| Curriculum is the core of school educational work, and textbooks are the carrier of curriculum.Textbooks are a kind of printed matter, reflecting the will of the state. As an important media for teaching and learning and a basic clue of learning activities, it plays an irreplaceable role in classroom instruction. The compiling quality of textbooks determines, to a certain extent, the quality of teaching. Whether there are any writing features in textbooks or not is the important sign which measures their writing quality. Whether the writing features are obvious or not is the important sign which measures their writing level, having a great impact on their degree of promoting teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the existing studies on textbook writing, particularly those on the compiling features of primary school mathematics textbooks, remain far from adequate, hardly able to satisfy the needs of the development of primary school mathematics textbooks nowadays.Worked examples are the most important part of primary school mathematics textbooks, and the epitomized embodiment of their teaching properties.The writing features of worked examples directly affect the quality of primary school mathematics textbooks, affect the quality of mathematics classroom teaching, occupying a prominent position in the textbook writing features. Taking the writing features of worked examples as the cut-in point, the researcher carried out the study on the writing features of the new primary school mathematics textbooks in China (the new primary school mathematics textbooks are the primary school mathematics textbooks which have been compiled based national mathematics curriculum standards and then approved by the Ministry of Education since the start of the new curriculum reform of our country in2001, following the same). The research problem:what writing features which can promote teaching and learning are there in the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks in our country, what suggestions can be put forward to highlight the writing features of the worked examples? It can be decomposed into4sub problems:1) How to construct the framework of writing features of the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks in our country for text analysis, namely, from which categories the writing features of the worked examples in textbooks’text can be analyzed?2) In textbooks’text, what writing features on each category of the framework are there in the worked examples of each version textbook?3) How high the recognition degree facilitating teaching and learning of primary school mathematics teachers to the writing features of the worked examples in the texts?4) What writing features which can promote teaching and learning are there in the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks in our country, what suggestions can be put forward to highlight the writing features of the worked examples? The first sub problem and the second sub problem are the key points, the third is difficult, and the last is the end result. It is very important for improving the quality of primary school mathematics textbooks, promoting the individualized development of textbooks, improving the classroom teaching level, promoting the students development in mathematics learning and promoting fair education to analyze the writing features of worked examples of primary school mathematics textbooks.Taking compulsory education mathematics curriculum standard of China as the guidance and drawing lessons from some related research achievements, taking the worked examples in the three versions of new primary school mathematics textbook from fourth to sixth grade, which were published by People’s Education Press, Southwest Normal University Press, as well as Jiangsu Education Publishing House respectively, the writing features of the worked examples were studied through the text analysis and the investigation of recognition degree promoting teaching and learning through such research methods as literature research, content analysis, comparison, investigation and statistical analysis. Specifically, first, the framework of writing features of the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks in our country for text analysis was constructed through the comprehensive analysis on curriculum policy files, some research achievements in education and psychology, especially, about primary school mathematics textbooks and their worked examples, the texts of primary school mathematics textbooks. Second, the analysis framework of writing features was adopted to analyze the chosen worked examples. And some common characteristics and their own characteristics of the worked examples of each version’s text on each category of the framework were found through comparison. Third, the investigation of recognition degree facilitating teaching and learning on writing features of the worked examples of383primary school mathematics teachers was carried out through the questionnaire made on the typical conclusions of the text study. The survey results were analyzed through the software named SPSS18.0. Last, through the comprehensive analysis on the main conclusions of the above studies, the writing features which can promote teaching and learning in the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks of our country were summarized. In view of the existing problems, some suggestions are put forward to highlight the writing features of the new primary school mathematics textbooks including their worked examples of our country. Through the research mentioned above, the following main conclusions are obtained:Firstly, the framework of worked examples for text analysis includes12categories:length, situational type, situation tendency, type of illustration, solution phase, processing mode of knowledge, heuristic method, diversification of the method to solve the problem, openness, communication guide, practical guide, relationship of the worked examples in a knowledge theme. Most of categories are divided into some sub categories or some types. For example, openness includes three sub categories: whether the "problem" information is sufficient, whether the answer is only one and whether the suggestion of "posing problems" is included. Situation tendency includes three types:rural situation tendency, neutral situation and city situation tendency.Secondly, the common writing features of the worked examples of the three versions mathematics textbooks in the text analysis are as follows. The average length of the worked examples occupies a little more than half of a text page. The percent of the worked examples belonging to life situation type is about60%, and the percent belonging to other disciplines situation type and animation situation type are lower. The percent of the worked examples belonging to neutral situation type is more than80%, but the percent belonging to rural situation tendency type is very low. The percent of the worked examples which have illustrations is more than70%, the percent of the worked examples which have functional illustrations in the field of Space and Figure is highest among the three knowledge fields(If not specifically, the three knowledge fields are Number and Algebra, Space and Figure, as well as Statistics and Probability. Following the same).Among the four solution phases in Polya’s theory, the percent of the worked examples which have the phase of understanding the problem is lowest, the percent having the phase of devising a plan is lower, the percent having the phase of carrying out the plan is highest, the phase of looking back gets enough attention. The percent