious gap in mathematics education research. The aim of this study is to investigate the quality of the mathematics textbooks currently in use at junior secondary school level in Ireland. This is achieved by investigating, extending and applying suitable methodological tools for textbook analysis. Ultimately the aim of this research is to improve the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics at junior cycle level which should feed directly into improving the quality of mathematics at senior cycle. This will be achieved by rst measuring the quality of the current junior cycle mathematics textbooks and then highlighting the role of improved textbooks in students' conceptual under- standing. At present in Ireland, there is a move away from the more traditional didactical approaches to teaching and learning towards teaching and learning for understanding. This move towards teaching and learning for understanding is as a result of the new curriculum initiative - project m, which requires students to understand and apply mathematics. This change in focus within mathematics classrooms across Ireland highlights the need for teachers to be more aware of students' conceptual development and hence in uenced the author as this research study evolved. The study presented here provides a theoretical framework for a complete analysis of mathematics textbooks which will allow for an in-depth analysis of any mathe- matics textbook. This research builds on the work of international studies such as the TIMSS report and established frameworks for mathematics textbook analysis such as Morgan (2004), Mikk (2000) and Rivers (1990) to create a single frame- work for a complete mathematics textbook analysis. This study also highlights key design features of mathematics textbooks which are signi cant in students' conceptual development. The author's investigation into the quality of the current junior cycle mathematics textbooks is the rst large scale study of its kind in Ireland. This research not only identi es the quality of the current mathematics textbooks but it also highlights key design features which impact on students' understanding of mathematics.