| Nine mathematical textbooks for eighth-grade students from the United States and three educational systems in East Asia (i.e., Hong Kong, mainland China, and Singapore) were examined with respect to the algebraic content included, key features of content organization and presentation, and the number and nature of to-be-solved (TBS) problems. In additional to standard textbook analysis procedures, theoretical perspectives and methods were adapted from cognitive psychology to examine the textbooks' instructional approaches and expectations for developing students' mathematics competence in algebra.;Substantial differences were found between U.S. and Asian textbooks. In particular, the U.S. textbooks vary widely in their emphasis on algebra content. However, these textbooks are similar in the ways they dissemble content into small units, introduce content within real-world problem contexts, emphasize students' practice, and include various types of TBS problems to develop students' mathematical problem solving competency. In contrast, the Asian textbooks are similar in their content emphasis and their high mathematics requirements in algebra. Moreover, they use larger units of coherent algebra topics, introduce content as pure mathematics, and emphasize the development of students' procedural skills. To explore the possible impact of textbooks on students' mathematics performance, the textbooks' treatment of algebra topics tested by five selected TIMSS items was examined. The findings suggest that textbook variations in mathematics requirements can provide partial explanations of differential student performance across educational systems.;The results of this study suggest the feasibility of conducting textbook analysis from multiple perspectives that goes beyond content topic inclusion alone. By treating the textbook as an embodiment of goals and values of an educational system, and to some extent, of a specific culture, the results further suggest that U.S. and Asian textbooks reveal different expectations for and approaches to the teaching and learning of algebra. |
