A Review of Research Studies on Mathematics Teachers’ Use of Textbooks in Korea

Abstract

This study is an integrative review of research trends, data collection methods, operational definitions of key terms, and rationales in Korean research on textbook use by mathematics teachers over the past 13 years. Based on the Temporal phases of curriculum use framework (Stein, Remillard, & Smith, 2007, p. 322), we examined the phases of curriculum use in each study and identified trends in the data collection and analysis methods of each paper. We identified the understanding of the terms teacher’s perception and textbook use in the studies and analyzed how the theoretical framework of each study justified the research questions and methods. The results showed: First, a significant number of studies focused on the transformation stage from written to intended, including teachers’ beliefs, orientations, and knowledge about curriculum use. Second, surveys were the most common method of data collection, followed by interviews, classroom practice/observation and text analysis in similar proportions. Surveys and interviews often did not provide a specific analytical framework for analyzing the results but teaching practice/observation and text analysis were mostly based on previous research and derived results through an analytical framework. Third, to examine teacher’s perceptions, researchers mainly examined the appropriateness/effectiveness of mathematics textbooks or specific content areas. And for textbook use, they examined the teaching methods of mathematics textbooks or specific content areas and cases of task modification. Fourth, few studies fully justified their research questions with a theoretical framework, and only about half of the studies justified their research methods with a theoretical framework. Implications for research and practice are discussed.