The current study aimed to explore middle school mathematics teachers&rsquo / use of mathematics textbooks and examine their integration of tasks in the textbooks into teaching. The framework of a mixed methods research design guided data collection in this study. A questionnaire called the Use of Mathematics Textbooks Questionnaire was developed and validated to identify the ways teachers benefit from textbooks. The factor analysis revealed four dimensions, namely Reading Student Edition Textbook, Selecting Questions from Workbook, Reading Teacher Edition Textbook, and Selecting Tasks and Problems from Auxilary Books. The results of the study showed that teachers used the student edition textbook for mostly during class and for lesson preparation. Teachers also used the student edition textbook for explaining the topic and the introductory tasks. However, they rarely used it for selecting problems and examples. Teachers read the student edition textbook mostly during and prior to class / and mostly use it for topic explanation, but rarely for problems and examples. They stated that they frequently selected questions from the workbook that were not included in the textbook. However, they occasionally picked questions to use during lessons. They frequently used auxilary books to select questions similar to the ones in the high school entrance exam problems. In examining the process of teachers&rsquo / use of mathematics textbooks, it was argued that there were interpretive processes as teachers engage with and use textbooks. The analysis of interviews and observations showed that teachers read textbooks and select tasks and questions from those books. In their decisions about using tasks from textooks, teachers usually considered the nature of tasks and students&rsquo / characteristics.

The presented diploma thesis entitled "Teacher and textbook: using textbooks in English language classes at Secondary school level" deals, in its theoretical part, with the general role of teacher and textbook within the education process with a focus on specific features of English language teaching at primary school level. The introductory chapter deals with the definition of textbook and its differentiation from other material resources used by teachers in lessons. The chapter also includes a description of the general structure, content properties and basic functions of a school textbook. These serve as a basis for a short evaluation of specific features of English textbooks. The second chapter focuses on the personality of the teacher, his pedagogical competences and roles within the education process. It also briefly mentions specifics of foreign language teachers. The practical part documents research of the teacher´s use of textbook, which is based on direct observation of English lessons and a questionnaire. The main aim of this research is to find out how much time during English language lessons at primary school level teachers spend working with the basic textbook in comparison to the amount of time dedicated to activities without textbooks or to activities with other textual resources. In connection with this research we also intend to find out whether the rate and the way of using basic textbooks within English language lessons at primary school level vary among teachers qualified to teach English and teachers without this qualification and among teachers with different lengths of professional teaching experience. The main aim of this diploma thesis is to describe the functioning of textbooks within the English language teaching process from the point of view of the teacher.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / We aim with this research to understand how the Programa Nacional do Livro Didático arrive at elementary schools and what implications it brings to teaching work developed in these schools. To this end, we propose to answer the following research problem: In what ways the different operating conditions for the selection and use of textbooks in the organization and development of physics classes? We classify our research as qualitative approach. As information sources we used members of management teams and physics teachers in service in schools and meetings to choose the textbook, in the PNLD. As instruments to collect information we used questionnaires, interviews and observation. The research involved 27 physics teachers of EEB, 15 members of management teams of EEB and six meetings for the choice of books on EEB. For these analyzes, we can say: the choice of books in schools has been triggered more from actions taken by publishers than actually based on the guidelines of the FNDE; The decision about the books have occurred more because of issues outside the school (following matters established by vestibular PEIES ) than the guidelines and proposals present in the PPP of the schools; The actions carried out in schools, relating to their participation in the PNLD, mobilize all teachers involved by conducting at least one meeting, but these actions are limited to the choice of books, with no broader discussions on the goals expected for secondary education in schools and the role of the textbook these purposes; Is common in the process of choosing books meetings of teachers in the room during the interval classes where teachers exchange information and make decisions about the textbooks; The Textbook has not been the only teaching materials used by teachers in the preparation of physics classes, although other materials are used in physics classrooms less frequently and with a further purpose; In the development of their classes, teachers seem to get stuck in a "form" of teaching physics that determine just how to use the Textbook, mainly as a source of exercises to be solved by the students. We conclude that the book is not