An Analysis of the Problem Situation of Subtractionin Elementary School Mathematics Textbooks

Abstract

Even in the daily life of elementary school students, it is often natural to think of ‘small number’ first and ‘large number’ later. However, in most elementary school mathematics textbooks, there are biased situations in which the ‘large number’ is presented first and the ‘small number’ is presented later. In this study, we discussed the conventions of setting the problem situation of subtraction, in which implicitly 'large number' is presented first and ‘small number’ is presented later. In addition, we discussed the pedagogical actions related to the actual problem situation of subtraction in which ‘small number’ is presented first and ‘large number’ is presented later. Through this, we searched an improvement direction for the biased setting method of subtraction problem in which 'large number' is presented first and 'small number' is presented later. For this purpose, we analyzed the subtraction problems presented in the mathematics textbooks and workbooks for grades 1 to 3 of elementary school by 8 types to identify their characteristics. This research shows that it is necessary to provide various problem-solving experiences for the actual problem situation of subtraction, and it can play a role in expanding the range of thinking about subtraction from the perspective of early algebra.

A refined framework for qualitative content analysis of mathematics textbooks

“…Notably, the use of technical language in school mathematics textbooks holds substantial significance for student learning, as corroborated by numerous studies (O' Keeffe & O'Donoghue, 2015). The usage of first-person pronouns within textbooks can establish a formal relationship between the author and the reader; however, employing informal strategies can prove efficacious for problemsolving (Ho, 2002;Silver, 1990). Notably, while textbooks should not seek to replicate classroom conversations, they may employ accessible language to engage the reader.…”