Examining mathematical task types in middle school mathematics textbooks in terms of cognitive demand levels: Algebra learning domain

The aim of the study is to explore the mathematical tasks and types in the algebra learning domain and the cognitive demand levels targeted by these task types in the middle school mathematics textbooks written according to the 2005, 2009,2013 and 2018 middle school mathematics curriculum. In this context, this study is a document review and covers the types of mathematical tasks contained the sections (presentation and implementation of the concept) of the 6th, 7th and 8th grade middle school mathematics textbooks and the cognitive demand levels of these tasks. In the study, the types of tasks in the textbooks and the cognitive demand levels of them were examined and analyzed comparatively. Mathematical task types were designed by the researcher in the form of providing real-life scientific explanation according to the sections in the textbooks, including the discovery of mathematical situations with shape/graph, etc. identified task type. The identified task types (memorization, procedures without connections, procedures with connections associative doing mathematics) were analyzed according to the cognitive demand levels suggested by Stein and Smith (1998). In this context, algebra sub-learning modules of 16 mathematics textbooks at the 6th, 7th, 8th grade levels written according to the 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2018 mathematics course curriculums were examined in depth according to analysis template the coding structure of the task types made by researcher within the process and cognitive demand levels framework designed by Stein and Smith (1998). The data were analyzed by semantic content analysis method. Some of the results from the study are: In the textbooks written according to the 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2018 mathematics curriculums, it was determined that the classical question, multiple choice question and visualized question (table/figure/model) task types were included in the subsections of the acquisition department and end-of-unit questions. It has been determined that there is no common task type in all of the introductory parts of the examined textbooks. The distribution of task types in the textbooks is not balanced, and the classical question and multiple choice question task types are given more space than the others. On the other hand, as a result of the analyzes made on the cognitive demand levels of the tasks in the mathematics textbooks, it was determined that the mathematics textbooks written and examined according to the 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2018 mathematics curriculum generally include non-correlation-based operations and tasks at the level of operations based on association. In addition, it was found that the cognitive demand levels of the mathematical tasks were generally compatible with the cognitive demand level/levels targeted by the learning outcome of the mathematics curriculum, but the cognitive demand levels of the tasks in some class levels (e.g., 2009 curriculum 7th grade) did not parallel to them. Additionally, it was determined that the cognitive demand levels of tasks in mathematics textbooks differed according to the curriculum, class and internal sections of the textbooks. At the end of the study, some suggestions were also made for shareholders and further research.