A comparative analysis on ratio and rate in elementary mathematics textbooks of Korea and Singapore

Jiyoung Lee1   Eunmi Seo2,*   

1Teacher, Songshin Elementary School
2Teacher, Joam Elementary School

Abstract

Ratio and rate are key topics in the area of ‘Patterns’, but there are various perspectives on them. This study compared and analyzed the perspectives of Korean and Singaporean mathematics textbooks on ratio and rate, and explored how teaching and learning methods develop according to each perspective in terms of quantitative reasoning. To this end, we reorganized the analysis criteria based on some studies, and analyzed the textbooks of the two countries in relation to context, relationship, and representation. The results of the study are as follows. Regarding the context, there were differences in the situations, types of units and use of units of the problems presented in textbooks. In terms of relationship, there were differences in the types of two quantities and relationship of quantities. Lastly, there were differences in the representation of ratio and rate. Through these results, we found that elementary mathematics textbooks in Korea and Singapore take different perspectives on ratio and rate. In particular, the perspective taken by Korean textbooks on ratio and rate had unique points different from that of other previous studies. Considering this Korean perspective, we suggested some implications that could help improve textbooks related to ratio and rate and teach them meaningfully.

Figures & Tables

* 6-1-4-2. means Grade(6)-Semester(1)-Lesson (4. 비와 비율)-Period(2)