A CROSS-NATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ARITHMETIC WORD PROBLEMS IN PRIMARY MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS: A STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES, SINGAPORE, AND TÜRKİYE

Date

2025-6-27

Author

Çelik, Kübra

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The purpose of this study is to compare the number and characteristics of arithmetic word problems in mathematics textbooks from the United States, Singapore, and Türkiye. The analysis was conducted based on five key elements: (1) the number of problems, (2) semantic-mathematical structure, (3) level of complexity, (4) real-life contexts, and (5) the number and types of visuals. In all three countries, problems with an “unknown result” structure are common. However, more complex structures, such as “unknown start” and “unknown part,” are rarely used. The variety of structures is greater in U.S. and Singaporean textbooks, while it is limited in Turkish textbooks. In terms of complexity, low-level problems dominate in the textbooks of the United States and Türkiye. In Singaporean textbooks, however, the distribution of complexity levels is more balanced. Although real-life contexts are frequently used in all three countries, themes related to science, technology, nature, and the environment are rarely included. Regarding the use of visuals, many problems in U.S. and Singaporean textbooks are presented without visuals. In contrast, almost all problems in Turkish textbooks are supported with visuals. While schematic visuals are common in Singaporean textbooks, figurative and explanatory visuals are more prevalent in textbooks from Türkiye and the United States. These differences may influence each country's approach to mathematics education and students' problem-solving skills.

Subject Keywords

International comparison, Math textbooks, Textbook analysis, Arithmetic word problem, Word problem solving

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115552

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis