Representations of Numerical Sequences in Mexican Secondary School Textbooks

Abstract

The study of numerical sequences usually focuses on the use of symbols or finding generalizations, that is, a more formal notation. However, there is several research on the different representations, but little research in representations that we consider as drawings and illustrations and that, in general, are commonly used in textbooks when both a numerical sequence and a figurative sequence are shown. The present research with a qualitative approach sought to identify the representations of sequences contained in Middle school textbooks. Nine textbooks were analyzed using the theoretical-methodological proposal known as Mathematical Content Analysis, where 28 different figures were found to represent a numerical sequence. The findings showed that there are three types of representations in the textbooks analyzed: abstract figures, real figures, and pictorial figures. The results show that the representations that appear most frequently in textbooks are pictorial figures.