Learning Opportunities for Solving Context-Based Calculus Tasks in Nepal’s High School Mathematics Textbooks

Abstract

ABSTRACT A vital skill for students to acquire in school mathematics involves solving problems embedded within real-world contexts. The extent to which students achieve intended learning outcomes largely depends on whether textbooks offer opportunity-to-learn (OTL) the assessed concepts and skills. The National Assessment of Students’ Achievements (NASA) reveals a significant deficiency in the performance of Nepali students in solving context-related problems. We conducted a content analysis of the most commonly adopted Nepali mathematics textbooks for grades XI and XII to assess the OTL they afford for tackling context-related problems in calculus. Results show that almost all mathematical concepts were introduced without providing related contexts, and around 95% of worked examples and exercise problems did not have any context and offered little or no opportunities for modeling and mathematization. Although most of the contexts presented in the problems were categorized as real and essential, the cognitive demands of many tasks were lower. The investigated textbooks were not necessarily aligned with Nepal’s updated National Mathematics Curriculum (2018), which underscores the integration of mathematics with real-world applications. Results of this study indicate that the limited access to quality mathematics textbooks might be a significant barrier hindering students’ ability to solve context-related problems.