of the worked examples having blank is about60%. The percent of the worked examples which have key instruction in the phase of carrying out the plan is more than20%of the worked examples having the phase of carrying out the plan. The percent of the worked examples whose purpose are to acquire knowledge is in54.7%-86.9%. The percent of the worked examples using heuristic methods is more than30%. Looking for a pattern and drawing a figure are in the top three of the frequency being used among all heuristic methods being used in the worked examples, and they are mainly used in the worked examples of the field of Number and Algebra. The percent of the worked examples using different methods to solve the problem is15%-22%. Among the three knowledge fields, the percent of the worked examples using different methods in the field of Number and Algebra is higher than that in the other two fields obviously. The number of the worked examples whose "problem" information is not sufficient and the number of the worked examples having suggestions of "posing problem" are only a few. The percent of the worked examples whose answer is not one is in14%-18%. The percent of the worked examples having communication guide is in43%-58%. The percent of the worked examples having practical guide is in15%-30%. The percent of the worked examples having practical guide is highest in grade4among grade4,5,6. The variation of deep structures and the connection of concepts in the worked examples are paid attention, meanwhile, many "suggestions or summaries" after the worked examples are adopted to arouse the students’self explanations. The three versions’worked examples also have their own writing features. For example, the version published by People’s Education Press pays more attention to connecting other disciplines. The version published by Southwest Normal University Press pays more attention to rural situation. The version published by Jiangsu Education Publishing House pays more attention to the diversification of method, etc.Thirdly, among the investigation of recognition degree facilitating teaching and learning on32writing features of the worked examples, the writing feature whose recognition degree of the primary school mathematics teachers is highest is:the percent of the worked examples which have illustrations is in72.9%-80.5%, and the average percent is76.2%. The writing feature whose recognition degree is lowest is: the percent of the worked examples belonging to rural situation tendency type is0.6%-10.5%, and the average percent is4.5%.Whether the primary school mathematics teachers used the version of textbook published by People’s Education Press, the version published by Jiangsu Education Publishing House, the version published by Beijing Normal University Press or not, has little effect on their recognition degree. The influence of mathematics teaching age, professional title, and final education background is in general. The influence of school location (countryside or city) is very obvious, whether the primary school mathematics teachers used the version by Southwest Normal University Press or not is also the case.Fourthly, some common writing features which can facilitate teaching and learning in the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks of our country are as follows:the present form paying attention to containing illustrations and languages, the situations being linked to real life, learning mode advocating dialogue and exchanges, the function emphasizing acquiring new knowledge, paying attention to changing and connecting among the worked examples, the design emphasizing hands-on activities. Each version’s worked examples also have their own writing features which can promote teaching and learning. Among the three versions, for instance, the number of heuristic method used in the version published by Southwest Normal University Press is most, and the percent of the worked examples using heuristic method in the version is highest. The percent of the worked examples having the phase of looking back in the version published by Jiangsu Education Publishing House is highest, etc.Fifthly, In view of the above studies, the following recommendations are put forth. The suggestions of highlighting the writing features of the worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks of our country are as follows:1) straining every nerve to highlight the writing personalization features of the worked examples.2) Strengthening the teaching properties of the worked examples of the fields of Space and Figure, Statistics and Probability.3)Paying attention to rural primary school mathematics teaching, especially improving the percent of the worked examples belonging to rural situation tendency type appropriately.4)Increasing the proportion of the worked examples which contain the situations connecting with animation and other subjects.5) Enhancing the openness of the worked examples moderately.6)Increasing the proportion of the worked examples having the phase of understanding the problem, and reducing the proportion of the "naked" worked examples appropriately. Some development suggestions on the writing features in the Chinese elementary school mathematics textbooks are as follows:1) the elementary school mathematics textbooks shall be diversified in the design of content selection, organization as well as difficulty.2) Keeping at the writing approach to obtain materials from students’real life and making activity-oriented textbooks.3) Paving attention to the local colors of the elementary school mathematics textbooks, especially, the mathematics study requirements of students from rural areas or the areas inhabited by the minority nationalities.4) Attaching importance to the writing experiences of elementary mathematics textbooks from the developed countries.5) Conducting an in-depth exploration over the cut-in points of textbook writing features, and carrying on theory and experiment research.6) The education administrative authorities shall duly loosen the restrictions on textbooks censorship, especially, on the forms of textbooks.The dissertation is divided into8chapters as follows:introduction, concepts definition and literatures review, study design, construction of the analysis framework of worked examples text, statistics and analysis of the worked examples encoded, investigation of recognition degree facilitating teaching and learning on writing features of the worked examples, conclusions and suggestions, closing remarks.There are some innovations in the research:1) In China, this study is the first doctoral dissertation which is on writing features of the worked examples of primary school mathematics textbooks. It becomes more difficult because the relevant literatures are rare.2) The writing features of primary school mathematics textbooks were studied through quantitative analysis mainly, in which the text analysis framework of worked examples was constructed. However, most of the domestic existing textbook researches are based on qualitative analysis.3) Some suggestions of highlighting the writing features of worked examples of the new primary school mathematics textbooks were put forward.There are some shortages in the research:1) the researcher studied the only three versions of textbooks, not including some other distinctive versions, so some conclusions obtained is not convincing enough.2) In the investigation, the questionnaire needs further improvement, and the investigation object doesn’t include the researchers of primary school mathematics teaching and college mathematics education researchers. |
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