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Theoretical-Methodological Approaches and Textbook Design: Analysis of Arithmetic Word Problems in Spanish Textbooks

Authors :
Santiago Vicente
Rosario Sánchez
Beatriz Sánchez-Barbero
Mercedes Rodríguez-Sánchez
Marta Ramos
Source :
European Journal of Psychology of Education. 2024 39(3):2483-2508.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Primary school textbooks can enhance the acquisition of arithmetic word problem solving skills by offering diverse problems based on their semantic-mathematical structure with targeted reasoning aids, including schematics highlighting their mathematical structure. While certain countries, such as the USA and Singapore, have made progress in improving the problems and aids found in their textbooks through the use of specific theoretical-methodological approaches, textbooks from other countries, such as Spain, have included a very limited variety of problems, with hardly any aids to reasoning. Recently, however, two of the most widely used Spanish publishers have released textbooks that adhere to these theoretical-methodological approaches. To assess whether these textbooks progressed past their predecessors in relevant aspects related to the resolution of arithmetic word problems, we conducted an analysis of the quantity of problems and their variety in terms of semantic-mathematical structure and level of difficulty, as well as the inclusion of schematic representations of their mathematical structure. The study demonstrated improvements among textbooks when publishers adopted a theoretical framework, suggesting that a reference framework could enhance textbook design. This is particularly relevant in countries such as Spain, where there are no applicable standards or official curricula for designing textbooks related to solving arithmetic word problems.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0256-2928 and 1878-5174
Volume :
39
Issue :
3
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
European Journal of Psychology of Education
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1439420
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00808-7