This study explores how technology teachers evaluate, select and use commercially prepared textbooks, comparing practices in well-resourced and medium-resourced schools in South Africa. The study is led by two research questions, firstly how technology teachers evaluate and select textbooks and secondly how technology teachers use textbooks in their classrooms. This is a comparative case study, involving nine schools, sampled for convenience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. Two conceptual frameworks were used to interpret data. Evaluation and selection of textbooks were explored in terms of ‘textbook register’, while the use of textbooks was explored in terms of ‘didactical transposition’. From the literature, I extracted seven categories on textbook evaluation. These were content, connections, language, format, activities, context, and teaching strategies. I merged these categories with the two conceptual frameworks to design instruments and analyze data. Results showed that teachers in both contexts regarded the requirements of the curriculum as crucial in textbook selecting. They also regarded suitable activities as very important, and preferred that textbooks clearly present the technological steps. In well-resourced schools, teachers also preferred support in the form of teachers’ guides. There was a clear difference in the ways teachers from the two contexts used textbooks in the classroom. In medium-resourced schools, the relevant section from the textbook was read to class while in wellresourced schools, teachers compiled additional notes, indicating that they set a higher standard for their learners. However, in both contexts teachers explained difficult concepts and used discussions to involve learners in making connections and to reduce the language level used in textbooks. In medium-resourced schools, teachers also allowed learners to code-switch to their mother-tongue language. In terms of activities, teachers in both contexts used textbook activities without adaption but also developed additional activities. In terms of contextualising, teachers discussed or explained content information by relating it with real-life experiences, but didn’t attempt to contextualise textbook activities. Regarding teaching strategies, they mostly used their own preferred strategies instead of that proposed by the textbook. In particular, teachers in well-resourced schools preferred that learners do activities individually, indicating that they valued traditional teaching methods. In this study, the teachers in medium-resourced schools did not question the authority of the textbook. In well-resourced schools, the teachers set a higher standard than the textbook, but at the same time required support in the form of teacher’s guides. This suggests that teachers in both contexts were unsure about what exactly is required by the curriculum in terms of content and pedagogy, and that they did not know how to adapt activities offered in textbooks to suit their context. It is recommended that teachers be assisted by specialists to align textbook evaluation, selection and use with curriculum expectations. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

This mixed-methods study evaluated quality, usage, and perceptions of open educational resources compared to traditionally published textbooks. Because textbooks and other related materials make up a significant portion of educational costs, open educational resources have been explored for potential cost savings at all levels of education. These resources use public domain or open-licensed materials as the content component of free eTextbooks or low-cost printed textbooks. This evaluation explores how teachers and students use textbook resources both in and out of the classroom and the degree to which the content and design of open textbooks compares in quality and value to traditional textbooks. Data came through evaluating the print media design and content quality of the books in a Utah pilot program, analyzing the actual textbook artifacts from students, and conducting teacher surveys and interviews. The data points to clear differences in quality and use between the two types of books. Although the open textbooks are generally a lower quality product than traditional publisher produced textbooks, they were used in unique ways. Teachers who participated in the open textbook development tended to value the book as a resource, leading us to conclude that the ability to customize open resources may be an important determinant of textbook use. However, it is also likely that textbooks have only a minor affect on academic outcomes compared to other more problematic pedagogical and educational policy issues. This evaluation points to the need for additional study on the impact these differences have on learning outcomes.

<p>The main purpose with this study is to describe teachers’ use of textbooks and other teaching materials in upper secondary school (gymnasiet) in Sweden, and to discuss the use according to school subject and teacher style. Data was collected in two different ways. At first twenty classroom observations were made during lectures concerning the subjects Swedish (mothertounge), English (foreign language) and religion. Then four open interviews were carried out with the teaching teachers. The analysis was made using qualitative methods and with a perspective of didactics.</p><p>The results show that textbooks are not as dominating in the classroom as recent studies have proposed. Instead we can see a varied and flexible use of different educational materials, where teachers consciously and independently choose both which media to use and how to use it. Their aim is to shape a curriculum which helps the students learn, but it is seldom explicitly formulated by the teachers. That is among other things discussed in this study, together with the result that school subjects affect the use of teaching material more than teaching styles do.</p> / <p>Syftet med undersökningen är att beskriva användningen av läromedel och hjälpmedel på gymnasiet, samt att diskutera denna användning i förhållande till skolämne och lärarstil. Data har samlats in dels under tjugo klassrumsobservationer i ämnena svenska, engelska och religion, dels genom öppna intervjuer med de fyra undervisande lärarna. Dessa data har sedan analyserats med kvalitativa metoder och ur ett didaktiskt lärarperspektiv.</p><p>Resultatet visar att läroböcker inte har den dominerande roll i undervisningen som tidigare forskning pekat på. Istället ser vi här en varierad och flexibel materialanvändning, där lärarna mycket medvetet väljer både vilka läromedel och hjälpmedel som används och också hur de används. Målet för dem är hela tiden att utifrån de förutsättningar de har forma en undervisning som hjälper eleverna att lära. Att detta och andra mål för läromedelsanvändningen sällan uttrycks explicit av lärarna diskuteras i uppsatsen, liksom att ämnet verkar påverka användningen mer än lärarstilen.</p>

