These disparities could be attributed to how Singaporean families approach their children’s education (e.g., family involvement in school education, the general importance of education in society, and the value placed on the meritocracy) and to education policies, such as the available budget for education (Rao et al., 2010). In contrast, only 4% of Spanish students reached that level. According to the latest Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) report (Mullis et al., 2020), 55% of fourth-grade Singaporean students achieved an advanced level of mathematical proficiency that enabled them to solve the most complex problems presented to them. However, the degree of success in developing this skill varies substantially across students from different countries. Indeed, problem solving is widely considered the cornerstone of educational curricula and a keystone of theoretical frameworks to assess international student achievement. There is general acceptance of the idea that “the primary goal of mathematics instruction should be to have students become competent problem solvers” (Schoenfeld, 1992, p. The findings are discussed in light of theories that posit that textbooks constitute a fundamental part of the teaching–learning process in the classroom.
#Finding x word problems how to#
Notably, the Singaporean textbook contained a larger percentage of illustrations that reflected the semantic-mathematical structures of the problems and helped students learn how to solve AWPs (e.g., bar models). Furthermore, in both countries, math textbooks emphasized the structures classified as (additive) combine 1 and (multiplication) simple rate in AWPs. Although a larger proportion of AWP activities was found in Singaporean textbooks, the results showed a similar variety of AWPs in both Singaporean and Spanish math textbooks. In our analyses, we focused on (1) the quantity of arithmetic word problems, (2) the variety of problems in terms of their additive or multiplicative structures and semantic-mathematical substructures, and (3) the quantity and nature of illustrations that were presented together with arithmetic word problems. In the current study, we delved into this question and compared the frequency and characteristics of arithmetic word problems (AWPs) contained in primary school math textbooks in two countries with different levels of performance in international assessments-Singapore and Spain. Among these variables, the design of mathematics textbooks is thought to partially explain why students from high-achieving countries show better problem-solving ability in international assessments. The success or failure of education systems in promoting student problem-solving skills depends on attitudinal, political, and pedagogical variables.
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