A Content Analysis of Geometric and Connection Activities in Mathematic Textbooks for Developing Students’ Mathematics Competencies

• Main Authors: Yang, Ya-Ting, 楊雅婷
• Other Authors: Yiu, Tzu-Ta
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/60154819391324909254

碩士 === 國立臺中教育大學 === 教育學系課程與教學碩士班 === 103 === This study aimed at analyzing geometric and connection activities in the mathematic textbooks for developing students’ mathematics competencies. Student exercises in the junior-high-school mathematic textbooks of 2012 academic year were analyzed. Four serials of mathematics textbooks were explored by the method of content analysis. The researcher developed a coding framework for the analysis with reference to the evaluation framework of PISA 2010 and suggestions of Niss(2002). The main findings of this study were as follows. 1. Student exercises in four serials of mathematic textbooks are mostly relevant to the development of five competencies, which are thinking and reasoning, problem posing and solving skills, usage of symbolic-formal-technical language and operations, problem transformation and representation, and mathematics communication. Relatively less student exercises relate to development of the other three competences, which are the usage of aids and tools, modeling, and argumentation. The arrangements of student exercises for competences development are similar across four serials of mathematics textbooks. 2. The activities of internal and external connections are similar across four serials of mathematics textbooks. There are much more activities of internal connection than those of external connection in the textbooks. The overall percentages of activities of external connection are less than ten percent in all four serials. 3. There are more than a half of student exercises connect to two or more mathematics concepts in each of the four serials of mathematics textbooks. 4. Each serial of mathematics textbooks shows its unique characteristics. The textbooks published by the National Academy of Educational Research (NAER) are different from other three serials in many aspects, including the ways of activity- arrangement, the format of student exercises, and the level of thinking and reasoning required for solving mathematics problems. Based on the findings, the researcher provides some recommendations for mathematic teachers and textbooks editors. Issues for further studies are also discussed.