Analysis of Libyan middle school mathematics textbook contents

The aim of this study is to examine the middle school (seventh, eighth and ninth grades) mathematics textbooks used in Libya, in terms of the inclusion of mathematics subjects, the teaching processes, the alignment of the textbooks and the mathematics teaching program, the conformity of the visuals employed, the types of technology used and their intended use, to determine the qualities of the problems. For this purpose, document analysis method was used. In the research, three textbooks, including one textbook from each grade level, were analyzed by two experts within the criteria determined in the literature. Results of the study indicated that the content allocated to the topics in the textbook was generally compatible with the mathematics teaching program. The presentation approach was adopted in the design of the lessons, and it was revealed that there was difficulty in establishing the relationship between the visuals and the content. It has also been determined that the use of technology in the textbooks is very limited and the use of technology is only for accessing information via the internet. However, it was revealed that the textbooks included questions at different difficulty levels, the use of problems requiring single step and multiple steps differs according to grade levels, and problems requiring numerical and algebraic expression answers were included more frequently. The findings were discussed in accordance with the related literature and recommendations were provided in relation to the results.