Analysis of Mathematics Curriculum Materials to Ascertain the Potential for Students to Develop Agency and Autonomy

Abstract

Mathematics textbooks are commonly used around the world to teach mathematics during lessons. They provide mathematical tasks and theory to support student learning. Given the centrality of textbooks as a vehicle for mathematics teaching and learning, prior research has examined ways in which texts support students’ learning of a wide variety of mathematics knowledge and skills. Less examined, however, has been the potential role of textbooks in supporting development of agency and autonomy relation to mathematics learning. This dissertation examined the treatment of functions in two textbook series to identify ways that each positions students to develop distinct forms of agency and autonomy while solving mathematical tasks.

To study how the two textbook series position students to develop agency and autonomy, I investigated and systematically categorized the types of mathematical tasks and the linguistic structures found in the texts. The mathematical task features were examined from a cognitive perspective drawing on analysis of tasks with different levels of cognitive demand. The linguistic analysis drew on Systemic Functional Linguistics. Data consisted of selected lessons on chapters on the topic of functions.

The findings show that for the topic of functions, both textbook series provide students with opportunities to develop agency and autonomy that align with the instructional orientations each text supports. One textbook series supports a so-called reform-oriented approach to teaching and learning whereas the other supports a traditional-oriented approach. One textbook series also positioned students to develop greater varieties of agency and autonomy than the other. For example, for the topic of functions, this textbook series provides students with a broader range of tasks than the other textbook series. These include simpler tasks that develop disciplinary agency and more complex and challenging tasks that develop conceptual agency and intellectual autonomy.

The findings contribute to an understanding of different ways textbook series with particular orientations make opportunities available for students to develop forms of agency and autonomy during classroom learning. The findings also contribute to methodology for analyzing textbooks based on the mathematical tasks and other supporting texts for a lesson.