The main purpose with this study is to describe teachers’ use of textbooks and other teaching materials in upper secondary school (gymnasiet) in Sweden, and to discuss the use according to school subject and teacher style. Data was collected in two different ways. At first twenty classroom observations were made during lectures concerning the subjects Swedish (mothertounge), English (foreign language) and religion. Then four open interviews were carried out with the teaching teachers. The analysis was made using qualitative methods and with a perspective of didactics. The results show that textbooks are not as dominating in the classroom as recent studies have proposed. Instead we can see a varied and flexible use of different educational materials, where teachers consciously and independently choose both which media to use and how to use it. Their aim is to shape a curriculum which helps the students learn, but it is seldom explicitly formulated by the teachers. That is among other things discussed in this study, together with the result that school subjects affect the use of teaching material more than teaching styles do. / Syftet med undersökningen är att beskriva användningen av läromedel och hjälpmedel på gymnasiet, samt att diskutera denna användning i förhållande till skolämne och lärarstil. Data har samlats in dels under tjugo klassrumsobservationer i ämnena svenska, engelska och religion, dels genom öppna intervjuer med de fyra undervisande lärarna. Dessa data har sedan analyserats med kvalitativa metoder och ur ett didaktiskt lärarperspektiv. Resultatet visar att läroböcker inte har den dominerande roll i undervisningen som tidigare forskning pekat på. Istället ser vi här en varierad och flexibel materialanvändning, där lärarna mycket medvetet väljer både vilka läromedel och hjälpmedel som används och också hur de används. Målet för dem är hela tiden att utifrån de förutsättningar de har forma en undervisning som hjälper eleverna att lära. Att detta och andra mål för läromedelsanvändningen sällan uttrycks explicit av lärarna diskuteras i uppsatsen, liksom att ämnet verkar påverka användningen mer än lärarstilen.

The study describes and evaluates how Grade 7 teachers in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe used the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks in their teaching, and the impact it had on mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the teachers used the mathematics textbooks and to suggest areas of improvement. These textbooks were distributed to all the primary schools in Zimbabwe in 2010, under the donor-driven Education Transition Fund. This curriculum initiative sought to address the severe textbook shortage and to improve the performance of the learners. The study examined the ways the teachers interacted with and mediated the textbooks in mathematics lessons, what material they used or did not use from the textbook, how they used it, and why they used it in the specific ways. In order to achieve this objective, an empirical study of a sample of grade 7 teachers in the province was undertaken. Social constructivism was the main theory that guided the study. Stratified purposeful sampling was employed to select three out of eight districts in the province, and to select eighteen schools from the three districts for participation in the study. Each district contributed the same number of questionnaire respondents (n=30) and interview respondents (n=2). A mixed methods design, which combined a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and non-participant lesson observation, was adopted. The results indicated that the use of these textbooks raised the teachers’ and learners’ motivation, created some opportunities for teacher learning, and improved the learners’ performance in mathematics. However, the teachers’ low confidence levels in teaching some topics, the absence of regular staff development programmes, and also textual errors had a negative effect on how the textbooks were used. The teachers did not cover all the textbook content, neither did they demonstrate or encourage the learners to use alternative strategies to solve the problems in the textbooks. A number of teachers showed resistance to the use of these textbooks. This study provided evidence that points to an urgent need for the improved quality of mathematics textbooks, as well as an improvement in the teachers’ competencies, namely by placing greater emphasis on the use of textbooks in pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes. Based on the results of the study, a framework for teachers’ effective resource utilization is proposed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The study describes and evaluates how Grade 7 teachers in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe used the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks in their teaching, and the impact it had on mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the teachers used the mathematics textbooks and to suggest areas of improvement. These textbooks were distributed to all the primary schools in Zimbabwe in 2010, under the donor-driven Education Transition Fund. This curriculum initiative sought to address the severe textbook shortage and to improve the performance of the learners. The study examined the ways the teachers interacted with and mediated the textbooks in mathematics lessons, what material they used or did not use from the textbook, how they used it, and why they used it in the specific ways. In order to achieve this objective, an empirical study of a sample of grade 7 teachers in the province was undertaken. Social constructivism was the main theory that guided the study. Stratified purposeful sampling was employed to select three out of eight districts in the province, and to select eighteen schools from the three districts for participation in the study. Each district contributed the same number of questionnaire respondents (n=30) and interview respondents (n=2). A mixed methods design, which combined a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and non-participant lesson observation, was adopted. The results indicated that the use of these textbooks raised the teachers’ and learners’ motivation, created some opportunities for teacher learning, and improved the learners’ performance in mathematics. However, the teachers’ low confidence levels in teaching some topics, the absence of regular staff development programmes, and also textual errors had a negative effect on how the textbooks were used. The teachers did not cover all the textbook content, neither did they demonstrate or encourage the learners to use alternative strategies to solve the problems in the textbooks. A number of teachers showed resistance to the use of these textbooks. This study provided evidence that points to an urgent need for the improved quality of mathematics textbooks, as well as an improvement in the teachers’ competencies, namely by placing greater emphasis on the use of textbooks in pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes. Based on the results of the study, a framework for teachers’ effective resource utilization is proposed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)