The Portrayal of Females and Minorities in Selected Elementary Mathematics Series

An examination of the human presence in precalculus textbooks: What are we communicating to students about who uses mathematics and how?

“…Most immediately, teachers should be aware of representation within the books they are using and should actively work to combat stereotypes that are reinforced by the books. Regarding career representation, Garcia et al (1990) suggest that teachers showcase examples outside of the textbooks. Teachers cannot control many things that happen outside of school, but they can voice an opinion on textbook selection, and they have some control over how textbooks are used in their classrooms (Petty et al, 2013).…”

“…They, along with Garcia et al (1990), also considered diverse representation within the images of the textbooks. In one textbook, Garcia et al (1990) saw favorable results with instances of both scientific and non-scientific careers assigned to characters they deemed as "minority and nonminority adults" (p. 8). However, a second book did not perform as well, with scientific careers more often assigned to nonminority adults.…”

“…Macintyre and Hamilton (2010) found that in some Scottish textbooks, students noticed low expectations for learners in terms of careers. Garcia et al's (1990) findings were a bit more favorable with evidence of computer programmers, pilots, physicians, scientists, engineers, navigators, and meteorologists alongside instances of less-STEM-intensive careers such as chefs and weavers. Others have found that careers are not represented equitably across gender lines or racial/ethnic lines (Piatek-Jimenez et al, 2014;Tang et al, 2010).…”

“…Many have noted the pressing need to recruit more students into STEM majors in order to meet the needs of our global economy (e.g., Reiss & Mujtaba, 2017). Garcia et al (1990) suggest that career opportunities should be integrated in textbooks, activities, and lesson plans. We agree, believing that textbooks are a fruitful venue for exposing students to STEM career options that may entice them into STEM majors.…”

Exploring modes of engagement within reform-oriented primary mathematics textbooks in India

“…However, the socio-cultural-political aspects of textbooks, which are crucially important in the Indian context (as discussed above), are less widely researched in the Anglophone literature. As Fan et al (2013) pointed out in their review of textbook research, while attention to social issues of gender and equity was given importance in earlier studies (Clarkson, 1993;Garcia, 1990), more recently, this has not been the case. This waning emphasis on social issues in mathematics textbook analysis could also be because of the lack of attention to these aspects in the US reforms that have influenced reform worldwide.…”