Evaluating School Mathematics Textbooks Against Contemporary Teaching and Learning Requirements
Nubar Qocayeva
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Source: Crossref
Published: Oct 16, 2026
DOI: 10.69760/portuni.26100009
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Coverage of prescribed mathematical topics does not, by itself, establish whether a textbook provides meaningful opportunities for problem solving, mathematical reasoning, and justification. This article proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for evaluating school mathematics textbooks against contemporary teaching and learning requirements. The study is based on a purposive narrative review of research on mathematics textbooks, cognitive demand, mathematical reasoning, formative assessment, multiple representations, and digital tools. Official information on textbook evaluation and public consultation in Azerbaijan is used to contextualize the discussion. No classroom observations, student outcome measurements, or coding of a defined national textbook corpus are reported. The synthesis identifies eight evaluation dimensions: curriculum alignment; mathematical accuracy and representations; cognitive demand; justification and reasoning; modelling; support and accessibility; assessment and feedback; and digital activity. The practical application of the framework is illustrated through three mathematical problems concerning successive percentage discounts, a parameterized quadratic equation, and the areas of similar trapezoids. These examples show how apparently small changes in task design can shift the required activity from numerical completion toward examining solution conditions, comparing strategies, and explaining results. The proposed framework is intended as an initial analytical tool for documenting opportunities to learn rather than as a validated measure of instructional effectiveness. Its inter-rater reliability and classroom usability require separate empirical investigation. The article offers observable indicators for textbook authors, reviewers, and teacher educators while making no empirical claim about the overall quality of mathematics textbooks currently used in Azerbaijan.
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