Examining Mathematics Teachers’ Use of Curriculum and Textbook

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine how mathematics teachers interpret curriculum and textbooks and to what extent / how they use these materials. For this purpose, case study design was used and 45 mathematics teachers constituted the study group of the study. The data obtained through the structured interview form developed by the researcher to determine teachers' use of textbooks and curricula were analyzed deductively. According to the findings obtained from the analysis, it was seen that teachers working in both secondary and high school levels did not like the textbooks sufficiently and did not prefer to use them in their lessons. The reasons for this are that the textbooks contain various errors, are not interesting, are not suitable for student level; Even if the curriculums are updated, they are still dense and have uneven distribution of the content according to class levels. Teachers prefer to use supplementary resources as well as textbooks. On the other hand, there are also teachers who express positive opinion about the textbook and curriculum. One of the interesting findings of the study is that teachers' perceptions of curriculum are generally acquisition-oriented.