helping to change the practice of physics teachers surveyed (in order to bring improvements) and own choice of books held in the PNLD has been performed in order to suit the way the teacher has already developed their classes. / Buscamos, com essa pesquisa, compreender como o Programa Nacional do Livro Didático incide no contexto de Escolas de Educação Básica e que implicações ele traz para o trabalho docente desenvolvido nessas escolas. Para tanto, nos propusemos responder o seguinte problema de pesquisa: De que formas operam os diferentes condicionantes para a escolha e a utilização de Livros Didáticos na organização e no desenvolvimento de aulas de Física? Considerando a natureza das informações coletadas para essa investigação, classificamos nossa pesquisa como de natureza qualitativa. As fontes de informação utilizadas foram de dois tipos: sujeitos (membros das equipes gestoras e professores de Física em serviço em Escolas de Educação Básica) e espaços (encontros para escolha do livro didático, no âmbito do PNLD, realizados em EEB). Os instrumentos utilizados para coleta de informações nessas fontes foram questionários, entrevistas e observação. A pesquisa envolveu 27 professores de Física de EEB, 15 membros de equipes gestoras de EEB e 6 encontros para escolha de livros, realizados em EEB. Pelas análises realizadas, podemos afirmar: Em termos de escolha dos livros, a execução do PNLD nas escolas tem sido desencadeada muito mais a partir de ações desenvolvidas por editoras do que propriamente a partir de orientações do FNDE e/ou da secretaria estadual de educação; A tomada de decisão sobre os livros tem ocorrido mais em função de aspectos externos à escola (sequência de assuntos estabelecida pelo exame vestibular PEIES) do que das orientações e propostas presentes no Projeto Político-Pedagógico das escolas; As ações desenvolvidas nas escolas, relativas à sua participação no PNLD, mobilizam, em geral, todos os professores envolvidos mediante a realização de ao menos uma reunião, mas essas ações restringem-se à escolha dos livros em cada área disciplinar, não havendo discussões mais amplas acerca das finalidades esperadas para o ensino médio nas escolas e do papel do livro didático para atingir tais finalidades; É bastante comum no processo de escolha de livros a realização de encontros breves na sala de professores, durante o intervalo das aulas, onde os professores trocam informações e tomam decisões acerca dos livros didáticos; O Livro Didático não tem sido o único material didático utilizado pelos professores na preparação das aulas de Física, ainda que os demais materiais sejam utilizados nas aulas de Física com menor frequência e com uma finalidade complementar; No desenvolvimento de suas aulas, os professores parecem ficar presos a uma forma de ensinar Física que acaba determinando o modo de utilização do Livro Didático, principalmente como fonte de exercícios a serem resolvidos pelos alunos. Concluímos, portanto, que o livro não está contribuindo para alterar a prática dos professores de física investigados (no sentido de trazer melhorias) e a própria escolha dos livros, realizada no âmbito do PNLD, tem sido realizada de modo a se adequar à forma como o professor já desenvolvia suas aulas.

The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate why history textbooks are used the way they are and to identify possible reasons for the contradictions and dilemmas regarding the role of the textbook in history education. This thesis describes a case study of the history teaching at an upper secondary school class and investigates the attitudes of the pupils, teachers and textbook authors towards history, the teaching of history, textbooks and the use of textbooks. The study also investigates the textbook used in the history class and the attitudes that the authors expose in the textbook. The analyses are based on interviews with the pupils and teacher, the pupils’ responses in a questionnaire, lesson observations, parts of the textbook, and some other teaching materials used in the lessons. In addition to constituting research on attitudes, this study is also linked to cognitive dissonance theory since it highlights dissonance among the attitudes of the teachers, pupils and textbook authors. The study shows that one main dilemma is the fact that the textbook is frequently being used in the classroom, but many pupils find it dull and uninteresting. Other dilemmas are basically explanations for this and are discussed as such. The study also shows that the pupils prefer history lessons that follow certain strategies and that these strategies are only reflected in the textbook to a limited extent. However, these strategies are used to a large extent in the teaching and when other teaching materials are used instead of the textbook. Sometimes the language used in the textbook seems to prevent the pupils from being able to take in the content but they are not given any help to cope with this difficulty. However, the pupils are exposed to other teaching resources, such as films and lectures, which helps them to understand the subject matter and they appreciate such resources more than the textbook. Moreover, the use of this type of learning resources is combined with methodology that is popular among the pupils and they get help from each other and from the teacher when interpreting and working with these resources. The textbook is used primarily individually and some of the pupils find it difficult to understand. In addition, the textbook is used with teaching methodology that the pupils find dull. This could explain why films and lectures are the main focus of the history lessons while the textbook is used primarily as a supplementary factual resource. This may also be a reason why the pupils have a negative attitude towards the textbook.