Middle School Teachers' Use of Compulsory Textbooks in Instruction of Mathematics

Abstract

This study investigates how a sample of middle school mathematics teachers interpret and use compulsory textbooks in the Turkish classroom context based on their: (i) purposes of using textbooks; (ii) frequency and duration of using textbooks; (iii) approaches to using textbooks; and (iv) preferences concerning an ideal mathematics textbook. The research was carried out using the case study model. Data were collected from 17 middle school teachers in six public schools via semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. A content analysis approach was applied to analyse the data collected from the questionnaire completed by the participants. The results indicated that the teachers used textbooks for both pedagogic purposes and giving student assignments. The teachers revealed varied approaches to using textbooks, including adherence, elaboration, and creation with most of them using an elaboration approach. The teachers commonly used textbooks in whole-class activities rather than individual and group work. The findings also indicated that teachers criticized compulsory textbooks from various aspects when describing an ideal mathematics textbook. This study shows the necessity for further studies that focus on teachers' textbook design capacity to explore the relationships between teachers and textbooks and that examine the role of using different textbooks in the learning process.

Middle school mathematics teachers’ concept definitions of geometric objects

“…The results of a recent study (Ulusoy, 2019) with prospective teachers give clues about why the definitions of GOs need further investigation. After participants were asked to define the cylinder and prism in written form and present examples from daily life, the class deliberated on the correctness of the examples.…”

“…Almost all the teachers drew the right forms of GOs. Most of the participants used square or rectangular shapes while drawing prisms and pyramids (Çakmak et al, 2014;Gökbulut & Ubuz, 2013;Gökkurt, 2014, Ulusoy, 2019. Teachers' getting used to drawing basic prototype drawings may cause students to make similar drawings.…”

Impediments to learning problem-solving in Malawian lower secondary mathematics textbooks

“…The textbooks were mostly used as a source of tasks and were mostly used in the planning phase. A more recent study from Turkey confirmed that teachers also relied on textbooks for planning their lessons (Ulusoy & Incikabi 2020). Where the Estonian teachers did not rely on the teaching methods suggested in the textbooks (Lepik 2015), the Turkish middle school teachers appeared to use textbooks to facilitate most of their instructional work (Ulusoy & Incikabi 2020).…”

“…A more recent study from Turkey confirmed that teachers also relied on textbooks for planning their lessons (Ulusoy & Incikabi 2020). Where the Estonian teachers did not rely on the teaching methods suggested in the textbooks (Lepik 2015), the Turkish middle school teachers appeared to use textbooks to facilitate most of their instructional work (Ulusoy & Incikabi 2020). In a study of Malawian secondary teachers, Mwadzaangati (2019b) found that teachers used textbooks both to plan lessons and their delivery.…”

Ortaokul Matematik Dersi Öğretim Programının ve Ders Kitaplarının Bilgi ve İletişim Teknolojileri Kullanımına Yönlendirme Açısından İncelenmesi

“…While the rate of teachers' preference for using textbooks varies between 81% and 91% in Turkey (Kandemir & Yıldız, 2019), this rate is close to 99% in countries with high mathematics objectives (Mullis et al, 2012). Ulusoy and İncikabı (2020) found that mathematics teachers use textbooks for classroom instruction and homework rather than individual and group work. The results of the present study showed that the majority of teachers were identified as elaborators in mathematics teaching.…”